Farmhouse cheddar is a traditional cheese made in small batches using non-mechanical tools. However, some cheese makers label their products as “farmhouse” even if they use modern equipment and ingredients. The cheese starts with fresh milk, heated slowly and combined with rennet to form curds. Cheesemakers strain and separate the curds using wooden mills or hand cranks, add salt, and press them into molds to age for a few days or years. Farmhouse cheddar is characterized by a brittle, crumbly texture and ranges in color from off-white to pale orange.
Strictly speaking, farmhouse cheddar is a type of cheddar cheese that is made in small batches using non-mechanical tools. However, there are some limitations on the use of the denomination “farmhouse”. It’s not unusual for cheese makers to label products as “farmhouse cheddar,” no matter how they’re made, often in an effort to conjure up more traditional images of rustic, old-world production.
Cheddar cheese is commercially produced in many markets around the world, but this is a relatively recent phenomenon. For centuries, all cheeses, including cheddar, have been made locally. Dairy farmers were among the early pioneers of cheddar. A farmhouse cheddar is a cheese that uses or emulates the low-tech, low-tech methods of these early producers.
The farmhouse cheddar starts with a tub of fresh milk. More traditional recipes call for unpasteurized milk, meaning milk that hasn’t been treated to kill bacteria. Most of the time, this type of milk comes directly from dairy cows, often without even refrigeration.
The milk must be heated slowly and combined with an enzyme compound. Rennet, a substance from bovine stomachs, is the source of enzymes for most farm cheddar. The compound is typically collected from the fourth stomach of calves that have been fed an exclusively milk-based diet.
When exposed to rennet enzymes, heated milk will form curds. To make farmhouse cheddar, cheesemakers must strain these curds, then separate them. Wooden mills or hand cranks are the preferred tools for this task, as they allow the cheesemaker to control the force and force of the separation. Much of the technique boils down to individual knowledge of what “feels right” or “feels right.”
Farmhouse cheddar makers must add salt, either in flaked or crystal form, to the curds as they mix. This is known as “cheddaring” and is required to achieve the distinctive cheddar flavor. When the curds have absorbed the salt, they are usually pressed by hand into molds, where they are left to age for a few days or a few years. In general, the longer a cheese ages, the sharper its flavor will be.
There is debate among cheese purists as to whether more advanced techniques – such as the use of mechanized machines for separating the curds or the use of an artificial, vegetarian enzyme compound in place of rennet – should ban a cheese is labeled as “agriturismo.” To avoid controversy, many more modern dairy companies label their products “farmhouse” style. This indicates that the product bears some resemblance to a traditional cheese, but may make use of more modern equipment and ingredients.
Farmhouse cheddar is just one of many types of cheddar. It is generally characterized by a brittle, crumbly texture and ranges in color from off-white to pale orange. Most of the time, it is prepared simply, with no additions or extra flavoring agents. Farmhouse and farmhouse-style types of cheese are generally considered to be among the simplest, but also the most organic and authentic.
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