Trappist
Trappist cheese was first made in 1885 in a monastery near Banjaluka
in Bosnia, Yugoslavia. It is made also in monasteries in Hungary, Czecho-
solvakia, southern Germany, and other parts of Europe. It is much the
same as the ****t du Salut cheese made in France and the Oka cheese made
in Canada, but there are variations in the manufacturing process.
The cheese is pale yellow and has a mild flavor. Although it is a
semisoft
cheese, it is cured more like the hard cheeses. It is washed frequently
during the curing period, which largely prevents the growth of mold on the
surface, and it ripens throughout rather than only from the surface. The
size varies, the smallest being about 7 inches in diameter and weighing
2 1/2 to 3 pounds. A larger size is about 10 inches in diameter and weighs
about 5 pounds - the usual size of ****t du Salut. There are still larger
sizes, weighing about 10 pounds or more.
Trappist cheese is made from fresh, whole milk, usually cow's milk but
some ewe's or goat's milk may be added. The milk is set with rennet at a
temperature of about 82 to 90 F. After a coagulation period of 30 to 40
minutes (or as long as 90 when the setting temperature is low) the curd
is cut, stirred, and heated, in some instances to a temperature of 95 to
108
F.
The whey is removed and the curd transferred to forms. In Bosnia, the
curd is pressed lightly, and the cheese is rather soft and tender. In
Hungary
and Czechoslovakia, the curd is pressed more heavily, and the cheese is
somewhat firmer. The ripening period is from 5 to 6 weeks. The cheese
is cured initially in a humid room at a temperature of 62 to 68 F. and
later
in a cooler cellar. The yield is 9 to 11 pounds of cheese per 100 pounds
of
cow's milk.
Analysis: Moisture, 45.9 percent; fat, 26.1 percent; protein, 23.3
percent;
and salt, 1.3 to 2.5 percent.
From Cheese Varieties and Descriptions, USDA Handbook No 54, 1953
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