Soft cheeses offer a truly unique taste to connoisseurs and cheese lovers. These cheeses usually haven't matured and are distinguished with their milder flavor and a richer, creamier texture than hard cheeses.
The tastiest soft cheeses can be spread on toast, served with fruit or layered on crackers. Unlike hard cheeses, these soft varieties are not very suitable for cooking.
Popular soft cheeses are made in countries all over the world, including France, Italy and America.
What are the tastiest varieties of soft cheeses?
Brie Cheese
It is a soft cow's milk cheese that originated in France but is popular all over the world. It is pale yellow in color and has an edible rind of white mold. Brie has a creamy texture and an unique, mild taste and aroma - characteristic of these cheeses. It is usually served with bread, crackers or fruit. This unique cheese also has some health benefits due to its dairy content and the maturation process it goes through. The fat content is 60-75%, slightly higher than that of Camembert cheese.
Mozzarella
Mozzarella is a cheese originating from southern Italy, traditionally made from Italian buffalo milk. Mozzarella cheese received the certificate of guaranteed traditional specialties from the European Union in 1998. Fresh mozzarella is usually white, soft and low-fat 22%). Because of its high moisture content, it is traditionally served the day after preparation, but can be kept in brine for up to a week or more when sold in vacuum-sealed packages. Mozzarella is used in most types of pizza and several pasta dishes or served with chopped tomatoes and basil in Caprese salad.
Ricotta
Ricotta (from Italian "overcooked", "refined"). Ricotta is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep's milk whey, left over from cheese making. Like other soft cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after casein has been used to make cheese, specifically albumin and globulin. Ricotta is creamy white in appearance and slightly sweet in taste. The fat content varies depending on the milk used. Ricotta cheese is somewhat similar in texture to some varieties of cottage cheese. It's creamy and non-perishable!
Feta
Feta cheese is a brined, white cheese. Its homeland is Greece and it is produced from sheep's milk or from a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk. Similar brined white cheeses produced outside the European Union are often made partly or entirely from cow's milk and are sometimes called feta. This crumbly, mature cheese is usually produced in blocks and aged in brine. Its taste is sharp and salty, ranging from mild to sharp. Feta is used in salads such as Greek salad and in pastries, also in Greek dishes such as spinach filo pastry pie and cheese filo pastry pie. It is often served with olive oil or olives and sprinkled with aromatic herbs such as oregano. It can be served grilled, as part of a sandwich, in omelettes and many other dishes.
Camembert
Camembert is a soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Camembert, Normandy in northern France. It is sometimes compared in appearance and flavor to brie cheese, although it is slightly lower in butterfat than typical brie. The first Camembert was made from unpasteurized milk and the AOC variety "Camembert de Normandie" is required by law to be made only with unpasteurized milk. However, many modern cheese makers use pasteurized milk for reasons of safety, regulatory compliance, or convenience.
Gorgonzola
Gorgonzola is an Italian blue cheese made from non-skimmed cow's milk. It can be buttery or hard, crumbly and quite salty. It is produced from cow's milk. It has a soft and crumbly texture and the fat content is 25-30%.
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