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Enterococci are gram-positive bacteria occurring in a remarkable array of environments. They can be found in soil, food, and water, and make up a significant portion of the normal gut flora of humans and animals. As other bacteria of the gut flora, enterococci can also cause infectious diseases. On the other hand enterococci are used as probiotics to improve the microbial balance of the intestine, or as a treatment for gastroenteritis in humans and animals. So far, 35 species have been proposed for inclusion in the genus Enterococcus considered the most controversial group of lactic acid bacteria. Studies on the microbiota of many traditional cheeses, especially in the Mediterranean countries, have indicated that enterococci play an important role in the ripening of these cheeses, hence contributing to their typical taste and flavour. Adaptability of enterococci to different substrates and growth conditions (low and high temperature, extreme pH, and salinity), allows them to increase in number during milk refrigeration, survive pasteurisation and fermentation. The presence and growth of enterococci in cheeses results in organoleptically unique products, which contribute to the local cuisine and the region΄s heritage. Due to interlinked European and worldwide markets, these cheeses are widely distributed and are internationally considered as delicacies. In addition to these technological properties, numerous strains of enterococci associated with cheeses, mainly E. faecium and E. faecalis, produce one or more bacteriocins, and may be considered as protective towards spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. Slovak Bryndza is a natural, white, spreadable cheese manufactured according to the traditional method by milling a lump of matured sheep cheese. The cheese samples were obtained from five different commercial distributors in Slovakia and were taken at three different seasonal intervals. Enterococci are found in high levels; an average value among Bryndza cheese samples ranged between 107 and 108 CFU g−1. Three hundred and eight presumed enterococcal isolates were recovered from Bryndza cheese. All isolates were identified to the species level using phenotypical methods and commercial biochemical sets and by genotypic tools, i.e. polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using ddl genes and repetitive element sequence (GTG)5 in combination with phenylalanyl-tRNA synthase gene (pheS) sequence analysis and by whole-cell protein analysis (SDS-PAGE). Entero-coccal strains were identified as E. faecium, E. durans, E. faecalis, E. italicus, E. casseliflavus, E. gallinarum, E. hirae, and eight strains were members of the species Lactococcus lactis. Of the seven enterococcal species isolated, three of them, E. faecium, E. faecalis and E. durans were present in all samples studied, with E. faecium as the predominant one (50% or more in cheese samples from all producers and seasons as well). Results of biochemical and molecular identification of enterococcal species were in agreement in more than 90%. Since E. faecium was found to be a dominant species in all analyzed Bryndza cheese samples, this species was studied in more details. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of macrorestriction fragments (PFGE), (GTG)5-PCR and ERIC-PCR were applied to evaluate genetic diversity within this species. Among 176 E. faecium isolates 82 were plasmid positive. Their plasmid DNA was isolated and digested by EcoRI and HindIII restriction endonucleases. The patterns obtained were compared with those obtained by PFGE, (GTG)5-PCR and ERIC-PCR. Molecular approaches revealed that there is not only a considerable genetic variability among E. faecium isolates among various Bryndza distributors, but even at one distributor at different intervals dur [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers step-by-step instructions for making stilton cheese.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for making gorgonzola cheese.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for making brick cheese.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for making swiss cheese.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for making Colby cheese.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for making Monterey Jack cheese.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for cheddaring cheddar cheese.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for making cheddar cheese.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for making muenster cheese.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for making feta cheese.

This article offers information on Neufchatel, a kind of cheese that is a product of a town in Normandy, France. The diet of local cows in Neufchatel-en-Bray gives their milk a particular character. Also, the climate of the town sets the atmosphere for the aging of the cheese. One of the advantages of Neufchatel over cream cheese is its lower fat content. This entry also includes two recipes for Neufchatel.

The article presents information on cheese. For more than 4,000 years, cheese is thought to have been part of the human diet. It notes that the development of a certain type of cheese was determined by geography, agriculture, types of domesticated animals, and climate, among others. The processing of animal milk plays an important role in making cheese. In terms of flavor, where and how a cheese is aged is important.

The article presents information about equipment used in making cheese, butter and yogurt. Some of these equipment are curd knife, cheesecloth, thermometer and measuring spoons. It is noted that there are some specialized equipment considered as a luxury, such as a yogurt maker which typically costs 500 U.S. dollars.

