Cheese - Cheese (English spelling)

Japanese: チーズ - ちーず（英語表記）cheese

Milk is coagulated by adding rennet enzymes or organic acids, or by heating, and then the water (called whey, a cloudy yellowish liquid containing lactose, ash, and a small amount of protein) is removed with a cloth or other tool. The protein-based coagulated product that remains after removing the whey is called curd, and its composition varies depending on the ingredients of the raw milk. Skim cheese is made from skim milk, whole milk is called full fat cheese, and cream cheese is made from cream, but the difference in composition is the milk fat content in the curd. Cheese is broadly divided into natural cheese and processed cheese. Natural cheese comes in a wide variety of types, from those that are eaten fresh to those that require fermentation and aging for more than a year, but generally refers to cheese that is not heated during the manufacturing process and has lactic acid bacteria and enzymes remaining intact. On the other hand, processed cheese is made by blending different types of natural cheese and different degrees of aging, heating and dissolving them, and molding them. It is particularly popular in the United States and Japan because it is easy to obtain a uniform quality with high shelf life and can be produced industrially.

The English word cheese comes from the Latin cāseus, and the German word Käse and the Italian word cacio share the same origin. The French word fromage is also said to be derived from the Latin forma (to shape). However, cheese is thought to have originally originated in Southwest Asia, and since the discovery of rennet enzymes (a milk-clotting enzyme extracted from the stomachs of cows and sheep), lactic acid fermentation and its combined production methods were introduced mainly to Western Europe, producing many varieties in addition to the traditional acid-coagulated type. Meanwhile, cheeses produced using methods such as acid-coagulated and heat-concentrated have existed since ancient times in the wide inland area extending eastward to Mongolia, and in India, animal-derived milk-clotting enzymes are avoided for religious reasons, and citrus fruit juice and industrially lactic and citric acids are used.

[Kyoji Niinuma and Akiaki Wani]

history

If fresh milk is left as is, it will naturally undergo lactic acid fermentation and the fat will rise to the top, and underneath that will form curds made from proteins (especially casein) solidified by lactic acid, and then it will separate into three layers: whey. Therefore, it is thought that humans were able to easily obtain butter and curds from the early stages when they started to use milk from livestock, and they must have first used simple methods such as heating, drying, and salting to preserve them. Even the cheeses made by nomads living inland today are often made by heating skimmed milk to obtain curds, adding salt, and rolling them by hand, then drying them in the sun.

Records of cheese-making have been found on clay tablets from Mesopotamia dating back to around 3000 BC, and many earthenware vessels with many small holes thought to be strainers for cheese-making have been excavated from ruins around the Orient from the same period. Wooden products have also been excavated from the remains of the Lake Dwelling Culture in Switzerland, suggesting that acid-coagulated cheese has existed in an even wider area for a long time. The time when rennet enzymes were discovered in cow and sheep stomachs is unknown, but it seems to have been relatively late. Archaeologically, earthenware vessels containing yeasts such as scraps of sheep stomach, grains, and raisins have been excavated from the kitchen of a castle in the Urartu Kingdom in the Caucasus around 900 BC. It is believed that the methods of making cheese were introduced to Europe via the Balkan Peninsula and the archipelago, and gradually spread widely from the south to the Germanic peoples as the Roman Empire developed.

Cheese has been produced in many different varieties around the world, depending on the raw milk (milk of cows, sheep, goats, horses, camels, reindeers, etc.), climate, and production methods, and the number is said to be between 600 and 800. For example, in Mongolia, creamy cheese and dried skim cheese are made from the milk of five livestock (cows, sheep, goats, horses, and camels), and in France, 300 different types of cheese with different flavors are made from cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk. The technology of cheese making in Western Europe, along with the brewing of wine and beer, owes much to the power of medieval monasteries, and in the case of cheese, the role of the Cistercian Order (commonly known as Trappists) was particularly large. Industrial production began in 1851 when George Williams built a small cheddar cheese factory in New York State, USA, and after Hansen of Denmark began selling refined rennet commercially around 1870, factory production became widespread through the early 20th century. Processed cheese began to be produced by Kraft in the United States in 1904, and in 1916 the process of heating, melting and molding cheese was patented.

