Red Leicester - History

History

The cheese was originally made on farms in Leicestershire with milk that was surplus once all the Stilton desired was made. It was originally coloured with carrot or Beet juice.

It used to be called Leicestershire Cheese, after the county in which it was originally made, but is now called Red Leicester to distinguish it from the White Leicester which was made to a national recipe under wartime controls during the 1940s. The rind is reddish-orange with a powdery mould on it.

The fat content of Red Leicester cheese when fresh is generally between 33 and 34%. Regulations regarding cheese require minimum fat levels to be stated in terms of the "fat in dry matter" or FDM, as moisture levels decrease as cheese ages. Take out the moisture and you are left with fat, protein, minerals, vitamins and salt – the FDM measures the amount of fat in these solids, exclusive of water. So although the minimum FDM generally listed for Red Leicester is 48% this equates to an actual fat content in the final product of around 33–34%

Read more about this topic:  Red Leicester

Famous quotes containing the word history:

    My good friends, this is the second time in our history that there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. And now I recommend you to go home and sleep quietly in your beds.
    Neville Chamberlain (1869–1940)

    “And now this is the way in which the history of your former life has reached my ears!” As he said this he held out in his hand the fatal letter.
    Anthony Trollope (1815–1882)

    The history of men’s opposition to women’s emancipation is more interesting perhaps than the story of that emancipation itself.
    Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)