Mozzarella cheese Belarus. Belarusian cheeses: names, manufacturers, composition, reviews

What is real mozzarella, where does it come from and what is it eaten with? About this and not only in the control investigation of Vladimir Zuev!

Not every country can boast that the colors of its national flag match the color of the nation's favorite foods. Italy is an excellent example in this regard. The green color of the tricolor here can symbolize basil and olives, white - both pasta and all kinds of cheeses: mascarpone, mozzarella, parmesan. Well, red, of course, is given to tomatoes. Looking at the famous Italian Caprese salad or simply “mozzarella with tomatoes”, you involuntarily wonder what came first, this popular food or the Italian flag?

However, let's leave this question for historians, and we'd better talk about mozzarella.

Historical outline

Mozzarella is a young Italian cheese from the Campania region. The peculiarity of this product is that it is not stored for a long time, therefore, in order to preserve the taste and freshness of the cheese, it is usually sold in brine. Probably the most delicious mozzarella is giornata (one day old), but it can only be bought in Italy, so it is, unfortunately, not available to ordinary Belarusian consumers.
Mozzarella production begins in a typical way for any cheese - the milk is coagulated with rennet. Then the whey is heated to 80-90°C and stirred until an elastic mass is obtained, from which pieces are then cut off and cheese of various shapes (balls, pigtails) is molded. This mass is called mozzatura (trimmings) - hence, by the way, the name of the cheese came from.
Classic mozzarella is made from black buffalo milk and is called Mozzarella di bufala campana. Cow's milk mozzarella is called fior di latte (milk flower). In addition, there is Mozzarella affumicata (smoked). The taste of classic mozzarella is tender, fresh, slightly elastic. This cheese is perfect for salads, pizza, pasta and lasagna. Mozzarella also goes very well with vegetables and herbs, not drowning out, but rather perfectly complementing and emphasizing their taste.

Local mozzarella market

Buying a piece of mozzarella in Minsk today is not difficult. True, you are unlikely to find it in the shops closest to the house, but there is almost always mozzarella on the shelves of large supermarkets. In general, speaking about Italian cheeses presented on the Belarusian market, it is worth noting that the only company that produces them in our country is IP Viterfood. A distinctive feature of the company is that it is an Italian company created by Antonio Brudello and Enzo Grossi in 2000 near Minsk. By the way, only milk in these cheeses is Belarusian, however, according to the directors, it is in no way inferior to Italian. Everything else - equipment and technology - is Italian. Weatherfood produces cheeses such as cachotta, mozzarella and ricotta.
As for mozzarella, it is sold in our stores in several forms. Let's talk about some of them in more detail.

Mozzarella in brine in the form of a ball. Packing - a bag. The weight of the ball is always 140 g; fat content - 50±1.6%, shelf life - 10 days. You can buy this type of cheese in Corona, Central, Vester (Globo shopping center), Preston chain. The taste of mozzarella is delicate, soft, there is an almost complete absence of a specific smell of hard cheeses. Easily cut and broken into fibrous pieces.

Mozzarella in brine in the form of several balls . Packing - bucket, 25 balls in filling, net weight 620 g; fat content - 50%, shelf life 10 days. However, a bucket of cheese balls was found by me only in Korona .

Vacuum-packed mozzarella in the shape of a bar , an average of 400g. Fat content - 50±1.6%, shelf life - 30 days. Sold in most supermarkets.

By the way, in Corona I found a substitute for mozzarella. The cheese is produced in Lithuania and is called Pizzarella (a type of mozzarella). It is sold by weight, no vacuum and filling. The taste, in general, is somewhat similar to mozzarella, but the texture of the cheese is more solid and dryish. If you are not focused on buying mozzarella, then you can try this cheese, not bad.

