String cheese

For the band, see The String Cheese Incident.

Traditional Korbáčiky from Slovakia

Several different types of cheese are known as string cheese. It is peelable and when peeled, it does so in strings or strips from the larger cheese.

In Slovakia, a traditional string cheese called korbáčiky is made^[1] which is a salty sheep milk cheese, available smoked or unsmoked. It is traditionally made by hand-pulling steamed sheep's cheese into strings and braiding them. Machine milk versions are also available.^[2][3]

In Armenia, traditional string cheese is made with a white base. The type of milk used usually comes from an aged goat or sheep depending upon the production methods of the area of choice.^[4] It includes black cumin^[5] and a middle-eastern spice known as mahleb, and it comes in the form of a braided endless loop.^[6] The cheese forms strings because of the way it is pulled during processing. There is also Syrian cheese processed this way. Other cheeses are only cut and pressed, not pulled, and don't develop strings.

Another popular string cheese is the Mexican Oaxaca cheese, usually served molten in a quesadilla. This has been adapted over the years to now be produced as a commercial food ingredient in many fast food products.

Cheese strings became a popular snack in Europe in the early 1990s. They are made from processed cheese by Kerry Group and the mascot is a cartoon character called Mr Strings.^[7] The original advert had a theme tune based on the popular song "Bend Me, Shape Me" but with different lyrics ("You got a cheese string day or night, you got a cheese string you're all right").^[8] Originally Mr Strings was a wild cartoon character who pulled himself apart^[9] but by the late 1990s the packaging had been redesigned with a more simplified mascot.^[10] On television the original Mr Strings was phased out and replaced by an unseen character who played creepy practical jokes on teenage consumers. In the late 2000s the design of Mr Strings was changed for a third time^[11] to appear more child-friendly and was given a new catchphrase ("Hey, i'm just cheese").^[12]

In the United States, "string cheese" generally refers to snack-sized servings of low-moisture mozzarella. This form of string cheese is roughly cylindrical, about 6 inches (15 cm) long and less than 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter. The cheese is cut and packaged, either individually or as a package of several lengths. The cheese used is nearly always a form of mozzarella, or a combination of mozzarella and cheddar. This type of string cheese gets its name because it can be eaten by pulling strips of cheese from the cylinder along its length and eating these strings.

See also

• List of cheeses
• Armenian cuisine
• Pasta filata

References

1. ^ Slovak Cheeses - The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia
2. ^ Versatility of sheep milk - Typical Slovak craftsmanship, folk skills and traditions - SLOVAK FOLK CULTURE THROUGH AMATEUR EYES
3. ^ Orava natives cheesed off by Polish competition for beloved wares - The Slovak Spectator
4. ^ AOH food - String cheese
5. ^ Middle eastern salad - The Boston Globe
6. ^ Karlacti Armenian String Cheese
7. ^ Kerry Group
8. ^ Cheese strings official website
9. ^ original Mr Strings
10. ^ Replacement Cheese strings mascot
11. ^ current Mr Strings
12. ^ Cheese strings official website

External links

• Process of making mozzarella cheese — US Patent 5567464