Tilsiter cheese: features, composition, calorie content and recipe

Like most cheeses, Tilsiter is made on the basis of milk. However, due to the peculiarities of the production, it contains a greater amount of whey.In addition, it is rich in vitamins and minerals, fatty acids.

Tilsiter (also called Tilsit) is referred to as semi-solid varieties of cheeses. It has a milky, slightly yellowish shade and a dark brown crust, on its surface there are a number of cracks and holes. Its surface is quite elastic and slightly oily. Cheese has a pronounced milky creamy flavor with nutty notes. The taste is creamy, tender, but rather spicy, slightly salty.

Reviews say that The taste of cheese can be called universal, but not bland. This is a great option for cheese for every day, "sandwich" cheese. Many children enjoy eating the product, as reported by their parents.

The territory of Prussia is considered the birthplace of cheese. It was here, in the town of Tilsit in the XIX century began to produce the product. Later, production was transferred to Switzerland, and today the main volume of this product is produced here.

Being a “representative” of table cheeses, Tilsiter can be used as a separate dish. It is usually served as a snack. The product goes well with rye and buckwheat bread, dry white wine and dark beer. You can combine Tilsiter with nuts, grapes and honey.

In addition, it can be put in sandwiches, salads and main dishes. In the molten form, it serves as an ingredient in creamy sauces. Again, given that the cheese melts, it is often used to make a cheese crust when frying and baking meat and fish, vegetables, making pizza and pies.

At the core of the product is cow's milk. Cooking curd happens without external influence, only by self-pressing. The finished cheese heads are soaked for several days in a 20% saline solution, after which they are lubricated with compositions that enhance the fermentation.

Maturation lasts 5-7 weeks. During aging, the product is regularly washed and brushed, which ensures its special taste. It was at this time that Tilsiter’s dark brown crust formed, which is one of its distinctive features.

Cheese is formed in bars weighing 4-5 kg. Crust sometimes has a wax coating. The cut clearly shows the holes, the diameter of which is 2-2.5 mm. Qualitative Tilsit has a uniform shade, spots and stains indicate a violation of cooking technology.

Initially, the cheese contained black pepper and cumin, but the author of the recipe (frau Westfal) refused additives, considering that they overlap the creamy taste of the product. The classic recipe does not imply additives in the composition, but today you can find Tilziter with cumin and ground black pepper.

Depending on the raw materials used, there are 3 main Tilsit.

• Green stamp (Green label). The product is based on unpasteurized milk, which provides a more tender and creamy taste. It lacks any additives, the product can be called universal. It goes well with most ingredients, has a universal purpose in cooking.
• Red stamp (Red label). The product is prepared from unpasteurized milk, and when prepared it produces a pronounced milky flavor. This kind of Tilsiter has a spicy taste, so it is best suited as a snack to beer.
• Yellow label (Yellow label). In addition to pasteurized milk, the composition of this variety includes cream. This increases the caloric and fat content of the product, but its taste wins - the cheese is more tender, with a pronounced creamy aftertaste. Due to the presence of cream in the composition has a higher cost.

Compared with most other types of cheese, this product is the record for the content of whey. It contains a large amount of vitamins of group B (even quite rare vitamin B5 is present), as well as vitamins A, PP, E, C. Minerals are represented by potassium and magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. The chemical composition of the product also includes cholesterol and fatty acids.

This allows to rank it among the products that improve the regeneration of bone tissue, helping to strengthen the skeleton and teeth. In addition, the product is good for the heart and blood vessels. The product is recommended for bone diseases, during recovery after fractures, with tuberculosis. Like most hard and semi-hard cheeses, Tilsiter strengthens tooth enamel, enhancing its resistance to the activity of carious bacteria.