A subject index for the January 2009 issue of the book "101 Recipes for Making Cheese: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply," by Cynthia M. Martin is presented.

A bibliography on the subject of cheese is presented which includes the book "Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Homemade Cheeses," Third edition, by Ricki Carroll, the article "Let's Bust Some Myths," and the website www.cheesemaking.com.

A glossary of terms related to cheese recipe is presented.

The article outlines the accessible cheese suppliers and best-known organizations of producers who offer specific types of milk in the U.S. It says that the National Dairy Council (NDC) offers a directory of milk producers in each state at www.nationaldairycouncil.org/AboutNDC/ DairyCouncilDirectory/Pages/DairyCouncilDirectory.aspx. Meanwhile, it provides an overview of the cheese-making supplies and equipment, including good-quality cooking pots, cheese knives, and thermometers.

The article outlines the factors to consider before trying to make and market own cheese. It suggests considering the time spent in making and selling cheese, the money needed to invest, and the rules, regulations and taxes. It offers tips on how to brand oneself, find a market, and creating a buzz by finding out about food publications and programs in the area.

The article offers some ideas of combining cheese and wine. It says that cheese and wine are often associated with each other because they actually have a great deal in common. It suggests that the best way to discover which wines and cheeses are harmonious partners is to taste the favorites and let your palate be the final judge. It offers suggestions for matching cheese and beer, and presents recipes including Cheesy cheddar fondue, Parmesan-pesto fondue, and Gouda and cheddar fondue.

Several recipes including Colby, Cotswold, and Classic Swiss are presented.

Several recipes including Basic salt brine, Monterey Jack, and American-style cheese are presented.

Several recipes including Clotted cream, Homemade buttermilk, and Simple homemade yogurt are presented.

The article outlines the equipments used for cheese making. It notes that cheese-making pots must be made from a non-reactive material that will not clash with the chemicals involved in cheese making. Other equipments for beginning cheese makers include thermometer, skimmer, triers, and cheesecloth and butter muslin. Meanwhile, the equipments needed for experienced cheese makers include racks, a waxing pot, and bristle brush.

The article examines the role of chemistry plays in making delicious curds. It states that one chemical needed to create most cheeses is rennet, the substance produced in the stomach of young calves and sheep, which reacts with milk and heat to begin the chemical reactions to produce cheese. In addition, most cheese recipes need some type of starter culture, are stains of beneficial bacteria that create the reactions that turn milk into cheese.

The article discusses the different types of dairy milk used in making cheese. It states that the six breeds of dairy goats recognized by the American Dairy Goat Association include The Alpine, LaMancha, and Oberhasli. It discusses several types of milk including commercially produced milk, raw milk, and organic milk.

The article discusses the history of cheese. It mentions cheese-production occuring in the mountain caves of ancient Greece from the milk of sheep and goats. It indicates that Roman soldiers relied on cheese as a major part of their diet, while Roman gourmets created and enjoyed a wide variety of cheeses. It notes that cheese is both an excellent and renewable source of protein.

Several recipes including Jangling, Beetza, and tofu are presented.

Several recipes for diabetics including cheese fondue, eggs benedict, and vegetable puff are presented.

