Cheese encyclopaedia

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Raclette: Raclette is one of the most popular cheese meals. Cheese is melted in tiny frying pans accompanied and served with potatoes and other side dishes. For all those who like to experiment with new flavours: Bergader Bavarette, Biarom, Bianco and Basils Rauchkäse are excellent Raclette cheeses.

Raw milk: Untreated and unheated milk is called raw milk. See heating treatment.

Red cultures / Red smear: Red cultures, also called red smear, are a blend of various strains of bacteria, mushrooms and yeast. The bacterium “Brevibacterium linens” is responsible for aroma, colour and ripening. An example for a red culture cheese is Bergader Mini Brie “red & creamy”.

Rennet: Rennet is the name of an enzyme that is responsible for thickening or curdling the milk. Four types of rennet are approved for cheese production: natural calf’s rennet, microbial, vegetable and genetically modified rennet. Bergader Privatkäserei only uses natural and microbial rennet depending on the type of cheese.

Ripening / Aging: During the ripening process, cheese develops its characteristics that make it so popular among cheese lovers: its typical aroma and flavour, its consistency and the rind. It takes a skilled cheese master to handle the ripening process, which is different for each kind of cheese. The most important factors during ripening are temperature, humidity, the period of ripening and the treatment of the rind.

Ripening cultures: Cheese production uses the ripening cultures’ flavour-enhancing properties. These cultures trigger chemical processes during aging. They are responsible for the development of the rind, the flavour characteristics and the aroma. Blue vein (Penicillium roqueforti), white and red mould cultures are examples for ripening cultures.

Seal of approval: A product bearing a seal of approval shows consumers that it lives up to a certain quality standard. There are numerous seals of approval for cheeses. The DLG-seal, for example, guarantees that flavour, texture and microbial quality are flawless. Seals bearing abbreviations such as AOC (Appellation d’ Origine Contrôlée), DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) or g.U. (geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung) are so-called indications of origin. They show that theses cheeses are produced according to a region’s tradition.

Shelf life: Shelf life indicates the time span in which food is edible – which is, of course, never unlimited. The shelf life of cheese can be extended by storing it in a cool place. That’s why cheese should always be stored in the fridge at a temperature between +2°C and +7°C. See Best before date and Storage.

Smoked cheese: At Bergader, smoked cheese is produced by smoking wheels of semi-hard cheese at 18°C for several hours in the smoking chamber using Bavarian beech wood. This traditional cold-smoking technique creates particularly flavoursome samples of smoked cheese, such as Basils Rauchkäse.

Soft Cheese in Brine: Soft cheeses in brine, such as Bergader’s Petida, is made from cow’s milk. It is a popular ingredient for salads.

Spices: Spices are parts of plants that add flavour to food thanks to their natural content of aroma substances. In cheeses spices make for delicious tastes, too. Our master cheese makers constantly look for new ways to season the creamy soft Bonifaz cheese using the best spices. The spices are added to the cheese mass before the curd is filled into forms. Bergader uses only exquisite spices that have passed strict bacteriological-chemical controls. The production processes need to fulfill the highest standards.

Storage: Cheese should be stored in a cool, dark and well aired place that is never too dry or too cold. It is best stored in one piece as this way it retains its full flavour and does not dry out too quickly. Packaged cheese should be stored in its original wrapping. Cheese purchased at the deli wrapped in breathable foil is ideal for refrigeration. Bergader Edelpilz should be wrapped in perforated aluminium foil as it will stay fresh for a longer time this way. It is not advisable to freeze cheese, as freezing will take away flavour and aroma from the cheese.

Watzmann: Watzmann is a mountain, which can be seen from Bergader’s headquarters in Waging. It is our dairy’s landmark and to be found on all our packs. At 2,713 metres, Watzmann is Germany’s second highest mountain after Zugspitze.

Whey: Whey develops during the production of cheese. When rennet is added to the milk, the milk curdles, separating the solid from the liquid components (whey). Drinks made from whey are low in calories and popular, healthy thirst quenchers.