During the Nara period, dairy products from the Tang dynasty such as raku, so, and daigo were introduced from China, and there are records of su being used by the imperial family and aristocrats, which suggests a similar manufacturing method to the Indian khoa, which is a type of heat-concentrated cheese. In the Edo period, the eighth Tokugawa Shogun Yoshimune produced "Hakugyuraku" at Mineoka Farm in Chiba (Kamogawa City), which seems to have been made using the same method and then packed into small molds and dried, but both are considered to be types of Asian-style cheese in the broad sense of the word. Western-style cheese using rennet enzymes was first produced in Japan in 1875 (Meiji 8) at the Hokkaido Colonization Agency's Industrial Experiment Station in Nanae, a suburb of Hakodate, Hokkaido, under the guidance of an American named Dan, and the first private cheese was produced in 1900 (Meiji 33) at the Trappist monastery in Yunokawa, near Hakodate. Later, in 1933 (Showa 8), industrial production began by Hokkaido Dairy Co. (now Snow Brand Milk Products) in Toasa, Hayakita Town (now Abira Town), near the current Chitose Airport. However, cheese eating habits did not spread in Japan, and the production and consumption of processed cheese, which has a long shelf life, took precedence at the distribution stage. However, after World War II, the westernization of eating habits progressed rapidly, and the preference for natural cheese in addition to processed cheese also increased, to the point where today imports exceed domestic production.

[Kyoji Niinuma and Akiaki Wani]

Classification and Name

According to a report by the United States Department of Agriculture, there are said to be at least 800 types of cheese in countries around the world, and various classification methods have been proposed. The most commonly used classification criteria based on production method and physical properties are the curdling method (enzyme method, acid coagulation, heat coagulation), type of raw milk (cow's milk, goat's milk, etc.), raw fat percentage (cream, whole milk, skim milk), aging method (non-aged, bacterial aged, mold aged, etc.), and cheese hardness (soft, hard, etc.). In Europe and the United States, cheeses are generally classified by hardness, aging method, and fat content, which serve as a guide to the flavor, texture, and appearance characteristics of the cheese.

Cheese also has its own name depending on the type, for example, Swiss (Switzerland) and Sovietsky (former Soviet Union) are named after the country, while those named after regions such as Emmental (Switzerland), Munster (France), and Manchego (Spain) are named after towns and villages such as Camembert (France), Gouda (Netherlands), Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan is the English name) (Italy), and Cheddar (England), which are only found in Japan and have names similar to their origins. There are also names based on the ingredients such as Pecorino Romano (sheep's milk, Italy), names based on appearance such as blue cheese (common to all countries), Bola (spherical, Spain), and Grana (powdered, Italy), and many are named after monasteries such as Port du Salut (France) and Trappist (Poland).

[Kyoji Niinuma and Akiaki Wani]

Manufacturing method

There are many different methods for making cheese, but here we will briefly describe the home-industry method for making Gouda cheese using rennet and enzyme coagulation.

(1) Lactic acid bacteria and rennet enzyme are added to raw milk heated to about 30°C to coagulate the proteins (curd formation).

(2) The curds are cut into small pieces and then heated to shrink them, after which the whey (liquid fluid, also known as milk serum) is removed.

(3) The remaining curd is packed into a mold and pressed to remove more whey.

(4) The curd formed in the mold is immersed in salt water to add saltiness.

(5) It is aged for several months at a room temperature of around 15°C. During this aging period, the enzymes from the lactic acid bacteria remaining in the curd break down the proteins and fats, creating the cheese's unique flavor.

Many types of cheese can be produced depending on the manufacturing conditions at each stage and their combinations. For example, cottage cheese is eaten at stage (2), while Camembert cheese is ripened by sprinkling white mold spores on the surface at stage (3). Roquefort cheese (blue cheese) is made by mixing blue mold spores with the curd after stage (2), salting the cheese and molding it, then drilling holes in it for ripening. Extra-hard Parmesan cheese has a particularly long ripening period at stage (5), which can last for over a year while being dried.

[Kyoji Niinuma and Akiaki Wani]

Nutrition and consumption

Although there are considerable differences in the composition of ingredients among cheeses of the same variety due to differences in production methods, maturation periods, storage conditions, etc., most of the protein (especially casein) and fat in milk has been transferred to cheese, and it is easily digested and absorbed by enzymes such as lactic acid bacteria, and it is also high in calcium, which is bound to casein in a form that is easily absorbed, and it is also high in vitamins A and _B2 , making it a highly nutritious food. Production and consumption in Japan has increased rapidly since World War II, and it is thought to have become a part of the diet, but in some ways it is still merely a luxury item or a trendy food, and consumption is much lower than in Western countries.

