How to taste cheese with all five senses
In order to properly assess the quality of a cheese, we must know certain characteristics
characteristics
(optimal organoleptic qualities), which serve as a reference to make a judgment when tasting a cheese.
Cheese tasting, as well as wine tasting, is a
wine
The tasting of cheese goes through different phases: visual, olfactory and gustatory, in addition to a tactile phase, in which the touch with the fingers is appreciated first, and then the texture in the mouth.
Temperature
It is best to store cheeses in the refrigerator
refrigerator
but they should be tempered for a couple of hours before consumption.
The harder the cheese and the larger the cheese, the longer in advance it will have to be tempered, and the serving temperature ranges from 18-20 degrees for soft cheeses and 22-24 degrees for semi-hard and hard cheeses.
The cakes should be left at room temperature 24 hours in advance so that they can develop their full aroma and flavor.
The Bark
In young cheeses, the
rind
still has a soft and appetizing flavor. Cured and very cured cheeses have a hard, dry rind with an intense, pungent and strong flavor that can be aggressive and unpleasant.
Accompaniment for the tasting
- Breads are good masters of ceremonies, they serve as a physical support for the cheese and complement its flavor:
- Rye bread for goat cheese.
- Nut bread accompanies cured cheeses.
- Viennese bread for all types of cheese.
- The
fruit
The fresh and juicy fruit cleans the mouth and drags the fat of the cheese, leaving a pleasant sensation to continue tasting. - Grapes, sour and sweet apples, pears, fresh figs… the offer is varied and succulent.
- Nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts.
- The
dried apricots
peach and apricot apricots - Dried fruits are excellent for all types of cheeses.
Not to forget the whole range of fortified wines, with which we can obtain incredible harmonies. Finos, amontillados and palos cortados are wines to consider when accompanying goat cheeses.
goat and sheep cheeses
and sheep cheeses of long maturation.
The use of the senses
View
Through the sense of sight we observe the external appearance. We observe the geometrical shape of the cheese (cylindrical, tubular, discoidal…), how the rind is
rind
(smooth, rough, with marks, washed with wine, smeared with oil…); and the size: small: less than one kilo, medium from 1 to 3 kilos and large, more than 3 kilos.
Touch
Hand and fingers contribute surface information The moisture content of the cheese such as the degree of humidity, which can be low like the shell of a dried walnut; medium like the inside of a banana skin; and high like when we run our finger over the surface of a cut apple. The degree of roughness refers to the perception with the fingers of the granularity of the cut surface. It can be low, like a cut apple; medium, like the underside of a cookie; and high as in the cut side of a cookie.
Olfato
Bringing the cheese close to the nose we perceive its smell and intensity. It can be of a medium type, as in soft goat cheeses, and it can be
goat
or semi-cured cheeses made from pasteurized milk, medium-high in semi-cured cheeses made from raw milk and high in very mature sheep’s milk cheeses or in those with a sticky wet rind.
Then we will identify the family to which they belong: lactic (yogurt, butter, cream…), floral (honey, rose, violet…), vegetal (grass, hay, vegetables…), spicy (clove, nutmeg, mint…), fruity (citrus, apple, nuts…), roasted (caramel, vanilla, coffee, chocolate…).
Texture in the mouth (touch and feel)
During mastication, mechano-receptor organs (mouth, teeth, molars and palate) and other tactile and auditory receptors are put into operation, which are responsible for transmitting to the brain multiple sensations related to textural attributes in the mouth.
Mechanical attributes (firmness, deformability, friability and adhesion) are perceived during chewing and are related to the reaction of the product to a force applied in the mouth during biting.
Granularity is related to the dimension, size and shape of the particles that we perceive during chewing.
It can be as thin as that of
yogurt
floury as in powdered sugar; sandy as in the case of certain pears; grainy as in semolina; and coarse as in butter.
There are other aspects of texture in the mouth that provide valuable information:
- Solubility, i.e. when a sample melts more or less quickly in the mouth.
