VARIETIES OP CHEESE: DESCRIPTIONS AND ANALYSES. 45 



POTATO. 



This cheese is made in Thuringia, in the central part of Germany. In the 

 manufacture of potato cheese, curd is made from cows' milk, sour, or in some 

 cases from renneted milk. Sometimes sheep's or goats' milk is used. The 

 potatoes are boiled and grated or mashed. One part of the pota'toes is thor- 

 oughly mixed or kneaded with two or three parts of the curd. In the better 

 cheese three parts of potatoes are mixed with two of curd. During the mixing 

 salt and sometimes caraway seed is added. The cheese is allowed to stand for 

 from two to four days while a fermentation takes place. After this the curd 

 is again thoroughly kneaded and placed in forms for a day. It is then dried 

 and is sometimes covered with beer or cream, and is finally placed in tubs and 

 allowed to ripen for 14 days. 



A variety of this cheese is made in the United States. It is probable, how- 

 ever, that it is not allowed to ripen for quite so long a period as the potato 

 cheese of Europe. In all other essentials it appears to be identically the same. 



POTTED. 



This cheese very probably originated in the United States. It is usually 

 prepared from well-ripened Cheddar cheese by grinding it very fine and mixing 

 with butter, condiments, spirits, etc. In the past it has been put up in small 

 porcelain jars, but at the present time a portion of it is wrapped in waxed 

 paper and either tin or lead foil, and often goes by the name of Club cheese. 



PRATTIGAU. 



This is made from cows' milk, skimmed, and is so named from the valley of 

 Switzerland in which it is made. Its manufacture is the same as that of Lim- 

 burg. Cheeses weigh from 20 to 25 pounds each. 



PRESTOST. 



Prestost is a product of Sweden, where it is often called Saaland Pfarr. It 

 is a rennet cheese made from cows' milk, fresh, and resembles Gouda. It was 

 known in the eighteenth century. The milk is set at 90° F. and is allowed to 

 become very firm, when it is cut coarse with a wooden knife and poured into 

 a sieve, which allows the whey to drain off. The curd is then put into a cloth 

 and kneaded. Whisky is mixed with the curd, which is then packed in a basket, 

 and after some salt is sprinkled on the surface it is put into a cellar. The 

 cloth inclosing the cheese is changed daily for three days, after which the cheese 

 is washed with whisky. A cheese is cylindrical in shape and weighs from 5 to 

 30 pounds. 



PROVIDENCE. 



This cheese is about 8 inches in diameter and 1J inches thick, and very 

 closely resembles Port du Salut. It is made in the monastery of Bricquebec in 

 the Department of Manche, France. 



PROVOLE. 



This is one of the most esteemed of the several kinds of hard, rennet cheese 

 made from cows' milk, including also that of buffaloes, in central and southern 

 Italy. The cheese is round or oval and weighs from 4 to 6 pounds. Smaller 

 sizes weighing about 2 pounds are known as Provoloni. In many respects, in- 

 cluding the cooking of the curd with hot water and the smoking of the cheese, 

 Provole and Provoloni resemble Caciocavallo. Considerable quantities of this 

 cheese are imported into the United States. 



