Nieheimer cheese

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Nieheim sour milk cheese

Nieheimer cheese is a low-fat, high-protein sour milk cheese from Nieheim in East Westphalia . The name is a protected geographical indication under European law, which was registered on May 13, 2010, and is only permitted for cheese that was produced in the municipality of Nieheim.

history

Nieheimer cheese has been produced by farms since the beginning of the 19th century. There used to be several dozen factories, but only one still exists today. Almost forgotten in the meantime, the cheese has become better known again through tourism.

properties

The loaves of Nieheim cheese are usually small and cylindrical with a diameter of 4–4.5 cm, a height of 2–2.5 cm and a weight of 32–37 g. The surface is smooth, yellowish to gray-green and is partially covered with hop leaves; the dough is evenly colored, partly interspersed with caraway seeds and offers a smooth cut surface. It is fully matured, which means that it no longer has a white quark core. The taste is pure, hot, piquant, with a corresponding note of caraway when seasoned with caraway.

The cheese can be made to be firm ( dry matter content 45–46%) or as grated cheese (dry matter content approx. 60%). The fat content in the dry matter is 1.5–1.6%, the absolute fat content less than 1%.

Manufacturing

To make it, milk is left to sour, then heated to 50 ° C, which causes the quark to settle. This is hung up to dry in a cloth bag. Then the mass is ground and placed in a wooden mold in a warm place to mature. Finally, it is kneaded with salt and, if necessary, caraway seeds and, depending on how long it matures, processed into either hand cheese , cooked cheese or hard, long-lasting grated cheese. Unlike other sour milk cheeses, they are ripened by bacterial and yeast cultures of the sour milk quark without the addition of other ripening cultures.

Nieheim holds a large cheese market every two years.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Entry on Nieheimer cheese in the Database of Origin and Registration (DOOR) of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission .

literature

  • Brigitte Engelmann, Peter Holler: The gourmet manual cheese. Ullmann, Königswinter 2008, ISBN 978-3-8331-5023-4 , p. 264.

Web links

Commons : Nieheimer Käse  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 48 ′ 14 "  N , 9 ° 6 ′ 39.5"  E