A
Plays a key role in flavor, adding brightness, balancing sweetness and bitterness, and enhancing complexity.
Acidity
Affineur
Aging, caring for, and ripening cheese.
Alpine
Cheeses from mountainous regions of Switzerland, France, Austria, and Italy.
Amuse Bouche
Small, flavorful dishes served before main courses.
Astringency
Tactile sensation that dries or puckers the mouth.
B
Bacteria Linens
Microbes that ferment washed-rind and smear-ripened cheeses.
Bioavailability
Ability of a substance to be absorbed and used by the body.
Butryic
Flavor reminiscent of bile or baby vomit.
White mold on rinds that breaks down fat and protein, creating umami.
Bloomy Rind
C
Cambium
Thin, flexible inner layer of bark.
Casomorphin
Opioid peptides from milk protein casein with morphine-like effects.
Caproic Acid
Short-chain fatty acid responsible for "goaty" flavor.
Casu Marzu
Traditional Sardinian cheese with live maggots.
Carotene
Pigments in yellow, orange, and green leafy produce converted to vitamin A.
Coagulated
Process turning a fluid into a solid or semi-solid.
Creamline
Soft, gooey layer beneath the cheese rind.
Crème Fraîche
Thick, rich French cultured cream less tangy than sour cream.
Curd
Gel that forms into cheese.
D
De Rigueur
French term for what etiquette, fashion, or custom requires.
Dopamine
Neurotransmitter triggering pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation.
E
Enzyme
Enzyme used to coagulate milk, enhance flavor, and speed ripening.
F
Fruitière
French word for a cheese-making facility.
G
Geotrichum
Yeast that creates wrinkly cheese rinds.
Gordal
Spanish term meaning "the fat one."
Grana
Italian term meaning "grain."
I
Innoculate
Microbes added to shape flavor, texture, and ripening.
L
Lactose
Sugar naturally in milk.
Brain region that processes emotions, forms memories, and shapes survival and social behavior.
Limbic System
Lipolysis
Breakdown of milk fat into free fatty acids for cheese flavor.
Lonza
Dry-cured meat like prosciutto, usually from pork loin.
M
Macerate
Softening food by soaking to extract flavors or break it down.
Maillard Reaction
Protein and sugar reactions during heating, creating browning, flavor, and aroma.
Cheesemaking techniques: fermenting, coagulating, cutting, heating, whey removal, pressing, brining, ripening.
Manufacturing Technology
Milling
Rotating tool used to shape cheese.
N
Natural Rind
Cheese outer layer forming a thin crust from drying.
Natural Rind
Cheese traits from open-air aging without coating or washing.
Neurotransmitter
Chemical messengers sending signals between neurons and other cells.
O
Olfactory
Relating to smell.
P
Pasta Filata
Heating, kneading, and stretching curds to create elasticity.
Pliny The Elder
Ancient Roman considered the first wine critic.
R
Rancidity
Oxidation and hydrolysis of fats and oils.
Rennet
Enzymes that coagulate milk into curds and whey.
Rotational Grazing
Pasture management rotating livestock to allow regrowth and improve soil.
S
Schattbuch
Shadow Blossom, a specific cheese.
Short Chain Fatty Acid
Supports gut, immune, brain, and insulin health.
Soft Ripened
Cheese aged for an ooey-gooey texture.
T
Terroir
Environmental factors influencing crops.
Thermized Milk
Milk heated below pasteurization temperature, reducing bacteria while preserving flavor.
Turophile
Slightly firm, chewy texture with mild resistance.
Toothier
Devoted cheese enthusiast.
Tyrosine
Crunchy bits inside aged cheese.
U
Umami
Fifth basic taste, savory or brothy.
Unctuous
Rich, smooth, often oily texture creating fullness.
W
Washed Rind
Washing cheese to grow bacteria producing funk and strong flavors.
Washed Rind
Cheese treated with brine or alcohol during aging.
Whey
Liquid remaining after milk curdling.
Y
Yeast
Microbes adding distinct flavors and textures, especially in surface-ripened cheeses.
Yeast Metabolism
Processes converting sugars and nutrients into energy and byproducts like ethanol.