The vanetics of cheese commonly used in cookery require a short notice. Cheddar is a typical cheese formerly made at Cheddar, in Somersetshire, only, but now produced in several other counties of England and Scotland. From America, including Canada also, cheese made in imitation of Cheddar comes to us. It contains from 30 to 37 per cent, of xvater ; 23 to 29 per cent, nitrogenized snhstaiice, or cascine and its products ; 23 to 35, rarely near 40, per cent, oi fat; from 1 to 6 per cent, of extractives free from nitrogen ; and 3 to 5 per cent, of salts. The savoury ingredient is very small in quantity, and has never been measured by analysis. Cheshire cheese has a very similar composition, but con- tains more carbo-hydrate extractive, mainly sugar of milk. Gruyere, or, as it should be called, Cirauerzer, is of very regular composition, containing tvater, 32 to 35 per cent. ; caseine and products, 29 to 32 per cent. ; fat, 24 to 32 per cent. ; a little sugar of milk ; and salts, from 3 to 5 per cent. Parma or Parmesan Cheese contains from 27 to 35 per cent, of water, 34 to 43 per cent, of caseine and products, and only from 16 to 24 per cent, of fat. Edam [Edcmier), Dutch cheese, contains from 32 to 42 per cent, of water ; 19 to 24 per cent, of caseine and derivates ; 27 to 34 per cent, of fats ; 5 to 6 per cent, of sugar of milk. Of a great variety of other cheeses made and sold in the world, only few are, and that not often, used for cooking ; we therefore do not mention them in this place. Cheese owes the elements of its savour to the decomposi- tion of its caseine, this substance in its original state being by itself quite tasteless. For this decomposition the pre- sence of fat is not essential, but it seems convenient, as pre- venting the process from becoming excessive. Besides meat 6o6 THE SPIRIT OF COOKERY and mushrooms, cheese is the only source in nature from which those gustatory elements can be drawn which con- stitute savouriness ; this was fully proved by the French physician and chemist Louis Proust, the discoverer of extract of meat, as we have shown above. Cheese is the most valuable animal food obtainable ; it is from two to three times as nutritious as the same money- value of ordinary meat ; yet an individual of Konigsberg consumes only 10 grm. per day throughout the year; each head of the Paris population only 9 grm. ; each head of the population of London 16 grm., or half an ounce, daily. Bound Dutch cheese might be used in cookery more fre- quently than it is. As it inclines to be saltish in taste, the latter fault may be eliminated by omitting the salt from the recipe selected (‘ Wyvern,’ he. cit., p. 230). Dutch cheese is also easily grated, and little inclined to mouldiness ; but while it is no doubt a little cheaper than Cheddar or Gloucester when absolute weights only are compared, it is also more watery and less flavoured, and thus the advantages of a lesser price are neutralized. A rich ripe cheese can rarely be used in cookery, but for the production of the fingers or straws of cheese {vide infra) almost any kind of cheese, green Stilton, Gorgonzola (some- times called Stracchino), can be used ; even Boquefort cheese made from ewe’s milk is applicable.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The vanetics of cheese commonly used in cookery require a short notice. Cheddar is a typical cheese formerly made at Cheddar, in Somersetshire, only, but now produced in several other counties of England and Scotland. From America, including Canada also, cheese made in imitation of Cheddar comes to us. It contains from 30 to 37 per cent, of water ; 23 to 29 per cent, nitrogenized substance, or caseine and its products ; 23 to 35, rarely near 40, per cent, oi fat; from 1 to 6 per cent, of extractives free from nitrogen ; and 3 to 5 per cent, of salts. The savoury ingredient is very small in quantity, and has never been measured by analysis. Cheshire cheese has a very similar composition, but contains more carbo-hydrate extractive, mainly sugar of milk. Gruyere, or, as it should be called, Gruyerzer, is of very regular composition, containing water, 32 to 35 per cent. ; caseine and products, 29 to 32 per cent. ; fat, 24 to 32 per cent. ; a little sugar of milk ; and salts, from 3 to 5 per cent. Parma or Parmesan Cheese contains from 27 to 35 per cent, of water, 34 to 43 per cent, of caseine and products, and only from 16 to 24 per cent, of fat. Edam (Edammer), Dutch cheese, contains from 32 to 42 per cent, of water ; 19 to 24 per cent, of caseine and derivates ; 27 to 34 per cent, of fats ; 5 to 6 per cent, of sugar of milk. Of a great variety of other cheeses made and sold in the world, only few are, and that not often, used for cooking ; we therefore do not mention them in this place. Cheese owes the elements of its savour to the decomposition of its caseine, this substance in its original state being by itself quite tasteless. For this decomposition the presence of fat is not essential, but it seems convenient, as preventing the process from becoming excessive. Besides meat [illustration: 606] and mushrooms, cheese is the only source in nature from which those gustatory elements can be drawn which constitute savouriness ; this was fully proved by the French physician and chemist Louis Proust, the discoverer of extract of meat, as we have shown above. Cheese is the most valuable animal food obtainable ; it is from two to three times as nutritious as the same money-value of ordinary meat ; yet an individual of Konigsberg consumes only 10 grm. per day throughout the year; each head of the Paris population only 9 grm. ; each head of the population of London 16 grm., or half an ounce, daily. Bound Dutch cheese might be used in cookery more frequently than it is. As it inclines to be saltish in taste, the latter fault may be eliminated by omitting the salt from the recipe selected (‘ Wyvern,’ he. cit., p. 230). Dutch cheese is also easily grated, and little inclined to mouldiness ; but while it is no doubt a little cheaper than Cheddar or Gloucester when absolute weights only are compared, it is also more watery and less flavoured, and thus the advantages of a lesser price are neutralized. A rich ripe cheese can rarely be used in cookery, but for the production of the fingers or straws of cheese {vide infra) almost any kind of cheese, green Stilton, Gorgonzola (sometimes called Stracchino), can be used ; even Boquefort cheese made from ewe’s milk is applicable.

The spirit of cookery