Chreese Dip

May 11, 2001

YUK!!! Thanks for looking this up. And to think that this stuff was

actually growing on my kids. BTW, its easy to stir into pasta for a quick

mac-n-cheese.

Re: Chreese Dip

In a message dated 05/11/2001 6:34:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

alwaysaway1@... writes:

> what is rennet?

>

I did a search and came back with this.. http://www.efr.hw.ac.uk/SDA/cheese2.html#rennet " >The Basics of Making

Cheese

Coagulants/Rennet

The need to coagulate milk has been well recognised since Roman times, and

this can be achieved by the selective use of certain plants or by extracting

the enzyme rennet (chymosin and pepsin) from the fourth stomach of the

milk-fed calf. Plants are not used today in ish cheesemaking though

they

are widely used in some European countries and the far East. In Britain, the

butterworts, artichokes, teasel, spearwort and thistles are said to have

been

used, but are usually too mild for general use. Up to the 19th century,

Ladies' Bedstraw (Galium verum) was said to have been used for making

Cheshire cheese. Records for the making of rennet go back to the 16th

century. The farmer or small-holder cheesemaker would select and slaughter a

milk-fed calf, remove and wash the fourth stomach carefully. He would then

hang this out to air-dry in which case it would become known as a 'vell'.

There was a regular market for dried vells. It is difficult to ascertain how

these vells were first used in traditional farmhouse cheesemaking in

Scotland

or elsewhere. However, it is most likely that dried pieces of vells were

added directly to the milk, and at later times vell extracts in salt

solution

were used. Basically, sliced or mascerated vells were soaked in salty water

to provide a solution of enzymes. Filtration may have been used for the

purification of the final rennet solution. Storing the rennet in a salt

solution keeps it in good condition and suppresses any bacteria that might

cause a deterioration in quality. Such rennets are known as 'calf

rennets'.Rennet is very strong in action (1 part of commercial rennet can

coagulate 5000 parts of milk) and today rennet supplies are meticulously

monitored. The main suppliers are Chr. Hansen's of Denmark and Rhâ„¢ne Poulenc

of France. The British firm of R.J. http://www.fullwood.com/ " >Fullwood & Bland Limited of Ellesmere in

Shropshire (who manufactured non synthetic annatto and rennet for over 200

years) no longer supply it, as their core business is now the manufacture

and

installation of milking machines and associated products.Another form of

rennet is called 'vegetable' rennet which is derived from certain strains of

fungi and bacteria. Today, this type of rennet is very popular, reflecting a

move towards organic foods, and the manufacture of 'vegetarian cheese'.

Substantial amounts are now used at farmhouse and creamery level. Recently,

due to world shortage of calf rennet, recombinant or genetically engineered

pure chymosin derived from different microorganisms is available on the

market, and is currently used by many cheesemakers in different countries.

Married to Dan

Mom to:

Dana (3/4/98)

36 week preemie, now a spirited 3 y/o

~~~~~and~~~~~~

(3/26/99)

33 week preemie, now a 2 y.o. growing boy!

Hearing impaired/mild autism

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.butcherfamily.freeservers.comhttp://www.butcherfamily.fre

eservers.com

May 11, 2001