Tilsit cheese is a semi-hard cheese originating from Prussia, now commonly made in Switzerland. It has a stronger smell and taste than other Danish cheeses and is aged for around 180 days. It is best paired with starches and is used in dishes as an ingredient or as a standalone product. The cheese was created by Danish settlers in Russia and named after the village of Tilsit. Switzerland is a major cheese producer and markets Tilsit cheese with three different types of labels based on the type of milk used.
Tilsit cheese, also called tilsiter cheese, is a versatile, semi-hard cheese that originated in the mid-19th century by Danish settlers in Prussia. It is now commonly made in Switzerland under the name tilsiter cheese. Tilsit can range from ivory to light yellow and is grown from cow’s milk. It is known to have a stronger smell and taste than other Danish cheeses.
Modern tilsit cheese is a medium-textured cheese that has a variety of cooking applications, both in dishes as an ingredient and as a standalone product. When commercially produced, it comes from cow’s milk and is up to 60% butterfat. Additional flavorings in the cheese include peppercorns and cumin seeds. Properly produced, the cheese is aged for around 180 days.
Tilsit cheese is commonly described as rich and sometimes slightly salty. It tends to have a more pronounced aroma than cheeses many consumers will be used to, and is best paired with starches. Common culinary applications of this cheese are melted in sauces or over potatoes, as a table cheese, or served with a rich stout or brown bread.
Tilsit cheese was created in what is now Sovetsk, Russia. In the 1800s, Danish settlers looking to make their homeland’s cheeses found that the correct ingredients weren’t available to them. What resulted from the different cultures and ingredients of bacteria and yeast was a more flavorful cheese than their methods normally produce. The settlers named the cheese after what was then the village of Tilsit, Prussia.
The tilsit cheese recipe was imported to Switzerland in the late 1800s and since then Switzerland has become a major cheese producer. It is commonly marketed with three different types of label, each of which distinguishes the type of milk used to make the cheese. Tilsit cheese with a red label is made from fresh, unpasteurized cow’s milk and tends to have a stronger flavor than green or yellow labeled cheeses. Green label cheese is made using pasteurized milk, and a yellow label cheese has extra cream added to the mix.
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