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5 exotic Cheeses you must know!

So, what happens when excess milk is left to curdle, drained and then salted - You get cheese!

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5 exotic Cheeses you must know

So, what happens when excess milk is left to curdle, drained and then salted - You get cheese!
However, this isn’t as simple as it sounds. Cheese making has evolved over the past decades and is now a much more serious and sophisticated process. Today, there are various types of cheese available ranging from soft to semi-soft, hard and much more. We have listed some of the most exotic cheese you need to include in your dishes:

Great Gorgonzola - One of the most popular and oldest Italian blue cheeses, gorgonzola is made with raw cow’s milk and stored in damp cellars to mature. You can recognize this cheese with its yellowish colour streaked with greenish blue veins, pungent flavour and crumbly texture. It can be used in salads, pastas, polenta, soup and in desserts too. Pairs particularly well with sweet wines, fresh figs and pears! Wrap gorgonzola cheese in a damp muslin cloth and store in the refrigerator to retain the moisture in it.

Comical Emmental – Originated in area of Emmental in Switzerland, emmentaler or emmental is a medium-hard cheese with a pale yellow colour. Although it is popular as Swiss cheese, France and Germany are its major producers. This sweet smelling cheese with a buttery and nutty taste is made in large blocks and aged in cellars for about 4-6 months. This process releases gas bubbles due to bacteria resulting in marble-sized holes throughout the cheese, making it look just like the cheese full of holes in cartoons. It’s a table cheese and you can enjoy slices of these along with your breakfast. Since it melts well, emmental is widely used in many sauces, sandwiches and as toppings on bruschetta. Make your choice of pancake and grate this cheese over it for slight sweet hint in taste. 

Classy Gruyere – Known as one of the finest Swiss cheeses, gruyere is a hard yellow cheese. Widely used for baking as its distinctive taste blends well without overpowering other ingredients in any dessert or pasta. Besides being an important ingredient of French onion soup and fondues, gruyere makes an excellent addition to quiches, salads, pastas and sandwiches. The taste of this high end table cheese varies as per its age. When young, it gives a nutty and creamy taste, however with more aging; it tends to be more earthy and complex in flavours.

Hail Halloumi – Originated in Cyprus, halloumi has become popular in Middle Eastern cuisine. Similar to mozzarella cheese, halloumi is a semi-soft white cheese traditionally made using sheep’s milk and is now combined with goat’s milk for a better taste. Since it has a high melting point, halloumi can be used for various culinary purposes like grilling, frying and served along with vegetables in salads. This cheese is often garnished with fresh mint leaves to enhance its taste and flavour. In fact, this cheese is often sold with a thin layer of fresh mint leaves. It tastes great when lightly fried along with some crisp bacon and tossed in a simple salad 

Rich Ricotta –Ricotta literally means recooked, it is made from leftover whey and then cooked, cooled and passed through fine cloth. Since it is creamy white with a mild grainy texture, ricotta has been the most popular component in Italian cheesecakes and other creamy desserts. It goes well with ingredients like cinnamon, sugar, strawberries and chocolate. Also makes an excellent addition to savory dishes like pizzas and pastas especially as a stuffing in ravioli. In fact, you could almost substitute ricotta with paneer, because of their almost similar taste and texture.  Substitute ricotta for mascarpone in tiramisu or macaroons for a healthier dessert as this soft Italian cheese is much lower in fat.

You can get all the above mentioned cheeses at your nearest departmental stores. For more cheesy recipes, you just have to browse through our website and watch videos on SanjeevKapoorKhazana on YouTube.  

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