Cheese originally developed under natural conditions as a preserved food made from livestock milk, and in Western Europe many soft cheeses with short maturation periods had the feel of seasonal foods, but with the modernization of facilities, most of them have become year-round products. However, cheese, bread, wine or beer still support the minimum diet of the common people, and a ploughman's lunch served in a roadside pub in England consists of bread, a piece of cheddar cheese with about a cigarette, and a glass of beer. It can be said that the current trend of serving cheese as a dessert in restaurants is rather a post-World War I trend, and it was in response to the everyday habits of easy-going citizens who wanted to be satisfied with bread and cheese after a meal, and is not a relic of the dining tables of the aristocracy. The Swiss specialty dish fondue is a frugal meal of just cheese, wine and bread, typical of the boonies of summer cheese-making in mountain cabins or winter dinners, and the fresh ricotta cheese used in the famous Roman cheesecake (tarta ricotta) is a leftover cheese made by remaking it using the small amount of protein (albumin) remaining in the whey of Pecorino Romano sheep's milk cheese.

The attachment of pastoral peoples in Western Europe to milk is the same as that of inland nomads, and is a fundamental prerequisite for survival. Making hard cheese in the summer when there is green grass is the same as making salted or smoked meat for the winter, and it has played the role of "white meat" until the early summer when the next year's calves can be eaten. In the current situation in Japan where fish and meat are becoming more expensive, it is necessary to reconsider cheese from the perspective of its nutritional value and price.

[Kyoji Niinuma and Akiaki Wani]

"Larousse Cheese Dictionary" by Robert Courtine, translated by Shuji Matsuki (1979, Sanyo Publishing Co., Ltd.) "World Cheese Directory" by Toshitaka Nakae (1982, Sanyo Publishing Co., Ltd.) "The Story of Cheese" by Kyoji Niinuma (1983, Shinchosha)

Cheese (Edam)
Originating from the Netherlands. The raw material is cow's milk. Unwaxed ones are milky white, but uncut ones for export are waxed red and are nicknamed "red balls". Edam is the name of the place of origin ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Edam)

Cheese (Epoisses de Bourgogne)
Originating in France. The raw material is cow's milk. It is also called Epoisses AOC. It was almost wiped out during the two world wars, but was revived. It is characterized by washing the skin with salt water containing a local liquor called Marc. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Epoisses de Bourgogne)

Cheese (Emmental)
Originating from Switzerland. The raw milk used is cow's milk. Known for being used in cheese fondue. Characterized by large round holes. Some are large, measuring 70-100cm in diameter and weighing 60-130kg. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Emmental)

Cheese (cottage cheese)
There are various theories about its country of origin. The raw milk used is skimmed milk. It is also called cottage milk. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (cottage cheese)

Cheese (Camembert)
Originating in France. Camembert originated in Normandy. Camembert is certified by the French government as an AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) and is made from raw milk .

Cheese (Camembert)

Cheese (Cantal)
Originating from France. Made from cow's milk. A historic cheese made in the Cantal mountains since before the Roman era. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Cantal)

Cheese (Grana Padano)
Originating from Italy. The raw material is cow's milk. Grana means grain or crystal. It is made in the Padana plain area of the Po River basin. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Grana Padano)

Cheese (Gruyere)
Originating from Switzerland. The raw material is cow's milk. It was made in Gruyères, a town in the canton of Fribourg. It is used in cheese fondue and other dishes. It is disc-shaped. It is large, with a diameter of 70-75 cm and a weight of about 30-45 kg. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Gruyere)

Cheese (Crotin de Chavignol)
Originating in France. The raw milk is goat's milk. Produced in Chavignol, upstream of the Loire River. Crottin means the dung of horses, sheep, etc.

Cheese (Crotin de Chavignol)

Cheese (quark)
Originating in Germany. The raw material is cow's milk. Cream cheese has been eaten in Germany for a long time. It is used in cheesecakes, and can also be eaten as a dessert with jam or honey. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (quark)

Cheese (Gouda)
Originating from the Netherlands. The raw material is cow's milk. The name comes from the English name of the city of Gouda in the eastern part of the state of South Holland, where it originated. It is also used as an ingredient in processed cheese .

Cheese (Gouda)

Cheese (Gorgonzola)
Originating from Italy. The raw milk used is cow's milk. One of the three major blue cheeses in the world ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Gorgonzola)

Cheese (Samsoe)
Originating in Denmark. The raw material is cow's milk. It is named after the island of Samsø where it originated. Originally it was disc-shaped, but many square-shaped ones are also produced. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Samsoe)

Cheese (Stilton)
Originally from the UK. Made from cow's milk. One of the world's three great blue cheeses. Made only in the three counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Stilton)

Cheese (Taleggio)
Originating from Italy. The raw milk used is cow's milk. The name comes from the Taleggio Valley where it originated .