There is no more intriguing problem in the history of food than that of how cultural barriers to the transmission of foods and foodways have been traversed or broken. ANOTHER LARGE and daunting twenty-first century problem involves equal access to food. Today, fertility rates in third-world countries have decreased sharply even as global per capita calorie consumption has risen, the twin phenomena casting doubt on predictions of swelling populations outstripping the globe's food supply. Such predictions were routinely generated by that alarming increase in the number of people occupying planet Earth between 1900 and 1990, which was the equal of four times the sum of all previous increases in the whole of human history. But although we are now 6 billion, with predictions of an increase to 9 billion by 2050, it would seem that agricultural advances have probably resolved concerns about food quantity. There are enough calories for everyone. Yet fully three-quarters of the world's population derive their calories from a diet that is low in high-quality protein compared to the other quarter who consume too much of it in diets that are definitely not tailored for a small planet. And the problem is, as Tony McMichael points out, that if food consumption was somehow made equal in terms of quality, the globe could not currently support our 6 billion; to do so would require two extra planet earths given our current technologies, and to support 10 billion would require four extra earths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mother Nature always comes to the rescue of a society stricken with the problem of overpopulation, and her ministrations are never gentle. ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE now in the British Museum from West Stow in Suffolk, England, has shed some light on the dietary changes that came about with the fall of Rome. Sheep, goats, and pigs were retained for food, and pigs also for their scavenging ability, and cattle as draft animals. But guinea fowl and peacocks, favorites of the Romans, escaped to die out in the wild. Many rabbits also escaped but were recaptured and maintained in rock enclosures in both Britain and on the Continent. Olive oil vanished as a cooking medium, replaced by butter made mostly from ewe's milk. Wine, too, disappeared with the Romans and ale became the standard beverage. The Catholic Church, established in England by the sixth century, imposed fasting days and, by the time of the Norman conquest (1066), fishermen from the British Isles had forged an important herring industry. Freshwater fish, eels and other aquatic animals from ponds, streams, and lakes comprised a significant part of the British diet although, because the Church viewed fish as a penitential substitute for meat, the appeal of the former suffered, and physicians, as a rule, regarded fish as a poor nutritional substitute for meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious contention is the devil's harvest. ISLAM The expansion of Islam began shortly after the Prophet Muhammad died in 632. By 750 the Muslims had conquered an area running from the Indus Valley westward through the Middle East to the Iberian Peninsula, and elites were speaking Arabic from Spain to Central Asia. The Arabs, like the Romans before them, learned to use the wind systems of the monsoon (the winds reverse themselves seasonally) to sail from the Persian Gulf eastward into the Indian Ocean in November, and then return to port during the summer months. Regular eighth-century trading voyages to China saw wool and iron exchanged for silks and spices. About two centuries later, when trade with China was disrupted by the fall of the Tang Empire (907), the Arabs skipped the middleman and headed directly to the East Indies, capturing the spice trade and spreading Islam as they went. Christian Europe, an implacable enemy of Islam, nonetheless admired Islamic cuisine and benefited from Islam's commercial activity. That activity ensured that spices reached the Continent on a circuitous path from the East Indies, as well as new foodstuffs such as sugarcane (genus Saccharum), mangos (Mangifera indica), dates, and bananas. Moreover, toward the end of the twelfth century, the wooly merino sheep was introduced to Spain – an animal originally developed by the Romans and later exported to Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization. HUNTER-GATHERERS, who had previously made a living based on their solid knowledge of plant life and an understanding of animal behavior, continued to follow many of their old ways even as they engaged in agricultural activities. Consequently, the Neolithic Revolution, as we have come to call the invention of agriculture, although the most momentous of humankind's achievements, was not revolutionary in that it brought abrupt change. Rather, beginning about 11,000 years ago, grain gathering began to shade into grain cultivation in the Jericho Valley and, at about that time or a little later, hunting started giving way to herding in the Zagros Mountains. Millennia later surpluses were generated, giving rise to agricultural civilizations such as of Mesopotamia, Egypt, northern China, and the Indus Valley, and with them came more complex and stratified societies. It is probably not coincidental that all of these first civilizations emerged within a relatively few centuries of one another, despite the distances separating them. Each one was located on a river and dependent on annual flooding for moist, rich soils rather than on the vagaries of rainfall. Agriculture was simplified because there was little need for plowing or manuring and, as a result, despite occasional famines, populations grew larger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chapter 7 of the book "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why" is presented. It offers information on the nutritional content of several dairy foods, including butter, cheese and raw organic milk. It also explains the good bacteria found in yogurt.

The article presents information about the fish chub, with the scientific name Leuciscus cephalus. Also known as logger head, skelly and chavender, the fish looks silvery when young but turns bronze when matured. It is suggested that anglers use maggots, luncheon meats, bread and cheeses as bait for chubs.

Chapter three of part four of the book "The Best of Virginia Farms Cookbook and Tour Book: Recipes, People, Places" by CiCi Williamson is presented. It explores the cheese production in Old Dominion, Virginia which had been fashioned in a European way. It notes on the list of the state's farmstead cheesemakers and the kinds of cheese they produce. Several cheese recipes are also offered including Meadow Creek Dairy's Cheese Bread, Wayside Inn Wine-and-Cheese Soup and Cheesy Potato Casserole.