144 THE BOOK OF CHEESE 



rubbed. The drying or the evaporation from the cheese 

 can be retarded by sprinkling the floor of the cellar with 

 water. When first placed in the curing cellar, they are 

 usually rubbed daily; after a few days they are rubbed 

 every other day and finally as often as the cheese-maker 

 can find time to work at them. The more the cheeses 

 are rubbed, the better the rind. 



In the curing of Limburger cheese, protein compounds 

 are attacked by the micro-organisms. Certain highly- 

 flavored fatty acids are commonly produced. 1 This 

 change works most rapidly near the outside and more 

 slowly toward the center of the cheese. The stage of 

 ripening can be determined by examining the cheese. 

 When first made, a cheese is harsh and hard and the 

 outside is more or less white : as the curing changes take 

 place, the cheese becomes soft and pasty or buttery. 

 The outside color changes from a whitish to a yellowish 

 and finally even a reddish brown. It requires consider- 

 able time for the ripening agents to work from the outside 

 to the center of the cheese. As ripening progresses, 

 Limburger cheeses tend to become soft enough to break 

 in handling. If such cheeses are wrapped in manila 

 paper after three to four weeks of ripening and packed 

 in boxes, losses from handling are eliminated. One 

 loose board is left on each box and the boxes remain in 

 the ripening cellar until the cheese-maker decides by 

 removal and examination of cheeses from time to time 

 that they are ready for shipment. When fully ripe, 

 the cheese spoils very quickly. Unless handled very 

 carefully, the outer part may actually rot before the 

 interior is fully ripe. The cheeses are shipped from the 



1 Currie, J. N., Flavor of Roquefort cheese, Jour. Agr. Re- 

 search 2 (1914), no. 1, pages 1-14. 