Cheese (Taleggio)

Cheese (Cheddar)
Originally from the UK. The raw material is cow's milk. It originated in Cheddar, Somerset. It is now made all over the world. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Cheddar)

Cheese (Tête de Moine)
Originating from Switzerland. The raw milk used is cow's milk. It means "monk's head". It was named after the fact that farmers used to pay the same amount of money as the number of monks. When thinly sliced using a tool called a girolle, it looks like a flower. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Tête de Moine)

Cheese (Tomme de Savoie)
Originating in France. The raw material is cow's milk. It was made in the snowy mountains in winter using skim milk left over from making butter, so it was a small cheese with little fat, and the name comes from the combination of "tomme" meaning "small" and Savoie, the place of origin. Currently, there are also products made using whole milk. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Tomme de Savoie)

Cheese (Bannon)
Originating in France. The raw milk is goat's milk. It is wrapped in chestnut leaves for flavoring and further maturation. Some are wrapped in brown leaves. The astringency of the leaves affects the taste of the cheese, which differs between green and brown leaves. Currently, some are made from cow's milk. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Bannon)

Cheese (Balance)
Originating in France. The raw milk used is goat's milk. It is said that the top of the pyramid shape was cut off when Napoleon visited Château de Balance on the Loire River in the Berry region after his failed Egyptian expedition. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Balance)

Cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano)
Originating from Italy. The raw material is cow's milk. Parmesan (or Parmigiano in Italian) is the highest quality cheese. It is produced in only five regions: Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna region, and Mantova in the Lombardy region. Only cheeses that have been certified as having a protected designation of origin (DOP) are called Parmigiano Reggiano. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano)

Cheese (feta)
Originating from Greece. Made from sheep's milk. It has been eaten since before Christ. It is very salty, so it is eaten without salt. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (feta)

Cheese (Brie de Meaux)
Originating from France. The raw milk used is cow's milk. It is produced in Meaux in the Île-de-France region. It has been favored by royalty and aristocrats. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Brie de Meaux)

Cheese (Blue de Gex)
Originating from France. The raw material is cow's milk. From Gex in the Jura Mountains. Made by monks. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Blue de Gex)

Cheese (Fourme d'Ambert)
Originating in France. The raw material is cow's milk. Fourme is an old word meaning cheese, and d'Ambert is the name of the place where it is produced .

Cheese (Fourme d'Ambert)

Cheese (Fleur du Maki)
Originating from France. The raw milk used is cow's milk. It means shrub flower. The surface is covered with herbs and spices such as rosemary, sage, chili pepper, and peppercorns. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Fleur du Maki)

Cheese (Pecorino Toscano)
Originating from Italy. The raw milk used is sheep's milk. The name means "sheep cheese (pecora in Italian)" made in the Tuscany region. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Pecorino Toscano)

Cheese (Pecorino Romano)
Originating from Italy. The raw milk used is sheep's milk. One of the oldest cheeses, still in existence in the Roman era in the 1st century BC ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Pecorino Romano)

Cheese (Beaufort)
Originating in France. The raw material is cow's milk. It originated in Beaufort in the mountainous Savoie region. A summer product made from fresh milk from grazing cows is called "été" and is highly valued. It is disc-shaped with concave sides, and the large ones are 75 cm in diameter and weigh 70 kg. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Beaufort)

Cheese (Pont Rebeque)
Originating from France. The raw material is cow's milk. It is said to have first been made in a monastery in Normandy in the 12th century. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Pont Rebeque)

Cheese (Mascarpone)
Originating from Italy. The raw milk used is cow's milk. It is used as an ingredient in desserts such as tiramisu. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Mascarpone)

Cheese (Maribeau)
It is native to Denmark. The raw material is cow's milk. It is named after a town on the island of Lolland in southern Denmark. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Maribeau)

Cheese (Munster)
Originating in France. The raw material is cow's milk. It was first made by monks. The name comes from the French word monastery, which means monastery. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Munster)

Cheese (Manchego)
Originating from Spain. The raw milk used is sheep's milk. It is made in the La Mancha region. It is said to be the cheese that appears in "Don Quixote" ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Manchego)

Cheese (Mimolette)
Originating in France. The raw material is cow's milk. When the import of foreign products was once banned, it began to be made using a method similar to that of Edam in the Netherlands. The name comes from "half soft (mi = molée)". Its characteristic is its vivid orange color. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Mimolette)