As you understand, the best mozzarella in the world is a one-day one, but cunning Italians leave this delicacy exclusively for themselves. The rest of the world is left to eat mozzarella in the fill. (Vacuum, by the way, is used only as a last resort). If I describe in detail the taste of mozzarella, I want to immediately warn you that lovers of sharp, rich cheeses are unlikely to like it. Although, if a person really considers himself a gourmet and loves cheese in general, then he will definitely appreciate it. Every Belarusian can learn and appreciate the taste of mozzarella if desired. It's better to try it in the marinade first...and it's always better to try it in the marinade, unless, of course, you plan to visit Italy in the near future. The price of mozzarella, it seems to me, is quite affordable for such a well-known, and most importantly tasty and healthy product, and it cannot please the fact that its ancestors, the Italians, produce mozzarella in Belarus. Frankly, I don’t know what we, Belarusian gourmets, would do without this tasty and healthy product!

Caprese salad

Cooking:

Wash the tomatoes, dry them and cut into slices ~0.5 cm thick.
Mozzarella, also, cut into slices ~ 0.7 cm thick.
Mozzarella balls come in different sizes. Small balls can be cut in half or left whole.
Wash and dry the basil.
Alternate tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter.
Season the salad with salt, pepper with freshly ground pepper, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Decorate the salad with basil leaves.

Bon appetit!

Vladimir Zuev, especially for

As a result of food counter-sanctions, most varieties of Italian and French cheese disappeared from stores, but numerous Russian and Belarusian analogues appeared. The Village got some samples from markets and shops and asked an expert sommelier to rate how similar they were to the original.

The essence of the experiment

The expert tastes seven varieties of cheese, evaluates the taste and texture of each and puts a rating on a scale from 1 to 10. The tasting is on the rise: from neutral ricotta to spicy blue with mold - so that the taste of the cheeses is revealed gradually.

ricotta

“Cheese has almost no smell, which is normal for ricotta. A good ricotta should have the consistency of loose cottage cheese but taste like cheese. Everything is in order with this consistency, with taste - in principle, too, although here it is felt that this is either not too bland cottage cheese, or such curd cheese. I tried it before. Belarusian ricotta is not similar to Italian, but it is not bad.”

WHERE PRODUCED:
Belarus, Gomel region, Bonfesto firm

GRADE:
7 points

mozzarella chillegina

“This mozzarella is fresh and tastes more like cottage cheese than cheese. It won't work for something classic like caprese. The taste - cow's milk - is very mediocre. The balls are too big for a chileggini, more like a bocconcini, although they look good on the outside: layered, without air bubbles. And one more thing: the right mozzarella should be stored in brine, ideally in water with sea salt. This brine has a strange smell - like sour milk. There is clearly something wrong here.

This mozzarella would be perfect for pizza. The main thing is that it should be similar in taste and not stretch: this is critical for pizza. It seems to me that when it melts, it will be fine.

Of course, it does not look like the classic buffalo mozzarella (which will probably never be produced in Russia). There are no black buffaloes in our country, from whose milk this kind of cheese is made. I heard that some entrepreneurs imported these animals, but so far they have not succeeded.”

WHERE PRODUCED:
JSC "Shchapovo-Agrotechno", Shchapovskoye settlement

GRADE:
5 points

hard mozzarella

“Maybe my knowledge is not enough, but I don’t understand what this cheese is for. It is salty (which is unacceptable for classic mozzarella). viscous. It can be used for sandwiches, but it has absolutely no taste! This is a substrate that simply lies on the bread. To eat it, you need either salted butter or some kind of bread with additives - something flavorful.

This cheese is perhaps two weeks old: mediocre, young, slightly salty. I can taste pasteurized milk. Warm, not very appetizing.

WHERE PRODUCED:
Belarus, farming

GRADE:
3 points

Maasdam

“I am very fond of Altai cheeses. This one is delicious, has a slight sweetness, with hints of forest herbs. Personally, I do not like sweetness in cheeses, in my opinion, this is not very good for sandwiches.

The structure bothers me. The cheese is very loose, with small holes. Maasdams are characterized by a smaller number of holes: they converge closer to the edge and form larger ones. Perhaps, accelerated maturation was used for this. He can still mature."

WHERE PRODUCED:

GRADE:
6 points

Swiss cheese

“Swiss cheese in the USSR was called Emmental. If you go abroad, you will most likely meet him for lunch (for example, in sandwiches, although sometimes young cheddar is also available).

