SEMI-HARD CHEESES 161 



such quality is low. In spite of its irregular quality, 

 England has used larger amounts of Gorgonzola than of 

 Roquefort. Considerable quantities have been imported 

 for the Italian trade in the United States. 



172. Stilton cheese bears the name of an English 

 village 1 in which it was first sold. It is made from cow's 

 milk and is typically a whole milk cheese, although part 

 skim cheeses are regularly made and sold as lower grades. 

 In the Stilton-making counties, the milk from Shorthorn 

 cattle testing about 3.5 to 4.0 per cent fat is preferred 

 to richer or poorer grades. Such milk is curdled with 

 rennet at about 86 F. in about one hour; the curd is 

 cut, dipped to a draining table covered with cloth and 

 drained slowly over a period of several hours, commonly 

 overnight. During this period considerable acidity is 

 developed. The curd is then milled or broken by hand, 

 salted, packed into hoops 15 to 16 inches high and 7 

 inches in diameter. These hoops are made from heavy 

 tin (Fig. 26) with four rows of holes about T$ inch in 

 diameter. The freshly filled hoops are allowed to 

 stand and drain without pressure in a room at about 

 70 F. (Fig. 26). Such cheeses are turned every day 

 for several days. When solid enough to stand the hoops 

 are removed, the cheeses are scraped or rubbed with a 

 knife until the surface is smooth, and commonly wrapped 

 with a cloth bandage to maintain the shape, if the 

 cheese is still too soft to stand firmly. In the factories, 

 several rooms are used with varying temperature and 

 relative humidities, which makes it possible to place each 



1 Stilton Cheese J. P. Sheldon from abs. by New York 

 Produce Rev. 28 (June 16, 1909), no. 8, pages 362-363. Stilton is 

 said to have originated with Mrs. Paulet, Wymondham, Co. of 

 Leicester, and to have been sold by her brother Host of the 

 "Bill" at Stilton from which village it derived its name. 



