Brynza– a type of cheese widespread in Eastern European countries. The birthplace of feta cheese is considered to be Transylvania (the southern Carpathians, today the territory of Romania), from where the recipe spread to Slovakia, where this cheese is mentioned in written sources back in the 15th century. The recipe for feta cheese was brought to Russia and Ukraine by people from Romania. Nowadays, Russian enterprises produce very little classic cheese; on the shelves there is mainly an imported product or various alternative options such as suluguni and Ossetian cheese.
Raw materials for making cheese
The main raw material for the production of feta cheese is milk, according to the classic recipe - sheep's milk. However, in modern industrial cheese production, cow's milk is more often used. It produces a denser cheese that crumbles less. The technology for making cheese, in addition to whole and skim milk, involves the addition of salt, the fermentation of mesophilic lactic acid bacteria, and a milk-clotting enzyme. In this case, the origin of the enzyme is important: it must necessarily be of microbial origin. Only in this case is it possible to obtain high-quality cheese with the usual characteristic taste and aroma. If the origin of the enzyme is not indicated on the label, it is better to refrain from purchasing such cheese.
Composition and calorie content of cheese
The fat content in feta cheese varies between 40-50% in dry weight, but the higher the fat content, the tastier the cheese. The salinity of this type of cheese is quite high - from 3 to 7%. The sufficiently high salt content in feta cheese itself has a preservative effect; the addition of other preservatives is not required. Depending on the quality of the raw materials and the batch, the calorie content of cheese made from cow's milk varies approximately between 260-290 kcal per 100 g. The calorie content of sheep cheese is much higher.
What does feta cheese look like?
Brynza is easy to distinguish from any other type of cheese. The most typical color is white, but a slight yellowish tint is acceptable. Brynza, like most other brine cheeses, has a high moisture content. This cheese consists of 50-55% water. The cheese dough does not have a characteristic pattern; sometimes there may be a small number of slit-like eyes. There should be no crust on the surface of the head. If a crust is present, it means that the storage conditions or terms were violated. Instead, there are often marks on the surface from the whey separating mesh. The consistency of the cheese is moderately dense, brittle, but it should not crumble much.
When purchasing cheese, be sure to ensure that the packaging is not bloated. This indicates the proliferation of foreign microflora (bacteria, often from the E. coli group).
How to use cheese
Bryndza is rarely used as a separate dish. A more acceptable use is in various dishes: salads, baked goods, etc.
If feta cheese seems too salty to you, or you have medical contraindications for salty foods (hypertension, gastrointestinal diseases), then there is a simple way to reduce the salt content in the product. To do this, just soak the cheese for several hours in milk or water.
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Recipes for dishes with cheese
Lavash with feta cheese
Ingredients:
- tandoori lavash – 1 package (2 sheets)
- feta cheese – 300 g
- dill – 1 bunch
- sunflower oil – 2 tbsp. spoons
- Cooking technology:
- To prepare the filling, grate the cheese on a coarse grater, add finely chopped dill and mix. Cut the pita bread into small squares 12 by 12. Heat the frying pan and add sunflower oil. Place a small amount of filling on each square and roll up. Then place the rolls in a heated frying pan and brown on both sides (1 minute on each side) until the cheese has melted. Place on a platter and serve. They can be eaten both cold and hot.
- Advice:
- Instead of feta cheese, you can take any other hard cheese, and replace the dill with parsley or other herbs.
Tomato salad with cheese
Ingredients:
- tomatoes – 500 g
- bell pepper – 100 g
- feta cheese – 200 g
- parsley – 1 bunch
- olive oil – 3-4 tbsp. spoons
- Cooking technology:
- Tomatoes are cut into slices. Peppers are cut into strips. The cheese is ground on a coarse grater. All ingredients are mixed, salted (to taste), sprinkled with parsley and seasoned with olive oil.
Brynza– a fermented milk product that is made from sheep’s milk and kept in brine. You can also use a mixture of sheep and goat milk. Currently, cow's milk is also used in large quantities to produce this product, but the final product is not as tasty. During production, feta cheese is not subjected to significant heat treatment, which allows it to preserve almost all the beneficial substances in this cheese.