Cheese (Mozzarella)
Originating from Italy. The raw milk used is buffalo milk. It is also called mozzarella or mozzarella. The name comes from mozzarella, which means "to tear off," one of the steps in cheese making. It is sold in water. Some are now made from cow's milk. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Mozzarella)

Cheese (Raclette)
Originating from Switzerland. The raw milk used is cow's milk. "Racler" means "to shave." It is also used in the Swiss dish of the same name, "raclette." ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Raclette)

Cheese (ricotta)
Originating from Italy. The raw milk used is cow's milk. It can also be made from sheep's milk. It is used as an ingredient in cheesecakes and other products. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (ricotta)

Cheese (Roquefort)
Originating from France. The raw milk used is sheep's milk. It is one of the three major blue cheeses in the world, and the only one that uses sheep's milk. It is aged in caves in the Roquefort region. ©Shogakukan ">

Cheese (Roquefort)

Processed cheese (carton type)
One or more types of natural cheese processed and molded ©Shogakukan ">

Processed cheese (carton type)

General classification of enzyme curd cheeses
©Shogakukan ">

General classification of enzyme curd cheeses

Gouda cheese manufacturing process
©Takashi Aoki

Gouda cheese manufacturing process

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

乳に凝乳酵素や有機酸を加えるか、または加熱して乳中のタンパク質を凝固させたのち、布などで水分（ホエイwheyまたは乳清という。乳糖、灰分および少量のタンパク質を含む白濁した帯黄色の液体）を除去したもの。ホエイを除去したのちのタンパク質を主成分とする凝固物をカードcurdとよび、原料乳の成分によって組成が変化する。脱脂乳からつくられたものを脱脂チーズ、同様に全乳からは全脂チーズ、クリームからはクリームチーズとよぶが、これらの組成上の差はカード中の乳脂肪含量の差である。チーズはナチュラルチーズとプロセスチーズに大別される。ナチュラルチーズは、カードを新鮮なまま食用に供するものから、1年以上も発酵、熟成の期間を要するものなど多種類にわたるが、一般に製造工程で加熱処理を行わず、チーズ中に乳酸菌や酵素がそのまま残っているものをいう。一方ナチュラルチーズの種類や熟成度の異なるものを配合、加熱溶解して成型したものをプロセスチーズという。保存性の高い均一な品質が得られやすく、工業生産が可能なので、アメリカ、日本でとくに発達した。

　チーズという英語はラテン語のcāseusに由来し、ドイツ語のケーゼKäse、イタリア語のカシオcacioも同語源である。またフランス語のフロマージュfromageもラテン語のforma（形づくる）によるといわれる。しかし、元来のチーズの原産地は西南アジアと考えられ、レンネット酵素（ウシやヒツジなどの胃から抽出した凝乳酵素）の発見以来、乳酸発酵とそれを併用する製法がおもに西欧に伝わり、旧来の酸凝固型のものに加え、多くの品種を生んだ。一方、東はモンゴルに至る広い内陸一帯にも、古くから酸凝固型や加熱濃縮型などの製法のチーズが存在し、インドでは、宗教的な理由から動物性の凝乳酵素は忌避され、柑橘(かんきつ)類の果汁や工業的には乳酸、クエン酸などが用いられている。

［新沼杏二・和仁皓明］

歴史

搾りたての乳をそのまま放置しておくと、自然に乳酸菌発酵をおこしながら脂肪が上層に浮上し、その下にタンパク質（とくにカゼイン）が乳酸で凝固したカードと、ホエイの3層に分かれる。したがって、人類は家畜の乳を利用し始めた初期の段階から、バターやカードは容易に得ることができたと考えられ、その保存にはまず単純な加熱や乾燥、加塩などの方法がとられたに違いなく、現在の内陸一帯の遊牧民のチーズも、脱脂酸乳を加熱して得たカードに塩を加えて手で握るなどして、それを天日で風干しにしたものが多い。

　紀元前3000年ごろのメソポタミアの粘土板文書にある記録をはじめ、同じころのオリエント一帯の遺跡から、小さな穴がたくさんあるチーズ製造用の漉(こ)し器と考えられる土器が多数出土しているほか、スイスの湖上住居文化遺跡からもその木製品が出土しているというから、酸凝固型のチーズはさらに広い地域に古くからあったことが考えられる。ウシやヒツジの胃袋のレンネット酵素の発見の時期は不明だが、比較的後代のことのようで、考古学的には前900年ごろのカフカス（コーカサス）のウラルトゥ王国の城の台所から、ヒツジの胃袋の切れ端や穀類、干しぶどうなどの酵母が入った土器が出土している。それらの製法はバルカン半島、多島海を経てヨーロッパに伝わり、ローマ帝国の発展とともに南からゲルマン民族へとしだいに広く伝播(でんぱ)したものと考えられている。