Vitamin B in the composition has a positive effect on the nervous system, strengthening it, removing the symptoms of stress and fatigue. Caloric content is determined by the composition of the product, and its fat content varies between 30-60%. On average, nutritional value is 340 calories per 100 grams of product, while fat content is about 45%. The balance of BJU looks like 27.8 / 25 / 0.1.

Due to its high calorie content, Tilsiter is not recommended for obesity. High sodium content with excessive consumption of cheese can cause puffiness. Excess sodium leads to a deterioration in the functioning of all organs and systems, slowing metabolism.

Because of this component, cheese should be used with caution in diseases of the liver and kidneys, hypertension. Reasons for not using cheese are also lactose intolerance, diseases of the gastrointestinal organs in the acute period, urolithiasis.

Having the necessary ingredients and equipment, you can prepare Tilziter at home. The process can not be called overly complex, in the presence of a small culinary experience you can get delicious cheese.

First of all, you need to prepare everything you need, and this:

• 10 liters of milk;
• 4 liters of water (preheat to 40 ° C);
• half a teaspoon of rennet;
• a quarter of a teaspoon of mesophilic starter.

In addition, you will need a thermometer, a spacious pan (10 liters) and a form for cheese.

First you need to pasteurize the milk. To do this, it must be quickly heated to 74 ° C and, avoiding boiling, removed from the fire. Chill. If you use homemade milk, which you are sure of, you can skip this step. However, it should be remembered that the finished product will have a specific smell.

Next you need to achieve clotting milk. To do this, in 100 ml of warm water to dissolve the leaven and leave the mixture for half an hour. Heat the milk to 37 ° C (fermented milk bacteria are activated at this temperature) and pour in the leaven, wait 30 minutes, covering the composition with a lid.

The next step is to direct the coagulation of milk. First you need to dissolve the rennet in 50 ml of water at room temperature and pour into the milk, stirring the latter. After 40-50 minutes a clot forms on the surface. It is important to wait until it becomes dense enough - so that you can cut it with a knife. When making longitudinal and transverse movements with a knife, the clot should be cut into small (with 1.5 cm sides) cubes.

After 10 minutes after that, about 200 ml of serum should be drained from the composition, after which then the curd on the fire for 10 minutes. The temperature should be 37-38 ° C. The cubes should be kneaded all the time, making neat movements. If done correctly, they will begin to disintegrate into fairly large grains.

If the temperature of the composition quickly rose above the specified, and 10 minutes has not yet elapsed, remove the saucepan from the heat and continue kneading until the specified time. After that, about 30% more serum or about 3 liters should be drained. The next step is to add 2.5-2.7 liters of boiled water.

Now the composition must be subjected to a second heating. It lasts as the first - 10-12 minutes at the same temperature. By the end of the process, the cheese grains should be approximately halved in size. After that, the raw material is laid out in a form where it remains for 30 minutes.

Only after a specified time, you can turn the shape and pressurize the product, during which excess liquid is removed, and the mass is compacted. For the first hour, the cheese is placed under a pressure of 1 kg, then for 2 hours the product is pressed under a weight of 3-4 kg.

The next stage is salting. It is necessary to prepare a solution of 1 liter of water and 200 g of non-iodized table salt. After waiting for the salt grains to completely dissolve, the liquid must be filtered through gauze. This will prevent sand and foreign particles from entering the cheese, which may be in salt.

The head of the cheese is placed in the solution for 10-12 hours, turning every 2-3 hours to evenly soak. After a specified time, the cheese must be dried in room conditions to obtain a crust. It is important to periodically turn the head.

But for aging, which follows after drying, you should create conditions with a temperature of 10-12 ° C. Every 2 days you should rinse the head under running water and clean the surface with a brush. After cleaning, you need to wipe a piece of cheese with a clean towel and re-store. If you do this in a tray in the refrigerator, then you do not need to cover the container with a lid.

Cheese must ripen for 1-3 months. After a specified period, the product should be coated with latex or stored in a package for aging.

To learn how to make Tilsiter cheese at home, see the following video.