For the first time they learned about cheese in the Arab East, and quite by accident. During a long journey, instead of milk, a merchant discovered an unusual white mass in his wineskin. Today this product is very popular almost all over the world.
Bryndza cheese can be consumed after it has been soaked in brine for 20 days, although this time can increase to 60 days. By the way, the longer the soaking period, the saltier and spicier the product will be. If you want to reduce the salty taste of feta cheese, then put it in boiled water for several hours.
Types and varieties of cheese
Today, there are several varieties and types of feta cheese, which may differ in appearance, taste, smell and composition. The most common types among them are:: Armenian, Georgian, Caucasian, Moldavian, Ossetian, Serbian, Turkish, French, soy. The product is usually prepared from sheep, goat and cow's milk. Let's look at each of these types in more detail.
- Armenian cheese produced exclusively according to a traditional recipe. Its composition should not contain artificial additives or souring accelerators, as they may affect the delicate texture and taste of the product. Most often, Armenian cheese is lightly salted and has a pleasant creamy flavor. The product is prepared from sheep's milk with the addition of pepper and other spices and seasonings. The appearance of such a snack is a dense fermented milk mass with a minimal number of holes.
- Georgian Bryndza is made from fresh goat or sheep milk and salt, as well as a small amount of pepsin. The finished mass has a small number of holes, and this cheese tastes quite salty. The amount of salt is usually not regulated and is added at the discretion of the person preparing the product. The milk must be full-fat and not store-bought.
- Caucasian Bryndza is made from three types of milk: sheep, goat or cow. In the traditional recipe, the starter is made using the stomach of a milk lamb, but at home, housewives have gotten used to using pepsin for this purpose. In order to salt the finished cheese, it is cut into small pieces and dipped in brine for twelve hours. There are almost no holes in this type of product.
- Moldavian Bryndza is airy and is made exclusively from unpasteurized milk. It has a rich creamy, salty taste and pleasant aroma. The product is kept in brine for forty days, during which all pathogenic bacteria in the mass die. A distinctive feature of this type of cheese is that it is often prepared with green onions.
- Ossetian Bryndza is made only in dried sheep's stomach from sheep's milk. The finished product tastes like feta cheese and has a small number of holes. Most often, cheese is produced in a round form, but at home it can be made square or rectangular.
- Serbian feta cheese is a very common product in Ukraine, Moldova and the Balkan countries. It, like other varieties of feta cheese, is prepared mainly from goat or sheep milk. Souring of the liquid usually occurs in the dried stomach of a ten-day-old lamb, where spices and salt are added in advance. The product is produced with a medium degree of salinity, with virtually no holes. It has a rich taste and a pleasant, appetizing milky smell.
- Turkish feta cheese, or, as it is also called, beyaz peynir, is a traditional product that is used in salads and served as a snack. It has a lightly salted taste and a delicate texture without the usual holes. The product is made from cow's or sheep's milk, and sometimes both types are used. It is extremely rare to use a small amount of spices to prepare this variety.
- French feta cheese is a fermented milk product made from goat's milk, which is mixed with herbs. This cheese is used for stuffing vegetables and preparing other dishes. The treat has a rich taste thanks to aromatic greens, and is also quite salty. It does not look like traditional cheese, which is prepared in the form of a dense mass, but more like a liquid mixture.
- Soy Cheese cheese is a product that does not contain ingredients of animal origin. Its taste is not as rich as that of real milk cheese, and it is also less caloric. Suitable for people who are on a diet or fasting.
You can try making delicious cheese at home yourself, or you can buy ready-made cheese. In addition, there are two grades of the product: first and second. To prepare first-grade cheese, selected milk of the highest quality is used, the production of which is subject to very strict requirements. Accordingly, a product made from high-quality ingredients will taste significantly different from second-grade cheese, the requirements for which are not so strict.
How to select and store?
When choosing feta cheese, you should pay attention to the texture of the product; it should be elastic. If the cheese crumbles or spreads, it means that technological processes were disrupted during production.
