On the Internet, you may discover information about foods that you thought you already knew. Hey, we’re all studying, right?Recently, it was the turn of paprika and allspicebut now the spotlight is on our old friend Parmesan cheese.
Parmesan cheese is traditionally made from cow’s milk and aged for at least 12 months in copper vats, where it is heated and other ingredients such as whey and rennet are added. The one thing vegans, vegetarians, and anyone who’s gotten a little sick from eating calf’s gastric juices hates is rennet.
According to Courtyard Dairy, “Animal grade rennet is an enzyme obtained from the abomasum of unweaned calves (this also includes calves, lambs, and lambs).”
“At that stage of life, the calf is drinking only milk, so there is a large amount of the natural enzyme (chymosin) that helps coagulate milk. As the calf gets older, the amount of chymosin decreases and Other enzymes (enzymes needed by calves to digest other foods) are used instead.
Chymosin helps separate milk solids from liquid.
āIn cheesemaking, rennet helps form a firm curd and is very important in finding the right texture for the cheese,ā explains the cheesemaker. “Some recipes use acids or acid-producing bacteria to do this, but cheesemakers use rennet to better culture the final flavor profile of the cheese.”
Some cheese makers now use vegetable rennet to make cheese, but most prefer to use traditional methods. This is why, as a vegetarian, you should always check before asking the waiter to dust you off.
A previous version of this article was published in April 2023.