[Ansteorra] More cream cheese

[Adrienne R. Ferrell]

--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]

Now that I've looked for cream cheese, it is easy to believe that a form of
cream cheese was known in the middle ages and before.  It is simple enough
to make.  The trick is finding out what other people in different parts of
the world called it.  Most cheeses seem to be named after a location that
was particularly fond of producing that type of cheese.

Middle Eastern
LABNEHThe arabs relish this cheese at any time, but particularly for
breakfast with black olives, olive oil and bread. start the preparation of
labneh by adding to the laban enough salt to taste. pour into a cheesecloth
or a coarse cotton bag. let hang overnight to drip dry and remove the whey.
LABAN: cultured milk; yoghurt
LABNEH: cream cheese made from laban

Mascarpone  Italian cream cheese

History Mascarpone's origins go back many centuries. It appears to have
originated in the area between Lodi and Abbiategrasso, west and south of
Milan, in Lombardy. There are various hypotheses about the origin of the
name. There are those who link the term to a Spanish expression, "mas que
bueno," which means "even better than good." As such, it appears to have
been a judgment passed on the quality of the cheese by a Spanish official
during the 17th century when Spain dominated Lombardy. Others connect the
name with the word "mascarpa", a milk product made from the whey of a
stracchino or aged cheese. In addition, it is argued that the name is
derived from "mascarpia", a term in the local dialect for ricotta, and may
have been applied because the two cheeses are made by a virtually identical
process. Mascarpone could, therefore, have originated as a by-product from
the processing of other cheeses. Long ago, it was produced only in the
autumn and winter and sold immediately, wrapped in cheesecloth, for
consumption the same day
http://www.milioni.com/formaggi/inglese/dati/107.htm

Half history, half legend
It is certain that a very rich and nutritious "ricotta" was already being
produced by cheese makers two centuries ago, made using cow's milk cream in
a lengthy and complicated procedure. The end result was even then a "grand
gourmet" delicacy. ...There are also many legends associated with
mascarpone and one of the strangest is the story of how a young girl from
Lombardy, when the region was occupied by the Gauls, managed to escape a
Roman consul's "passes" by enticing him into sampling the tasty white cream
delicacy.
http://www.ilgelato.net/numero16/i-storia.htm


Sincerely,
Seraphina


--