When a dry edge forms on the edges of the cheese, you should think about the duration of its storage; most likely, all the beneficial properties of the product have already been lost.
If there is any on the surface of the cheese yellow spots are evidence of staleness of the product. It is also worth paying attention to smell: it should be creamy, not sour.
Breaded cheese at home should be wrapped in cling film or foil and placed in the refrigerator in this state. If you bought cheese in brine, it is better to leave it as is. The shelf life of feta cheese in brine is up to 60 days, and without it the time is reduced to a month.
If you need to preserve cheese for as long as possible, simply storing the product in the refrigerator will not be enough. Many housewives believe that it is impossible to freeze cheese in the freezer, but this is not so. Of course, it will lose a little taste, but nevertheless it will remain quite fresh and aromatic after defrosting. This product can be stored in the freezer for up to eight months.
Another option for preserving cheese for a long time is preparing brine. For this, it is advisable to use glass or enamel dishes. You can learn more about preparing brine from our video.
How to check the quality?
You can check the quality of cheese by looking at its structure. A high-quality product has a dense consistency and does not crumble, while a fake product will crumble before your eyes with the slightest pressure.
Among other things, you should take into account the fact that good, high-quality cheese will not be cheap, so you should pay attention to the price. If it is low, it means that the quality of the product leaves much to be desired.
Differences between feta cheese and other cheeses
The differences between feta cheese and other cheeses is a rather interesting topic, since the products are very similar in appearance, but some recipes require the use of a specific type of cheese. Let's try to find out what the difference is between these fermented milk products with the help of our article.
- Main difference Adyghe cheese from feta cheese is that the cheese is prepared and soaked in whey, and feta cheese is soaked in brine. In addition, Adyghe cheese has more protein and is also less salty. Also, the calorie content of feta cheese on average reaches three hundred kilocalories, while cheese contains only two hundred and fifty kilocalories per hundred grams of product.
- Mozzarella is a cheese made from buffalo milk. It is not very salty to taste and also has a denser consistency. Bryndza is made from sheep or goat milk; the product is quite salty and not as dense as mozzarella cheese.
- Sirtaki and fetaki- These are varieties of feta cheese, which have a moist, spreadable consistency. It is indispensable in salads because it slightly moistens foods, giving them a slight salty taste. Cheese cheese is slippery and is not suitable as a substitute for feta and its varieties in salads.
- Suluguni The consistency is quite hard, fibrous and salty, which is how it differs from feta cheese, which is softer and has a grainy structure. These two types of fermented milk products taste very similar.
- Tofu is a type of cheese made from soybeans, and feta cheese is made exclusively from milk. Thus, the taste of these products is significantly different.
Beneficial features
The beneficial properties of feta cheese are due to the rich composition of minerals and vitamins. So, with regular consumption, this product has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin and the entire body as a whole. It is thanks to the cheese in the diet that the skin becomes smoother, more elastic, firmer and velvety.
This cheese contains calcium, which is very easily absorbed by the body, strengthens teeth and bone tissue. In addition, cheese has a beneficial effect on digestion, and cheese also suppresses the proliferation of putrefactive bacteria in the intestines.
Considering the high content of vitamin A in feta cheese, it has a positive effect on vision. Due to the sulfur content, this product has an anti-inflammatory effect. This cheese also contains phosphorus, which takes an active part in protein synthesis and in the formation of bone and muscle tissue. Bryndza contains potassium, which has a beneficial effect on the activity of the cardiovascular system and helps reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. As mentioned earlier, thanks to the calcium present in feta cheese, bones, teeth and nails are strengthened.
The beneficial properties of feta cheese make it possible to eat the product for various diseases, combining all this with drug treatment. Due to the unique fermented milk composition and beneficial bacteria, it is recommended to use this product for people with diseases such as gout and pancreatitis. And since the calorie content of some types of cheese is not very high, people who are on a diet are allowed to eat it to speed up the process of losing weight.
Cheese cheese contains a large amount of calcium and phosphorus. Due to this, it is recommended to use the product for women during pregnancy, as well as for nursing mothers during breastfeeding. Bone diseases are also an indication for consuming feta cheese, and it is especially useful for older people.