- Gumminess is manifested in cheeses whose plastic consistency becomes malleable after a certain effort.
- The pastiness has both a sticky and floury character.
Finally, we can perceive a crunchy sensation in the ear when we chew a cheese with crystals, in the case of long-ripened cheeses.
Olfactory-gustatory set
Taste (aroma + flavor)
Aroma is defined as a set of sensations that we detect through the retronasal passage during tasting.
To capture it, it is necessary to chew for a few seconds while holding your breath. Then, with the mouth closed, we release the air through the nose in spurts so that the aromas appear as well as their intensity, which can be weak in soft and pasteurized cheeses of medium maturity and high in raw milk cheeses.
Scent families are identified in the same way as odor families.
Taste is perceived on the tongue, through the organ of taste. The basic or elementary tastes are sweet, salty, sour and bitter.
Intraoral sensations. Residual Taste. Persistence
Intraoral or trigeminal sensations are perceived in the oral cavity but in a non-specific manner. They are irritating or aggressive sensations that are generally accompanied by itching (chemical or electrical reactions), contractions (astringency) and other sensations such as heat or coolness.
The main ones are: astringent, spicy, burning, pungent and refreshing.
Residual taste (aftertaste or aftertaste) is an olfactory-gustatory sensation that appears at the end of tasting and differs from when the product was in the mouth. They can be aromas, flavors and other intraoral sensations, always different from those previously perceived.
Persistence is the permanence of the olfactory-gustatory sensation similar or similar to that perceived when the sample was in the mouth. It is said to be brief when it is less than 3 seconds, medium up to 15 seconds, and long up to 30 seconds and more.
The language of sensory analysis
Visual examination
Bark color:
- Homogeneous
- Heterogeneous:
- ivory white
- pink
- saffron
- yellow
- straw yellow
- pale yellow
- yellow orange
- golden red
- with red spots
- pardo
- dark brown
- green
- gray-with spots
Color of the paste:
- White
- Ivory
- Pale yellow, straw
- Orange yellow
- Orange
- Red
- Light brown
- Dark brown
- Veined blue
- Gray
- Black
Fence:
- Pronounced
- Dark light
- Differentiated target
- Soft hard with mold
Eyes:
- Small
- Medium
- Great
- Fermentation rounds
- Flattened rounds
- Irregular mechanics, red cracks
- Openings
- Caves
Type of pasta:
- Soft
- Semi-soft
- Semi-hard
- Tough, firm
- Elastic, Spongy, Flexible
- Ductile
- Internal moldy, dry and soft core
Texture/structure of the paste:
- Compact
- Closed
- Rugged
- Crumbly
- Laminate
- Granulose
- Fina
- Creamy
- Open, with glass
Olfactory Examination
Intensity-Aroma:
- Null
- Very weak
- Weak
- Medium
- Aromatic
- Intense
- Very strong
- Powerful
Quality:
- Very subtle
- Subtle
- Pronounced
- Distinguished
- Elegant
- Simple
- Original
- Complex
- Ordinary
- Basto
- Vulgar
Character:
- Wood
- Fruity
- Vegetable
- Herbaceous
- Wild
- Lactic: yogurt, butter
- Fungal
- Cava
- Dry, wet straw
- Vinegar
- Spices
- Hay
- Leather
- Caramel
- Olive oil
- dried fruit
- Stable
- Sweat
- Fermented fruit
- Meat broth
- Potato
- Col
- Ammonia.
Abnormal odor:
- Absence of odor
- Map
- Spicy ammonia on the nose
- Mold
- Sour
- Butyric acid (rotten eggs)
- Rancid
- Soapy
Texture in the mouth:
- Soft
- Tough, very tough
- Elastic
- Friable
- Plastic
- Licuada
- Flux
- Unctuous
- Spongy
- Pasty
- Grease
- Fresca
- Wet
- Dry
- Adhesive.
Graininess:
- Fina
- Harinosa
- Sandy
- Thick (mantecado)
- Crystals
Taste test
Taste test, elementary flavors:
- Sweet: nil, very weak, perceptible, too much
- Salty: none or very weak, little, correct, too much.
