VARIETIES OF CHEESE: DESCRIPTIONS AND ANALYSES. 49 



is said to be a little finer variety of cheese than Limburg and to sell for a 

 slightly higher price. 



ROQUEFORT. 



This is a soft, rennet cheese made from the milk of sheep. There are, how- 

 ever, numerous imitations, such as Gex and Septmoncel, made from cows' milk, 

 which resemble Roquefort. One of the most striking characteristics of this 

 cheese is the mottled or marbled appearance of the interior, due to the develop- 

 ment of a penicillium, which is the principal ripening agent. The manufacture 

 of Roquefort cheese has been carried on in the southeastern part of France 

 for at least two centuries. The industry is particularly important in the De- 

 partment of Aveyron, in the village of Roquefort, from which the cheese derives 

 its name. It is also made in Corsica. Imitations of Roquefort are made in 

 various countries. 



The evening's milk is heated to 140° or 150° F., cooled, and kept overnight. 

 After being skimmed it is mixed with the fresh morning's milk. The mixture 

 is then set with rennet at a temperature of from 78° to 82° F. In from one to 

 two hours after the addition of rennet the curd is cut until the particles are 

 about the size of walnuts. The whey which rises to the surface is dipped off, and 

 the curd is put into hoops which are about 8i inches in diameter and 3| inches 

 in height. The hoops usually are filled in three layers, a layer of moldy bread 

 crumbs being interspersed between the first and second and second and third 

 layers. The bread used for this purpose is prepared from wheat and barley 

 flour, with the addition of whey and a little vinegar. It is thoroughly baked 

 and kept in a moist place from four to six weeks, during which time it becomes 

 permeated with a growth of the mold referred to. The crust is removed, and 

 the interior is crumbled very fine and sifted. The cheese is not subjected to 

 pressure. It is turned usually one hour after putting into hoops and is not 

 wrapped in cloths. 



Formerly the manufacture of the cheese up to this stage was carried on by 

 the shepherds themselves, but in recent years centralized factories have been 

 established, and much of the milk is collected and there made into cheese. The 

 cheese is then taken to 'the caves. These are for the most part natural caverns 

 which exist in large numbers in the region of Roquefort. The temperature in 

 these caves is 40° to 45° F., and the air circulates very freely through them. 

 Recently artificial caves have been constructed and used. When the cheeses 

 reach the caves they are salted, which serves to check the growth of the mold 

 on the surface. One or two days later they are rubbed vigorously with a cloth 

 and are afterward subjected to thorough scraping with knives, a process for- 

 merly done by hand, but now much more satisfactorily and economically by 

 machinery. The salting, scraping, or brushing seems to check the development 

 of mold on the surface. In order to favor the growth of mold in the interior, 

 the cheese is pierced by machinery with from 20 to 60 small needles, which 

 process permits the free access of air. The cheese may be sold after from 30 

 to 40 days or may remain in the caves as long as five months, depending upon 

 the degree of ripening desired. During the process of ripening by- scraping and 

 evaporation the cheese loses from 16 to 20 per cent of the original weight. 

 When ripened, it weighs 4£ or 5 pounds. 



SAANEN. 



This is a type of Emmental cheese made in Switzerland from cows' milk. It 

 is sometimes known as Hartkase, Reibkase, and Walliskase. First mentioned 

 in the sixteenth century, it is still manufactured extensively at the present 

 13113°— 18— Bull. 608—4 



