SC - Cressee webbed

[BalthazarBlack at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/10/00 10:54:16 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
margali at 99main.com writes:

> Last time I made cheese, it was basically the same color as heavy cream, 
> white
>  with just the slightest hint of yellow to make it, well-cream colored. I 
> have
>  seen guernsey milk that has a definite yellow to it, and IIRC it was not 
> unnown
>  to color cheese in the 1700s. Whether they did itr earlier, no clue. I 
have 
> seen
>  a fairly yellow parmesan and it didnt list any coloring agent in the 
> ingredient
>  panel.

I have made cheese before (several times), but have never made a yellow 
cheese.  Although, through my experience, I have learned that early cream 
(before modernization of the dairies) did have varying degrees of yellow, 
based on the diet of the cattle, and this would change from season to season. 
 Sometimes, cheese and butter would remain white, and sometimes it would be 
yellowish.  I suspect, though I have no hard evidence before me, that 
commercial cheeses are artificially colored to achieve consistency.  The 
existence of white cheddar would seem to support this.  If period 
cheesemakers did artificially color their cheeses, I think it would have been 
for purely aesthetic reseasons, as it is today.  I don't know of any 
microbiotic benefit derived from the colorization of cheese.  And, frankly, I 
like white cheeses better, generally.  Nothing beats a freshly boiled and 
pulled mozzarella, or lukewarm ricotta first thing in the morning.

Balthazar of Blackmoor