The world of cheese and its benefits

We talk about cheese when we choose a cream cheese, ready to spread on the bread; when we melt one and eat raclette; when chopping a few taquitos of a good manchego; when we enjoy a dessert with cottage cheese; or if we prepare a risotto with parmesan. So, really, when we talk about cheese we are referring to a food It has many varieties and, therefore, has different nutritional compositions depending on the type of cheese. Let's see.

What is cheese?

Well, nothing is more specific than the definition of cheese from the CAE (Spanish Food Code), which understands by cheese "the fresh or matured product, solid or semi-solid, obtained from milk, from milk, wholly or partially skimmed, from cream, from buttermilk or a mixture of some or all of these products, totally or partially coagulated by the action of rennet or other appropriate coagulants, before draining or after partial elimination of the aqueous part, with or without prior hydrolysis of the lactose, provided that the ratio between casein and serum proteins is equal to or greater than that of milk ”.

This is the tight definition, but as we can understand through it, the cheese it is a dairy derivative which includes many possible variants, as it can be fresh or ripe, it can be obtained from the mixture of different dairy products, etc. And this is what makes it possible for us to observe such a wide variety of cheeses on the market.

Nutritional composition of cheese

We must bear in mind that the cheeses more cured and, therefore, drier, they will have less water and, therefore, the rest of the nutrients will be more concentrated. Instead, in a cheese cool the amount of water is much greater and the rest of the nutrients will be in less proportion. That is why, while a regular portion of fresh cheese can be considered to be about 80 or even 100 g, if we consume a cured cheese the portion would be set between 20 and 30 g. We can observe notable differences in the following table:

We must bear in mind that the artisanal elaboration of many of them, the nutritional composition is quite variable, even between copies of the same style of cheese.

Protein, fat and calcium

As can be seen, the nutrients that we are going to highlight in a cheese are fundamentally the proteins, fats and calcium. As for the fat content, it is highly variable, but in all cases with a predominance of saturated fats, so it is not advisable to abuse more fatty cheeses. In the specifies the fat content of the cheeses in percentage form and this can help us to compare them with each other.

We will also take into account the amount of proteins they provide us, which are of good quality and can be useful for people with increased needs or intake problems that make it difficult to reach daily requirements. We specify this because protein malnutrition is fundamentally caused by, since the general population does not suffer from protein deficiencies but rather from excess consumption.

Finally it is true that cheeses have a high calcium content and it can also be interesting in some cases, as long as a adequate and not excessive consumptionSince, as we have seen, the cheeses with the highest calcium content are also the fattest.

Types and varieties of cheese

There are many different cheese specialties and there are quite a few that are regulated by what we know as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), which is nothing other than the regulation of the exact production conditions, the production area, etc. Let's see some of the best known examples of cheeses:

• Manchego One of the best known and most consumed Spanish cheeses, made with milk from La Mancha sheep that has PDO. If it is made with raw milk, it must indicate that it is an "artisan" Manchego cheese. Sheep's milk and maturation give it its intense flavor characteristic.
• Stilton Although today the mouse that has taken this name is almost better known than the cheese itself, the Stilton is a english cheese protected with PDO which is not exactly cheap. It is produced from Cow milk and eaten with a spoon.
• Torta del Casar It is another cheese with PDO, which in this case can be made in different regions of Cáceres. It is a sheep cheese that, like Stilton, it is eaten with a spoon.
• Serena cheese In this case we are talking about a cheese also with PDO, made in different areas of Badajoz. It is made from Merino sheep's milk and vegetable rennet from the thistle flower is used. The rind is very hard and waxy in color, but the paste is soft and unctuous.
• Brie cheese It is a French soft-paste cheese made with raw cow's milk and covered with a layer of edible mold whitish in color. Its texture is creamy and its characteristic flavor.
• Gruyère This Swiss cheese, also protected with a designation of origin, is a cow cheese, of pressed and cooked pasta, made in the small town of Gruyère, according to a traditional recipe.
• Camembert It is a French cheese, traditionally made with raw cow's milk, although pasteurized milk is currently used. The general term Camembert is not protected, but the Camembert de Normandie.
• Queixo Tetilla One of the symbols of Galician gastronomy is this cheese with a creamy or pasty consistency and a characteristic shape. It's about a cow cheese and also has a PDO.
• Feta cheese This cheese is known and characterized by PDO for being part of the Greek saladAlthough it is also commonly consumed in Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania ... It has an intense flavor, a brittle texture and a characteristic white color.
• Parmigiano reggiano This Italian cheese obtained from cow's milk has a very hard and grainy consistency, is used to grate, to make risottos, etc. It is a highly concentrated cheese and its flavor is very intense. It also has a PDO.
• And many, many, many more Fresh from Burgos, Buffalo Mozzarella, Cabrales, San Jorge de Azores cheese, Roquefort, Emmenthal, Gouda, Mahón cheese, Cottage cheese, Idiazábal, Gorgonzola, Munster, Chédar, the Gouda, the Havarti, the Raclette cheese, the Maasdam, the Roncal, the Provolone, etc, etc, etc.

• exist many varieties different from cheese that have different culinary applications, but also great differences in terms of nutritional composition.
• The cheeses are especially rich in protein, fat, especially saturated, and calcium.
• As there are so many varieties and being products, in many cases, still quite traditional, there are many varieties regulated by the protected designation of origin.

Mercè Gonzalo Diploma in Human Nutrition and Dietetics Bachelor of Food Science and Technology