Cheesy flavor in various foods is a great favorite worldwide with almost every country having a favorite cheesy food product. Cheesy flavor is derived from cheese, but often the flavor of cheesy recipes varies according to the type of cheese used. A good example of this is pizza as it tastes best when mozzarella is used. Also other types of cheese such as cheddar are used in recipes such as garlic Cheddar Chicken to give it a distinct flavor that can only be provided by this cheese.
There are several hundred different types of cheese these range from veined blue cheeses such as Gorgonzola to parmesan, and almost every continent produces a distinct type of cheese. Therefore, the flavor of cheese can vary wildly. For instance mass produced processed cheese created from pasteurized milk has a uniform cheesy flavor, and is inexpensive, but such cheese is thought to be less tasty than cheese created form unpasteurized milk. Aged cheese also has a much more intense cheesy flavor than processed cheese and some great examples of aged cheese are Brie and Camembert.
Cheesy recipes abound currently as the popularity of cheese has increased worldwide. Some popular recipes include Cranberry Ricotta Pancakes, Garlic Parmesan Oyster Casserole, Bacon Cheddar Twice-Baked Potatoes, Sausage Pepper Brie & Pine Nuts in Puff Pastry, Gruyere & Chicken Roulade and Mozzarella and Roasted Mushroom Panini.
Historical Facts about the Cheesy Flavor
Cheesy taste has been intriguing mankind for several thousands of years. There is no clear record of how cheesy food and cheese came into existence, as they were first created when there was no recorded history. In fact cheese making could have originated when sheep where first domesticated around 8000 years ago. During the rise of the Roman Empire it was described as an established and sophisticated industry. Several theories about the origin of cheese even suggest that cheese was probably discovered by accident. This happened when milk was stored in animal skins which had rennet in them and so the milk gradually formed into cheese. Needless to say cheesy flavor depends on the starter bacteria employed to convert milk sugars into lactic acid. Some cheeses even have bacteria in prepared cultures introduced to them, one such bacterium is Propionibacter shermani which is often used in Swiss cheese and gives this cheese its holes or “eyes”.
Popular Cheesy Recipes
Cheesy taste can be imparted to food in many different ways. Cheese can either be grated on food as a garnish to provide a mild cheesy flavor or it can be melted to create an intense cheesy flavored sauce for various meats. Cheesy flavor is also highly popular in hamburgers and cheeseburgers as it gives them their signature taste. Here slices of processed cheese and sometimes shredded blue cheese are packed between layers of pickles, vegetables and meat to create different sized burgers with incredible cheesy flavor. There are thousands of cheesy recipes with intense cheesy flavor where specific types of cheese are used. One popular example is cheesecake such as Grand Marnier Cheesecake in which Ricotta cheese is used to infuse it with a wonderfully rich cheesy flavor. Cheese such as parmesan can also be grated and added to a basil pesto to give it a cheesy flavor. In fact this type of pesto is a great example of a cheesy recipe that would be incomplete without cheese.
Popular Cheesy Dishes In Various Cuisines
Cheesy tasting food and cheesy recipes can be found the world over. For example in India where cheese making does not have a rich tradition as it does in the western hemisphere. Simple fresh cheese such as paneer, are used in everyday cooking to impart a cheesy flavor to dishes. Cheesy recipes abound in countries such as Italy, France and England. Even the basic French omelets are a good example of cheesy food as it contains a fair amount of cheddar cheese. Glamorgan sausages are another great example of cheesy food as it made by combining cheddar cheese with various vegetables and bread and then fried. In the United States cheesy food can be obtained anywhere and these range from cheese sticks to cheesy recipes prepared from American cheese. Some examples of popular cheesy recipes in the US are, chicken with Monterey Jack Cheese and Monterey Jack filled beef rolls
Health Implications of Cheesy Food
Cheesy taste might be great for the taste buds but cheese is high in saturated fat, so cheesy food, with large quantities of cheese when consumed frequently, can lead to high cholesterol levels. So it is generally recommended that people limit their daily intake of full fat cheese and consume more low fat cheese. Cheesy food and cheesy recipes are a good source of calcium, phosphorous and protein. Several studies have even shown that cheesy food prepared from cheese varieties such as cheddar and mozzarella can help stop decaying of teeth. Paradoxically, the French who consume more cheese than Americans and consequently have a diet rich in saturated fats, have better cardiovascular health than Americans.