Red Leicester

The Red Leicester [ rɛd ˈlɛstə ] ( listen ^?^/^I ) is an orange-red hard cheese from England , originally from the Leicestershire region . The cheese is made in the same way as the typical British Cheddar cheese ; it gets its intense color from the addition of the natural coloring agent annatto .

History and manufacture

The large-scale production of the Red Leicester in Great Britain is documented at least until the 18th century and it still has a large market share in Great Britain today. In the 1940s, during World War II , it was given the current name Red Leicester to distinguish it from pale variants.

The Red Leicester is made as a large, flat, round wheel of cheese from cow's milk and ideally matures for 4 to 5 months or, according to other sources, 8 to 9 months. Originally the cheese was colored with carrot juice, later this was replaced by the natural coloring agent Annatto , which is still used today .

The cheese is produced as a wheel with a diameter of 30 to 34 or traditionally 46 centimeters (height 13 or 18 centimeters) and a weight of 13 to 18 kilograms.

properties

The cheese is usually sold without rind, but has a thin, gray-brown natural rind. The dough is dense, smooth and waxy and open without any large holes. The taste is lovely sweet and nutty, which is mild in young cheese and becomes stronger later. It has approx. 48% fat in the dry matter .

Culinary

The cheese is particularly suitable as a dessert cheese and tastes very good on bread and with fruit or beer as a traditional addition. It melts well and is also often grated for gratinating, used in sauces and soups or, due to its eye-catching color, used on the cheese platter .

As a wine recommendation, a fine red wine with little tannin is recommended for the Red Leicester , for example a German Pinot Noir or Dornfelder or an Austrian Sankt Laurent . Alternatively, an opulent Chardonnay from the barrique is recommended.

literature

Juliett Harbutt (Ed.): Cheese of the world. Dorling Kindersley, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-8310-1733-1 , p. 237.
Birgit Engelmann, Peter Holler: The Gourmet Guide to Cheese. hf ullmann, Potsdam 2013, ISBN 978-3-8480-0478-2 , p. 454.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Juliett Harbutt (ed.): Cheese of the world. Dorling Kindersley Verlag, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-8310-1733-1 , p. 237.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Birgit Engelmann, Peter Holler: Das Feinschmeckerhandbuch cheese. hf ullmann, Potsdam 2013, ISBN 978-3-8480-0478-2 , p. 454.

[Harbutt_2011-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Juliett Harbutt (ed.): Cheese of the world. Dorling Kindersley Verlag, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-8310-1733-1 , p. 237.

[Engelmann_&_Holler_2013-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Birgit Engelmann, Peter Holler: Das Feinschmeckerhandbuch cheese. hf ullmann, Potsdam 2013, ISBN 978-3-8480-0478-2 , p. 454.