If you have diabetes, it is also not prohibited to eat feta cheese, but the amount of its consumption must be carefully regulated.
Use in cooking
Brynza cheese is widely used in culinary recipes of various cuisines of the world, for example, Moldavian, Ukrainian, etc. This product is put in a variety of salads, among them the most popular is “Greek”. In addition, cheese is used in recipes for main courses and in baking. They also put this product in first courses, various side dishes, and also make all kinds of snacks based on it.
How to eat it, what to pair it with and how to serve it?
Many housewives are interested in questions about how to properly eat cheese, what it goes with and how to serve it correctly. In our article we will try to answer them in detail.
When buying cheese in a store or at the market, some buyers note that it is too salty. In this case, it can be added to the salad or soaked in water for a while. This will get rid of excess salt, and then eating the product will be much more enjoyable.
Cheese cheese goes well with any kind of vegetables, especially cucumbers and tomatoes, onions, peppers and herbs. The product is also used as a filling for khachapuri, a traditional Georgian dish.
You can get very tasty sandwiches and canapés if you use cheese. You can also simply cut it into thin slices and put it on bread and butter.
You can experiment with recipes, adding cheese to different dishes to suit your taste, and then you may end up with one of the most delicious treats you have ever tried!
Analogues of cheese - what can be replaced?
There are many analogues of cheese that can replace the product in certain dishes. For example, if you want to make a salad, then you can use cheeses such as Adyghe or Sirtaki as feta cheese. They are close in structure and taste, but there are still significant differences. However, if you don’t have the opportunity to find or make cheese yourself, then you can use these types of cheeses.
Mozzarella or suluguni are suitable for canapés or sandwiches. In the Greek salad, it is acceptable to replace feta cheese only with feta cheese.
How to do it at home?
Making cheese at home with your own hands is not as difficult as it might seem at first. So, to make homemade cheese you need to take full-fat homemade milk, but if you choose the store-bought version, the final product will turn out to be dietary. Select the amount of raw materials depending on the calculation: to get 1 kg of cheese you need to take 5 liters of medium fat milk. It is very important that the final raw materials are as fresh as possible. As a starter, you can take pepsin, vinegar or lamb stomach.
To diversify the taste of the finished product, you can use paprika, herbs, various spices, garlic, etc.
There are many different recipes, let's look at one of them. For it you need to take a little pepsin, the proportion is 1 g of pepsin per 100 liters of liquid. It needs to be diluted with water, and the milk must be heated to 50 degrees. Then remove it from the heat, stir in the pepsin and leave for 10 minutes. After this, whisk the milk with a whisk until a solid mass begins to form. If all else fails, add a little more pepsin. Then pour everything into cheesecloth and leave for a while so that all the whey is removed. All that remains is to give the cheese the required shape and put it in salt water for a day.
How to pickle (marinate) and soak from salt?
It is no secret that feta cheese can be salted or marinated before use, making it saltier and richer in taste, and also if the dish turns out to be too salty, you can soak the product to remove salt. We will tell you how to do this in our article.
The process of salting or marinating cheese takes no more than twenty minutes, but the product must be infused in brine for at least two days. To get started, stock up on olive oil, a mixture of peppers and spices, balsamic vinegar and garlic. You will also need one pod of hot pepper. The salting process looks like this:
- Take a wide and deep glass container, wash the peppers and place them at the bottom of the container. You can break the vegetable slightly so that it releases the juice.
- Add two tablespoons of vinegar and about one hundred and fifty milliliters of olive oil to another container. Mix all this well and add a mixture of peppers in the amount of two spoons, as well as, if necessary, salt to taste.
- Stir the mixture again and add a spoonful of the dry mixture of aromatic herbs.
- The cheese must be cut into fairly large pieces and placed in a jar with pepper.
- Pour the prepared marinade over the cheese and pepper so that the food is completely covered with liquid, and place the container in the refrigerator for two days.
- Shake the jar a couple of times a day so that the product is better saturated with the marinade.
- After two days, the marinated cheese will be ready.
