“Little Miss Muffet,
Sat on her tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey”
- The start of a popular
children’s rhyme, but what exactly are curds and whey?
In simple terms, think
cottage cheese, with the lumpy part being the curds and the more liquid part
being the whey. The word curd actually comes from the Latin ‘coagulare’, as
it’s formed during the process of coagulating milk, which produces curds
(solids) and ‘whey’ (liquid) that takes its origins from Old English ‘hweg’.
In cheesemaking, rennet (a
curdling agent) is added to milk, as are starter cultures, to enable
coagulation. The milk separates into the curds and whey, which are used in the
cheesemaking process. The curds can be made into a variety of cheeses, whilst the
whey can be removed during the process – the more whey removed, the drier the
cheese. However, Ricotta cheese is actually made from re-cooked whey.
At Moorlands, we supply a
selection of high quality ingredients and equipment to help in the making of
curds and whey. For example, we offer rennet in liquid and tablet form, in
animal and vegetarian varieties, just visit http://www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-rennet
Whilst our sturdy curd cutter
http://www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-cheese-curd-cutter
and muslin straining bags http://www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-cheesecloth/cheesecloth-straining-bags
are invaluable aids in the cheesemaking process.
For all your cheesemaking
supplies choose Moorlands.