Outwardly, this variety looks decent, it does not even look like a Russian product. It has some very nice holes. Looks like Emmental. If I had seen this cheese in the window, even without the indication of the manufacturer, I would have decided that it was worthy of attention.

In taste, of course, it is inferior to real Swiss cheese: Altai cheese is more bland. I'm not sure how he will behave if you give him more time to mature (maybe he hasn't reached the condition). But when I eat it, I feel like I'm eating good cheese."

WHERE PRODUCED:
Altai Territory, farming

GRADE:
5 points

Cheddar

“I didn’t like this cheese at all. I love aged cheddar, the kind where you cut it and it crumbles. Moscow cheddar is very soft, almost plasticine. He was either removed early, or he simply cannot mature any further. It tastes like an unboiled pan.”

WHERE PRODUCED:
Moscow, Algoy LLC

GRADE:
1 point

Kuban blues (blue cheese)

"Are you sure it's fresh? Leaking from the package. A good blue cheese should not run.

The Kuban blues does not have such a pronounced mold: it falls short of the same Swiss samples. Boring taste, no interesting point. But there is a plus - it is unsalted. Many Russian cheeses are terribly salty (they are easier to make this way), and salt interrupts the delicate taste of mold. In general, a good example.

This variety is good for salad or pie - where it will be secondary. For wine, probably not. I would not recommend, the taste will be lost.

WHERE PRODUCED:
Krasnodar Territory, firm "Kaloriya"

GRADE:
5 points

Conclusion

“Historically, cheesemaking has not been very developed in Russia. Now, thanks to the embargo, many beat their chests with their fists: “I'll take it now!” But I'm skeptical about this: in Europe it took several centuries.

If you want to make money, it's more profitable for you to sell the cheese faster in order to return the money. The sooner the money will turn around - the more you get. We produce a lot of decent soft cheeses because they are easy to make and hard to mess up. This is mainly done by small farm cheese dairies. We do not have complex aged cheeses (such as parmesan, for example), and it is unlikely that we will soon.

Good cheese (especially with white mold and goat cheese) is made by Lefkadia in the Krasnodar Territory, there are worthy examples from small farms - Signore Formaggio, Cosa Nostra, but, unfortunately, they reach few places.

This question cannot be answered unambiguously. For some, this is just a delicious product that can be used in cooking as an independent dish or an additional ingredient. But most connoisseurs of cheese will definitely mention its extraordinary tastes, smells, shapes and colors. just huge. Given the large number of manufacturers of this product, it is not easy for an ordinary consumer to understand this variety. Belarusian cheese occupies a special niche in the market. Which one is the best? Let's try to figure this out.

A little about cheese

There are many varieties of this product, many of which have a very interesting history of origin. Mozzarella is one of the most famous cheeses. The first mention of it dates back to the 17th century. Roquefort is a blue cheese that is produced from It has an unusual, specific taste. Feta is a product of Greek origin. The olive oil in which it is stored gives it an unusual aroma. Camembert is a dessert cheese with a hard rind and a slight coating of white mold.

It has a spicy taste with a slight aroma of mushrooms. Gouda is a Dutch product, pungent and savory, firm, yellow in color. It has varying degrees of maturity. You can endlessly list varieties, but it will take a lot of time. Some of them are familiar to consumers firsthand. These are gouda, gorgonzola, parmesan, cheddar, tofu, brie and many others. Belarusian cheese is presented in no less quantity. Manufacturers have learned how to make a great product with excellent taste. What are the best cheeses?

History in Belarus

Belarusian cheeses, reviews of which speak of their high quality and excellent taste properties, have firmly won their niche in the market. The history of production is closely connected with the emergence of this industry in Russia. As you know, cheese was brought to Russia by Peter I, who set up its production with the help of foreign cheese makers. Gradually, schools for the training of their specialists were created. On the territory of modern Belarus began to breed a large number of livestock.

Surplus milk, which remained with the landlords, began to be put into production by purchasing the necessary equipment. At the end of the 19th century, there were already large enterprises producing butter and cheeses in Belarus. This industry began to develop with varying degrees of success. Modern Belarus is the rapid development of agriculture and the processing industry. The country has a program for the development and revival of the village. Thanks to this, we can enjoy the wonderful taste of dairy products from its producers.