There are two ways to soak cheese from salt: in water and in milk. In the second case, the product will not only become less salty, but will also gain a richer taste. To do this, cut the cheese into pieces three centimeters thick, place in a deep, wide container and fill with liquid. Every two hours, the water or milk must be changed, and the product must be tasted. If the cheese has lost enough salt, you need to place it on a dry surface, wait until the excess moisture drains, and put it in the refrigerator in a container.
Do not forget about the rules for storing cheese, and then you will be able to enjoy its taste for a long time.
Harm of cheese and contraindications
Cheese cheese can be harmful to people with individual intolerance to the product. Also, due to its saltiness, this product can provoke problems with blood pressure, and even a hypertensive crisis. Contraindications to the use of this product are for people with problems with the kidneys, pancreas, stomach, nervous system and liver. You should not eat cheese if you have problems with blood formation.
People with swelling or high blood pressure should limit their consumption of this cheese.
Photo: www.gianteagle.com
Brynza is a well-known pickled cheese originally from Eastern Europe. Good Brynza has a fresh, salty, sour-milk taste, a dense, brittle consistency, and the dough contains a small number of small, irregularly shaped eyes. This cheese is an indispensable ingredient for various salads and baking fillings, as well as for traditional Eastern European dishes (for example, khachapuri with feta cheese, mamalyga, etc.). In dishes, it is better to combine cheese with vegetables rather than with meat ingredients. In fact, Brynza can be considered an analogue of Greek Feta, but they differ quite greatly in taste and consistency. Brynza is saltier and denser than Feta. Brynza is traditionally made from cow's or sheep's milk, and Feta is made from goat's and/or sheep's milk. Also, Brynza is a more dietary cheese, and when prepared with a vegetable enzyme, it is excellent for the diet of vegetarians. Translated from Romanian, the word "brynza" means... simply "cheese". From this alone you can guess that making real delicious Brynza at home will not be particularly difficult. So let's roll up our sleeves and get started =)Ingredients
8 l.
whole cow, goat or sheep milk
pasteurized
1/4 tsp.
mesophilic aroma-forming powder crops (eg Flora Danica)
1/2 tsp.
liquid rennet (veal)
dissolve in 50ml water temperature 30-35ºС
or rennet in another form, in dosage, according to the directions on the package
use animal rennet for this recipe
1 ½ tsp. (8 ml.)
calcium chloride, solution 10%
dissolve in 50ml water at room temperature
or follow the dosage indicated by the manufacturer of the drug on the packaging
maximum application dose - 2 g of dry calcium chloride per 10 liters of milk
1/4 tsp.
[optional] lipase
dissolve in 50 ml of water at room temperature 20 minutes before application
Brine No. 1 (salting) - 20%
1 kg.
medium sea salt
not iodized
4 l.
boiled water
1 tbsp.
calcium chloride, solution 33%
1 tsp.
white vinegar
Brine No. 2 (ripening) - 16%
500 g.
medium sea salt
not iodized
2.5 l.
purified cheese whey
Brine No. 3 (storage) - 12%
350 g.
medium sea salt
not iodized
2.6 l.
purified cheese whey or boiled water
After cooking you will receive: 1 kg Brynza cheese
Equipment
10 l.
pot
enameled or stainless steel
15 l.
pot
for water bath
food thermometer
long knife
for slicing curds
skimmer
wooden or plastic
2 pcs. for 700 g.
cheese mold
with perforations, suitable for ricotta basket
for 3 l.
container for salting and storage with lid
you can use a regular three-liter jar
cheese cloth
gauze or muslin
Sterilize all equipment before making cheese. You can wash it and pour boiling water over it
Brynza preparation schedule (from start to finish of preparation)
First day:
- 2.5 hours to prepare cheese grains (active phase)
- 4-5 hours for pressing (passive phase)
- 1 hour to cool the cheese (active phase)
Subsequent days:
- 4-6 days for salting
- minimum 2 weeks for maturation
Step-by-step recipe for making Brynza
- Heat the milk in a water bath to 30°C, stirring slowly so that it heats evenly. While heating, pour calcium chloride into the milk and mix thoroughly. When the temperature is reached, turn off the heat.
- Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the starter powder (and lipase if using) onto the surface of the milk and let it soak up the moisture for 3 minutes. Then mix, trying to distribute the powder throughout the entire volume of milk. Cover with a lid and leave the milk for 40-60 minutes.
- Pour the enzyme dissolved in water and mix it well throughout the entire volume of milk.
- Cover the pan with a lid and leave for 45 minutes for the milk to curdle.
[optional] To accurately determine the required clotting time and obtain a clot of the desired consistency and calculate the coagulation time using the formula K = F * M (multiplier = 3, F - flocculation time in minutes). After the calculation, leave the clot alone for the remaining number of minutes. - Swipe. If the clot is not dense enough, leave for another 10-15 minutes.
- Cut the curd into cubes with a side of 1.5-2 cm. Slowly stir the curd grain over the next 15-20 minutes, gradually raising the temperature to 33 ° C. During this time, it should decrease in size and release more whey.
- Leave the curds to sit for 5 minutes until they settle to the bottom of the pan. After this, remove most of the whey (so that it only slightly covers the top layer of the curd grain). Part of the whey must be saved for the brine in which the cheese will ripen. Drain it into a container, prepare brine No. 2 (proportions in ingredients) and put it in the refrigerator (the whey must first be cleared of protein, for example, by making ricotta from it).
- Place the molds on a drainage container and use a slotted spoon to transfer the cheese grains into them (it is not necessary to use a drainage cloth here). Leave to self-press at room temperature for 4-5 hours. In the first 30 minutes, turn the cheese in the molds every 10 minutes, then once every half hour. To obtain a denser cheese consistency, you can additionally press it with a small weight - up to 1.5 kg per mold.
- While the cheese is pressing, prepare brine No. 1 (proportions are indicated in the ingredients) and place it in the refrigerator to cool.
- After pressing, the cheese must be cooled to brine temperature. To do this, you need to build a cold chamber: put a metal grid on legs (for example, from a microwave) in a large saucepan, put a cutting board on it, and cheese on top. Pour cold water at 8-10°C into the bottom of the pan. The cheese should lie in this chamber for an hour, during which time every 20 minutes we turn the cheese over and pour cold water at a temperature of 8-10°C.
- When the cheese has cooled well, place it in a container with brine, in which it will float and salt for 4-6 days. Sprinkle coarse salt on top of the cheese. Turn the cheese in the brine 2 times a day. The container with brine must be placed in a chamber with a temperature of 10-12° C.
- After salting, the cheese must be placed in a weaker brine of 14-18%, made on the basis of whey (brine No. 2). The cheese should ripen in this brine for 13-15 days.
- After ripening in brine, the cheese can be eaten immediately, or placed in brine for storage (concentration 12-13%, brine No. 3). Cheese cheese is stored in containers (or in oak barrels, depending on volume). Place the pieces of cheese into the container as tightly as possible, and pour 12% salt brine into the remaining voids. Close the lid tightly on top. If whey-based brine is used, then such cheese will have a softer consistency and a sour taste. In this brine, cheese can be stored for another month in the refrigerator (at a temperature of 6-8 ° C).
Let's first determine what kind of cheese this is - feta cheese? The benefits and harms of this product largely depend on what it is made of and how it is produced. Brynza is prepared from sheep, less often - from. Unlike varieties, this fermented milk product is not boiled. That is, the milk is left to sour. This is at home. And in industrial settings it is curdled by heating milk to 30-35 o C. The result is a clot of tender curd. But in order to prolong this short-lived cheese, it is placed in barrels in a saturated salt solution. Good cheese should be kept there for about 20 days. In Russia, this product is sold in sealed packaging with a small amount of brine so that a crust does not form on the product. In the Carpathians, feta cheese is taken out of the salt solution and dried. Then the product becomes dark yellow and crumbly.
How to distinguish good cheese from bad cheese?
