646 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



Off. Doc. 



Water 



S.lids, 



Fat 



Paracasein, etc 

 Ash. etc 



36. SO 

 63.20 

 33.75 

 23.75 

 5.70 



31.75 

 68.25 

 36.75 

 25.50 

 6.00 



75. The Value of Cheese as Food. 



There is more or less prejudice against cheese as an article of diet 

 on the ground of its being indigestible. This prejudice has arisen, 

 u«doubtedly, because skim-milk cheese and uncured whole-milk 

 cheese are difficult of digestion. Many of our American people 

 want something very mild in flavor and pretty solid in consist- 

 ency. They find these conditions in cheese partly cured and in 

 ivell-made skim-milk cheese. For the average stomach, cheese should 

 be cured two mouths or more, according to the temperature, before 

 it is eaten. People should be taught to eat only well-ripened cheese. 

 The test of the proper ripeness of cheese is that a piece placed on 

 the tongue and held a little while dissolves completely. By curing 

 at low temperatures for longer periods of time, it is easily possible 

 to produce cheese showing this behavior and at the same time having 

 a mild flavor. We will brieflv consider some of the strongest claims 

 cheese has as an article of diet. 



(1). Cheese is One of Our Most Concentrated Foods. — ^^Takiug vari- 

 ous common foods, and considering the amount of water and waste 

 portions preseot in them and the amount of actual food materials 

 contained in them, we can present the following figures: 