　チーズは、原料乳（ウシ、ヒツジ、ヤギ、ウマ、ラクダ、トナカイなどの乳）や風土、製法などの違いによって世界各地に多くの品種を生み出し、その数は600種とも800種ともいわれる。たとえばモンゴルでは五畜（ウシ、ヒツジ、ヤギ、ウマ、ラクダ）の乳からクリーミーなものや干した脱脂チーズをつくり、フランスではウシやヤギやヒツジの乳から300種もの風味の違ったチーズをつくっている。西欧のチーズ作りの技術は、ワインやビールの醸造とともに中世の修道院の力に負うところが多く、チーズの場合はとくにシトー修道会（俗称トラピスト）が果たした役割が大きい。工業的生産は1851年にジョージ・ウィリアムズがアメリカのニューヨーク州で小規模なチェダーチーズの工場をつくってからのことで、70年ころデンマークのハンセンが精製レンネットを市販するようになってから、20世紀初頭にかけて工場生産が普及した。プロセスチーズは1904年にアメリカでクラフトが製造を開始し、16年にチーズを加熱溶解して成型する製法に特許が成立した。

　日本では奈良時代に中国から酪(らく)や酥(そ)、醍醐(だいご)などという唐代の乳製品のことが伝わり、なかでも酥が天皇家や貴族たちの間で用いられた記録が残っているが、それは加熱濃縮型のインドのコアkhoaに似た製法を思わせる。江戸時代に至り徳川8代将軍吉宗(よしむね)が千葉の嶺岡(みねおか)牧場（鴨川(かもがわ)市）でつくった「白牛酪(はくぎゅうらく)」というものも、同じ製法のものを小さな型詰めにして乾燥したもののようだが、いずれも広い意味のアジア型のチーズの一種と考えられる。レンネット酵素を用いる西欧型のチーズがわが国でつくられたのは、1875年（明治8）北海道函館(はこだて)郊外七重(ななえ)の開拓庁勧業試験場で、アメリカ人ダンの指導により試作されたのが最初で、民間では1900年（明治33）に函館近郊湯の川のトラピスト修道院が初めてつくっている。その後1933年（昭和8）、現在の千歳(ちとせ)空港に近い早来(はやきた)町遠浅(とあさ)（現安平(あびら)町）で北海道酪連（現雪印乳業）の工業的生産が始まったが、わが国ではチーズの食習慣が普及せず、流通段階で保存性の高いプロセスチーズの生産消費が先行した。しかし第二次世界大戦後、食生活の洋風化が急速に進み、プロセスチーズに加えてナチュラルチーズの嗜好(しこう)も増大して、今日では国内生産より輸入量が上回るまでになっている。

［新沼杏二・和仁皓明］

分類と名称

世界各国のチーズの種類は、アメリカ農務省の報告によれば800種類を下らないといわれ、各種の分類方法が提案されている。製法や物性上の分類基準としては、凝乳方法（酵素法、酸凝固、加熱凝固）、原料乳の種類（牛乳、山羊(やぎ)乳など）、原料脂肪率（クリーム、全脂乳、脱脂乳）、熟成方法（非熟成、細菌熟成、カビ熟成など）、チーズの硬さ（軟質、硬質など）の基準が多く用いられる。欧米のチーズでは、硬さ、熟成方法、脂肪含量で分類することが一般的で、チーズの風味、テクスチュア（組織）、外観特徴の目安としている。

　チーズはまた種類によって固有の名称をもっているが、たとえば国名をつけられているものとしては、スイス（スイス）、ソビエトスキー（旧ソ連）があり、地方名のもののエメンタール（スイス）、マンステール（フランス）、マンチェゴ（スペイン）などから、町村名のカマンベール（フランス）、ゴーダ（オランダ）、パルミジャーノ・レッジャーノ（パルメザンは英訳名）（イタリア）、チェダー（イギリス）などが多いのは、わが国のみその命名由来に似ている。原料名からペコリーノ・ロマーノ（羊乳、イタリア）、外観からブルーチーズ（各国共通）、ボーラ（球形、スペイン）、グラナ（粉粒、イタリア）などの名があり、ポール・デュ・サリュー（フランス）やトラピスト（ポーランド）のように修道院名のものも多い。