Cheese purchased in a store must be in airtight packaging. When you open it, there should be some liquid in the cheese - the remains of the brine solution. The cheese should resemble compressed cottage cheese, white or beige in color. On the cut you will see several irregularly shaped voids. The structure of the cottage cheese itself will be slightly porous. If the edges of such a store-bought product have become weathered (have become dry and hard), and yellow, orange and greenish inclusions have become visible inside, this is stale cheese. The benefits and harms of cheese largely depend on its age and salt concentration. It also matters what kind of milk the cheese is made from - sheep milk is more valuable. But the healthiest curd cheese is vurda. It is made in the Carpathians from sheep colostrum, the first milk.
Composition of feta cheese
But what is in this type of cheese? What minerals and trace elements does feta cheese consist of? The benefits and harms of this product directly depend on this. What distinguishes feta cheese from hard varieties is its intensely salty taste. And this is not surprising - after three weeks spent in brine! This is almost the only harm of hard cottage cheese: even a healthy and young person is not recommended to eat a lot of salty foods. People with diseased kidneys, poor circulation, and those who have problems with the urinary and cardiovascular systems should also be wary of cheese. Also, this cheese is contraindicated for people with gastritis, high stomach acidity, as well as for those who are lactose intolerant. But this does not mean that you need to completely abandon cheese. If you soak a head of cheese in cold water for about a day before eating, excess salt will disappear from the product, but numerous beneficial properties will remain. And if you don’t have time to soak, just pour boiling water over the cheese.
If we compare this product with hard cheeses, then compressed cottage cheese turns out to be much healthier. After all, to prepare feta cheese, milk is not subjected to heat treatment, which means that vitamins A, B1, B2, C, E and minerals (calcium, potassium, fluorine) are not destroyed. There is also less fat in it than in hard cheeses, but there is more protein. For the human body, the composition of cheese is better balanced than in Maazdam or Gouda. Like any fermented milk product, this salted cottage cheese contains a large amount of phosphorus, sodium and easily digestible calcium. But the opinion that feta cheese helps intestinal motility is a myth. In salt brine, not only but also all sorts of microorganisms die completely.
Who is especially useful for feta cheese?
This product can be used by people of all ages, with the exception of infants and young children. And feta cheese is even recommended for pregnant women, since the calcium it contains helps form the skeleton of a small body. For the same reason, salted cottage cheese is indicated for people recovering from fractures, as well as those suffering from osteoporosis, rickets and other bone diseases. This cheese is rich in amino acids and B vitamins. The benefits of feta cheese are manifested in its beneficial effects on hair, bones and teeth. It also has a good effect on the digestive organs. In the Carpathians, feta cheese is called “Hutsul Viagra” because it increases the overall tone of the body and helps increase potency.
Cheese cheese: benefits and harm for those losing weight
Well, in terms of energy value - can this cottage cheese be consumed by people on a diet? We are glad to inform you that, unlike feta cheese, it contains very little fat. One hundred grams of the product contains only 260 calories. This is if the product is made from cow's milk. Sheep cheese is more nutritious - 300 kcal. But modern chemistry can do anything! Look for dietary low-fat cheese in stores. Its energy value is only 160 kcal. It is known that milk and hard cheeses can lead to stomach and intestinal disorders. But not cheese! The benefits and harms of this product depend only on the quality of preparation and storage conditions. Keep in mind that after opening the package, the cheese can be stored in the refrigerator (preferably in its own brine) for no more than a week.
Brynza is a fermented milk product related to brine cheeses. For a long time, this delicacy has graced the meals of eastern peoples, and today it has become one of the most favorite delicacies all over the world. Cheese cheese has many wonderful properties, but not everyone knows how to use it correctly, what the benefits and harms of this product are. Pickled cheeses are used in a variety of recipes; with their help, any dish can easily be made more tasty and healthy.
Historical facts
History shows that all the greatest discoveries are usually made by accident. This happened with cheese, the discoverer of which was the Arab merchant Kanan. This happened a long time ago, seven thousand years ago. Before setting off on a long journey, the merchant filled the sheep's stomach with milk and placed it in the bottom of his traveling bag. The journey turned out to be long and difficult, and for several days Kanan did not have to open the bag and look inside. As a result, the fragile vessel burst, and the cloudy yellowish liquid did not pour out. At the bottom of the bag the Arab saw a small compressed lump of cheese.