- Acid: null, perceptible, too much.
- Bitter: null, perceptible, too much.
Taste test – aromatic characters (retronasal):
- Intensity: Nil, very weak, weak, medium, aromatic, potent.
- Quality: very fine, characterful, elegant, pleasant, unpleasant, heavy, complex.
Posted in: PLURAL CUISINE: UMAMI
What is umami?
Are your papillae ready for this? Because there is a new taste sensation awaiting us, and it has become the talk of the food technology world. It is called “umami”. After decades in which it was claimed that there were only four possibilities of the sense of taste (sweet, salty, sour and bitter), umami has emerged as a new one.
At least, it is new to the West, since the Japanese word “umami” is actually hundreds of years old, and is defined in multiple ways (of which few can remember). It can be described using words such as “tasty”, “essence”, “delicious” or “potent”. It doesn’t matter that Japanese experts have tried to explain this ancient word thousands of times, as long as we learn from them how to take advantage of its gustatory potential.
Working on a sensory analysis panel is not an easy job. Not only does it require a well-trained sense of taste and smell, but it also involves being able to accurately describe the collective experience involved in the perception of a taste.
Research in taste physiology has shown that there are more tastes besides the classic four (sweet, salty, bitter and sour), or at least this is what Dr. Susan Schiffman Ph.D., professor of Medical Physiology and director of the weight management clinic at Duke University Medical Center, claims.
As proof of their claims, a taste sensation that is gaining recognition among Western cultures is known as “Umami”. The umami flavor can be identified in various natural substances included in foods, especially in monosodium glutamate.
In search of flavor
A group of expert panelists were challenged to identify the umami taste provided by the added glutamate in one of three cooked chicken samples presented to each participant.
The samples were prepared on the basis of the same recipe, using chicken and vegetable parts, varying only in the presence or absence of monosodium glutamate salt (MSG). The panelists were not informed which samples contained which flavorings.
When asked to identify samples that they believed possessed the umami taste, 60 percent correctly pointed to those with the MSG salt. In terms of flavor preference, however, 75 percent of the panelists indicated that they preferred the two that had the umami taste, contributed by glutamate. They described it as “richer”, “more complete”, “tasty”, “with more body” or “more chicken flavor”.
A substance with history
Although umami was first identified 1200 years ago by oriental cooks, it was not until well into this century that scientists isolated glutamate and other substances that confer this characteristic taste.
Sensory research shows that glutamate does not enhance any of the classic tastes already known, nor can umami taste be formed by any combination of the four classics.
Glutamate is an amino acid that can be found both inside the human body and naturally in protein-rich foods such as cheese, red meat, fish and breast milk. When found in its “free” form in foodstuffs and not associated with other amino acids in protein-glutamate, it generates the umami taste effect.
Monosodium glutamate added to foods has a similar flavoring function to “free” glutamate, which is naturally present in other products. It is generally used to enhance the flavor of meats, poultry products, fish and seafood, soups, stews, sauces and broths.
Not so easy to classify
38% of the panelists misidentified a salt-added-only chicken sample as having MSG. Although many people mistakenly believe that monosodium glutamate gives foods a salty taste, MSG contains only 1/3 of the sodium found in table salt.
So much so that MSG can be used in a variety of foods to reduce the total amount of sodium by 20 to 40 percent, while maintaining an acceptable taste.
Monosodium glutamate is considered by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as a GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) substance, i.e. a safe product. Despite this, all foods to which MSG is added must, however, list this ingredient on their label as monosodium glutamate.
In conducting clinical research with people who have impaired senses of taste and smell, Schiffman has also discovered that many consumers believe MSG is a preservative or tenderizer for red meat. “Being able to experience the taste sensation of umami firsthand will hopefully help specialists educate consumers about the unique flavor of MSG and its taste contribution to food,” he concluded by saying.
Source: International Food Information Council (IFIC).
