strange cheese

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Rennet; the exotic cheesemaking ingredient

So, I guess you feel proud of yourself - You can make Eggcheese AND Dravle, and do some advanced kitchen-conversions. But the information I will convey to you now, might well make you turn your back to cheese for all time...
Definition of Rennet (from Websters): the contents of the stomach of an unweaned animal and especially a calf b : the lining membrane of a stomach or one of its compartments (as the fourth of a ruminant) used for curdling milk; also : a preparation of the stomach of animals used for this purpose.

Whoa, aren't you glad our cheese loving metric friends in Iran have come up with a solution; Fungal Rennet, also called Rennilase, so that hardcore vegetarians may enjoy some Brie too. The American product Chy-Max by Pfizer was introduced in 1990 and is now used in 60% of U.S. produced cheeses. Chy-Max was the first product of recombinant DNA technology in the U.S. food supply!
On the whole, only 35% of the worlds cheeses is made with natural rennet, so there are indeed a need for artificial coagulants especially for cheap and lower quality cheeses.

posted by DIMMU BORGHILD at 12:10 am

2 Comments:

  • Hey Reverend,

    Rennet is not sinister! Although one can argue that veal is a by-product of rennet, or vice versa - what farmer would slaughter an unweaned calf JUST for the enzymes in its stomach?

    I'm of the opinion that microbial enzymes - a rennet substitute used in an enormous percentage of industrially-made American cheeses - is a bit more sinister. Yes, it's made from genetically-modified rennet, sometimes from fungus. Although it claims to be safe for vegetarians, I have a hard time accepting that microbial enzymes modified from animal rennet are animal-free.

    I'm no chemist, just a Cheese Expert. Hmm, maybe you've inspired me to post to my blog about rennet and other coagulants. I hear my radio show with Kenny inspired you, so...

    Thanks, Reverend!
    -Cheese Snob Wendy
    Cheesemonger
    http://caseophile.blogspot.com

    By Blogger The Writer, at 6:57 pm  

  • Hi Wendy

    I am a cheese lover too, and I am not opposed to the use of rennet - just puzzled over the fact of the origin.

    When I come as far as writing the recipe to some hard cheeses, I would like people to know what they are putting into the mix. Most people don't know this, and would probably go "What?!"

    When they get used to the idea it is as easy as taking Murine eardrops, made from carbamide, another name for synthetic urea.

    I recently stumbled upon a net argument started by islamic youth in Norway debating what cheese is "halal" or "haram", because of rennet - has some english in it too http://www.pakin.no/discuss/topic.asp?tid=4919&fid=17

    Yer Cheese Lovin' Pal Reverend

    By Blogger DIMMU BORGHILD, at 10:10 pm  

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