From Eastern legends it is known that the preparation of cheeses was trusted only to adult women. Moreover, in Ancient Greece it was not customary to sit down at the table until homemade cheese was served. In those days, it was stored in earthenware, filled with salt water or.
Today, pickled cheeses are prepared using completely different technologies, but their beneficial properties for the human body are also beyond doubt.
Composition and calorie content of the product
Brynza is considered one of the most healthy varieties of cheese. It contains vitamins B, A, E, microelements: potassium and calcium, fluorine and others. In addition, this product is a valuable source of protein.
It's no secret that traditional hard cheese is very beneficial for the body. But this product has a high calorie content due to its high fat content. Brine cheeses, on the contrary, are not high in fat and do not cause a threat to increase cholesterol levels in the blood, but they contain much more protein.
Cheese cheese is prepared from sheep, goat or cow's milk, which is fermented with the help of a special starter containing strains of lactic acid bacteria. The nutritional value of a product depends on the milk from which it is made. The calorie content of cheese made from sheep's milk is about 290 kcal, and from cow's milk - 230 kcal.
Due to the fact that the product contains virtually no carbohydrates, it can be used in a diet to build muscle mass.
What are the benefits of cheese
The unique composition of this fermented milk product, which contains a huge amount of calcium, makes feta cheese indispensable for children and adults, especially for women during pregnancy.
- Regular consumption of pickled cheeses will help get rid of skin problems, make your hair stronger and silkier, and your nails stronger and smoother.
- The beneficial substances contained in fermented milk cheese have a beneficial effect on the liver and nervous system. This product is especially valuable for older people.
- A unique property of feta cheese is its ability to prevent and suppress the development of harmful microorganisms in the intestines.
- Due to the low calorie content of the product, it can be included in the diet of diabetics. In addition, the high protein content makes it possible to replace meat with this product for those people for whom it is contraindicated.
- Brined cheese, rich in vitamins and beneficial microelements, helps to quickly restore strength after heavy physical activity.
Bryndza usually takes 20 days to cook and contains live bacteria. They effectively act on the microflora in the intestines, improving its functioning in a short time. Therefore, brine cheese is one of the most useful fermented milk products.
Benefits for pregnant women
Cheese cheese is very useful for pregnant women. It is easily digestible and contains large amounts of calcium and phosphorus, which are necessary for the formation of the skeleton of the unborn child. In addition, during pregnancy, the load on the spine and leg bones increases, so consuming fermented milk products is simply necessary.
Bifidobacteria included in the product increase resistance to bacterial and viral infections, prevent toxicosis and allergies, and promote regular bowel cleansing.
What harm can the product cause?
The recipe for making cheese involves soaking it in salt water, so the product can be harmful to people suffering from diseases of the excretory and nervous systems, liver and gastrointestinal tract.
To reduce the amount of salt in brine cheese, you can scald it with boiling water or soak it in cold water. The longer the cheese is stored in an open package, the more salty it tastes.
The consumption of pickled cheeses is contraindicated for people suffering from intolerance to milk sugar (lactose).
Bryndza cheese can harm the body if it is used simultaneously with incompatible products, namely meat, poultry, fish, grains, legumes, confectionery and fruits containing large amounts of sugar.
How to choose and store cheese correctly
When talking about the beneficial properties of pickled cheeses, it should be remembered that only natural and fresh products have such qualities.
- Fresh cheese should be white or milky in color. A bright yellow tint indicates that the product is not fresh.
- The surface of the cheese is smooth and even, without any crust.
- A cross-section of the cheese reveals its porous structure with small voids.
- The head of cheese should hold its shape well and not spread out. Crumbling of cheese indicates a violation of the cooking technology.
When purchasing, you need to pay attention to the production time. If the manufacturer claims that the shelf life is more than 20 days, then preservatives are clearly added to the composition and the health benefits of the product are questionable.
It is better to store fresh dry cheese in the refrigerator, wrapped in foil or film, for no more than 7 days. Cheese in its own brine can be stored for three weeks.
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