［新沼杏二・和仁皓明］

製法

チーズの製法は各種各様であるが、レンネット酵素凝固系ゴーダチーズの家内工業的製法を簡略に述べる。

(1)30℃程度に加熱した原料乳に乳酸菌とレンネット酵素を加えてタンパク質を凝固させる（カード形成）。

(2)カードを細かく切断し、さらに加温してカードを収縮させたのち、ホエイ（乳清ともいう水分）を排除する。

(3)残ったカードを型枠に詰め、圧搾してさらにホエイを除去する。

(4)型枠で成型されたカードを食塩水に浸漬(しんし)して塩味をつける。

(5)15℃前後の室温で数か月の熟成を行う。この熟成の期間に、カードに残っている乳酸菌の酵素によってタンパク質や脂肪が分解され、チーズ特有の風味がつくられる。

　これらの各段階の製造条件とその組合せによって多種類のチーズができる。たとえば、カテージチーズは(2)の段階で食用に供され、カマンベールチーズは(3)の段階で白カビの胞子を表面にまぶしつけて熟成させる。ロックフォールチーズ（ブルーチーズ）は、(2)のあと青カビの胞子をカードに混合し加塩成型したのち、通気孔をあけて熟成する。超硬質のパルメザンチーズの場合はとくに(5)の熟成期間が長く、乾燥させながら1年以上も熟成を続ける。

［新沼杏二・和仁皓明］

栄養と消費

チーズは、製法の違いや熟成期間の長短、保存条件などで、同一品種でも成分組成に相当な開きがみられるが、チーズには牛乳中のタンパク質（とくにカゼイン）と脂肪のほとんどが移行していて、しかも乳酸菌などの酵素によって消化吸収されやすい状態になっていること、およびカルシウムの含有量が多く、かつカゼインと結合していて吸収されやすい形になっていること、さらにビタミンA、B₂の含有量も多いので非常に栄養価の高い食品になっている。日本における生産消費は第二次世界大戦以降急速に増加し、食生活のなかにいちおう定着したとみられるが、嗜好品や流行食品の域を出ていない面もあり、欧米諸国に比べると消費量は格段と少ない。

　チーズはもともと自然条件の下で、家畜の乳の保存食品として発達してきたものなので、西欧では熟成期間の短い多くの軟質チーズは季節食品の風情をもっていたが、設備が近代化したいまでは、大部分がその姿を失った年間商品になっている。しかし、チーズとパンにワインかビールが庶民の最低の食生活を支えていることはいまも変わりなく、イギリスの街道筋のパブで出るプラウマンズ・ランチ（耕す人の昼食）というのは、パンにたばこ一つほどのチェダーチーズとビール1杯である。現在のようにレストランのデザートにチーズが出るようになったのも、むしろ第一次世界大戦後の風潮といってよく、それは、食後にもう一度パンとチーズで満足したい、気楽な市民の日ごろの習慣にこたえたもので、貴族の食卓の遺風ではない。スイスの名物料理フォンデュは、なにもない夏のチーズ作りの山小屋暮らしや冬ごもりの夕餉(ゆうげ)の、チーズとワインとパンだけで済ませるつましい食卓であり、ローマ名物のチーズケーキ（タルタ・リコッタ）に使われるリコッタというフレッシュチーズは、ペコリーノ・ロマーノという羊乳チーズのホエイに残っている、わずかなタンパク質（アルブミン）を利用して再製した、残り物のチーズである。

　西欧の牧畜民族の乳への執着も、内陸の遊牧民のそれと変わらぬ生命保持の大前提で、青草のある夏の硬質チーズ作りは、冬越しの塩蔵や薫製肉類の手作りと同じで、それは翌年の子牛が食べられる初夏までの「白い肉」の役割を果たしてきた。魚類や肉類が高くなりつつあるわが国の現状においては、その栄養価と価格の面から、改めてチーズを見直す視点が求められている。

［新沼杏二・和仁皓明］

『ロベール・クルティーヌ著、松木脩司訳『ラルース・チーズ辞典』（1979・三洋出版貿易）』▽『中江利孝著『世界のチーズ要覧』（1982・三洋出版貿易）』▽『新沼杏二著『チーズの話』（1983・新潮社）』

チーズ（エダム）
オランダ原産。原料乳は牛乳。ワックスをかけていないものは乳白色だが、輸出用のカットされてないものは赤いワックスがかけられ、「赤玉」の愛称をもつ。エダムは発祥地名©Shogakukan">

