- Requeijão
Infobox Cheese
name = Requeijão Cremoso
othernames =
country =Brazil
regiontown =Minas Gerais
region =
town =
source =Cow
pasteurised = Depends on variety
texture = solid to creamy
fat =
protein =
dimensions =
weight =
aging = Depends on variety
certification = NoRequeijão is a milk-derived product, produced in
Portugal andBrazil .The Portuguese product is white to yellowish-white, solid, and usually having a characteristic strong taste; typically sold in specially designed draining plastic or basket-like weaved containers, or in plastic cups.
The Brazilian product is a
cream cheese white in color, has a mild taste and its consistency can vary from solid to creamy. Traditionally associated with the state ofMinas Gerais , nowadays it is produced all over the country.Its most common variant is "requeijão cremoso", very creamy in consistency; usually sold in glasses or plastic cups.Manufacturing
Skim
milk is held untillactic acid bacteria acidify and coagulate its proteins. The curdled milk is stirred and heated to a temperature as high as 80 °C (175 °F), then thewhey is drained off and the curd is gathered in bags and pressed. The curd is placed in flat pans, broken up, and washed with warm skim milk, to form a mixture consisting of two parts milk to one part curd. This mixture is stirred and heated, as before, until thecasein in the milk curdles and adheres to the mass of curd. The steps of draining, pressing, adding more skim milk, and heating are repeated once more. The curd is drained again, salted (2 to 2.5% by weight) andknead ed on a table for about 15 minutes. Hotbutterfat or richcream is added, about one part of butterfat for every five parts of curd, and the mixture is once again heated and stirred. The cheese is then molded inparchment -lined boxes.About 11 kg of cheese is obtained from 100 kg of skim milk and 3.4 kg of cream. Composition varies, but a typical cheese can contain 55–70% water, 8–20% fat, and 16–20.5% protein.
ee also
*
List of Brazilian dishes References
Text in this article was incorporated from the following public domain U.S. Government publication:
* Doane, C.F.; Hargrove, Robert C.; Lawson, H.W.; Matheson, K.J.; Sanders, G.P; Walter, Homer E. (1969). "Cheese Varieties and Descriptions". U.S. Department of Agriculture. p. 105
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