チーズ（エダム）

チーズ（エポワス・ド・ブルゴーニュ）
フランス原産。原料乳は牛乳。エポワスAOCともいう。二度の世界大戦で消滅しかけたが、復活した。表皮をマールという地酒入りの塩水で洗うのが特徴©Shogakukan">

チーズ（エポワス・ド・ブルゴーニュ）

チーズ（エメンタール）
スイス原産。原料乳は牛乳。チーズフォンデュに使われることで知られる。丸い大きな気孔が特徴。直径70～100cm、重さ60～130kgの大形のものもある©Shogakukan">

チーズ（エメンタール）

チーズ（カテージ）
原産国には諸説がある。原料乳は牛乳の脱脂乳。カッテージともいう©Shogakukan">

チーズ（カテージ）

チーズ（カマンベール）
フランス原産。ノルマンディー地方のカマンベールが発祥地。フランス政府の原産地統制呼称「AOC（アペラシオン・ドリジーヌ・コントロレ）」により保証されるカマンベールの原料乳は牛乳の生乳とされる©Shogakukan">

チーズ（カマンベール）

チーズ（カンタル）
フランス原産。原料乳は牛乳。古代ローマ時代以前からカンタル山地でつくられている歴史あるチーズ©Shogakukan">

チーズ（カンタル）

チーズ（グラーナ・パダーノ）
イタリア原産。原料乳は牛乳。グラーナは、粒や結晶などを意味する。ポー川流域のパダナ平野一帯でつくられる©Shogakukan">

チーズ（グラーナ・パダーノ）

チーズ（グリュイエール）
スイス原産。原料乳は牛乳。フリブール州の町グリュイエールでつくられた。チーズフォンデュなどに使われる。形状は円盤形。大型で、直径70～75cm、重さ約30～45kgある©Shogakukan">

チーズ（グリュイエール）

チーズ（クロタン・ド・シャビニョル）
フランス原産。原料乳は山羊乳。ロアール川上流のシャビニョル産。クロタン（Crottin）は、ウマ・ヒツジなどの糞の意©Shogakukan">

チーズ（クロタン・ド・シャビニョル）

チーズ（クワルク）

チーズ（ゴーダ）

チーズ（ゴルゴンゾーラ）

チーズ（サムソー）

チーズ（スティルトン）

チーズ（タレッジョ）

チーズ（チェダー）

チーズ（テット・ド・モワンヌ）

チーズ（トム・ド・サボワ）
フランス原産。原料乳は牛乳。冬の雪山で、バターをつくった際の残りの脱脂乳を利用してつくったため、脂肪分の少ない小さなチーズであったことから、「小さめの」という意のトムと、発祥地のサボアが結びついたのが名の由来。現在は全乳使用製品もある©Shogakukan">

チーズ（トム・ド・サボワ）

チーズ（バノン）
フランス原産。原料乳は山羊乳。香りづけとさらなる熟成のためにクリの葉に包まれている。茶色の葉に包まれたものもある。緑色の葉と茶色の葉では葉の渋みの作用でチーズの味が異なる。現在は牛乳でつくられるものもある©Shogakukan">

チーズ（バノン）

チーズ（バランセ）

チーズ（パルミジャーノ・レッジャーノ）
イタリア原産。原料乳は牛乳。パルメザン（イタリア語でパルミジャーノ）チーズの最高級品。エミリア・ロマーニャ州のパルマ、レッジョ・ネレミリア、モデナ、ボローニャと、ロンバルディア州のマントバの5地域限定産で、イタリアの原産地保護指定「DOP（デノミナツィオネ・ディ・オリジネ・プロテッタ）」の認定を受けたもののみをパルミジャーノ・レッジャーノという©Shogakukan">

チーズ（パルミジャーノ・レッジャーノ）

チーズ（フェタ）

チーズ（ブリー・ド・モー）

チーズ（ブルー・ド・ジェクス）

チーズ（フルム・ダンベール）

チーズ（フルール・デュ・マキ）

チーズ（ペコリーノ・トスカーノ）

チーズ（ペコリーノ・ロマーノ）

チーズ（ボーフォール）
フランス原産。原料乳は牛乳。山岳地帯サボア地方のボーフォール発祥。放牧牛の新鮮な牛乳でつくった夏の製品が「エテ」とよばれ珍重される。側面が窪んだ円盤形で、大型のものは直径75cm、重さ70kgある©Shogakukan">

チーズ（ボーフォール）

チーズ（ポン・レべック）

チーズ（マスカルポーネ）