The best Belarusian manufacturers

Among the Belarusian producers there are also leaders not only in terms of the volume of products, but also in terms of their taste and compliance with all requirements. For example, "Berezovsky cheese-making plant" produces about 17 tons of cheese per year. "Slutsk cheese-making plant" is the leader among the best. Its volumes are about 20 tons of product per year. You can also highlight "Savushkin Product", "Dairy World", "Shchuchinsky Butter and Cheese Plant" and some other manufacturers.

All of them have equipped their factories with the best equipment that meets all modern requirements. Manufacturers place more emphasis on quick-maturing cheeses. This is due to the large amount of raw materials and limited production volumes. But there are Belarusian cheeses, the names and tastes of which correspond to the best varieties with a long ripening period. Roqueforty cheese with mold is in no way inferior to foreign analogues.

Poshekhonsky cheese

Many are wondering which Belarusian cheese is the best. There can be many opinions here, as they say, there are no comrades for the taste and color. But, according to experts, the best product of this category, produced in Belarus, is Poshekhonsky cheese (Slutsk). It has excellent taste and meets all the parameters. It belongs to the rennet cheeses, which are produced with a low temperature of the second maturation.

Flavor-forming substances are involved in its maturation. Ideally, this cheese has a thin rind without damage. Its taste is slightly sour and well pronounced. It has a homogeneous consistency, breaks on a bend. Its eyes are round or oval. This Belarusian cheese is great for making sandwiches, as an independent dish or as an additional product used in cooking.

Roqueforty

This is an elite cheese with blue mold, which is produced in Belarus. Roqueforti in its taste is not much inferior to its counterparts. It is made from normalized pasteurized cow's milk. This is the main component, but in addition to this, salt, enzymes of animal origin, mold culture, bacterial starter culture and calcium chloride are added to the cheese.

Roqueforti is a hard cheese and has a moderate amount of mold. It has a creamy taste and a light spicy aftertaste. Having a fairly high performance, Rokforti is cheaper than its counterparts, which is its advantage. It is served with wine or as an appetizer before main courses.

Cream cheese

How to choose Belarusian cheeses? Manufacturers of this product cannot always be honest with their consumer. Cheese is made from different raw materials, not always adhering to established requirements. That is why it is important to choose a manufacturer that has proven itself in the market. Cream cheese from the Belovezhskie Syry company is a high-quality product.

It is made from pasteurized cow's milk, salt, bacterial starter and natural milk-clotting agent. The mass fraction of fat in this product is 50%. The cheese has a pronounced creamy taste and aroma, a plastic texture and a beautiful yellow color.

Monastery cheese

This is a rennet solid product, which is made from pasteurized cow's milk with the addition of milk-clotting enzymes, bacterial starter cultures. Cheese production technology includes all necessary operations: shaping, pressing and ripening. The fat content of the product is 50%. Produces Monastyrsky cheese JSC "Moloko" in Vitebsk. According to its taste, the cheese meets all world requirements.

Dutch cheese

Many consumers prefer Belarusian cheeses. Their composition is only natural products of the highest quality. Semi-hard cheeses are considered to be the most delicate, with a delicate taste and aroma. They are well absorbed by the human body. For their production, only high-quality milk and special starter cultures are used. The maturation period of such cheeses is about 40-45 days. From this category can be distinguished from the Gormolzavod of Minsk. The fat content of the product is 45%. Choosing a responsible manufacturer, you can be sure of the quality of cheese.

Conclusion

Recently, Belarusian cheeses have occupied a significant share of the dairy products market. The names of manufacturers play an important role in the choice. Not only the opinion of experts is important here, although only they can give a full assessment of the quality of products and their compliance with standards. The main thing is the opinion of consumers who prefer a particular product. Belarusian cheeses have gained many fans in our country. This happened due to the high quality of the products and their taste properties. Let's hope that all these indicators will continue to be at the proper level.

Compound: normalized milk, salt sealant - calcium chloride, milk-clotting enzyme of microbial origin, bacterial ferment of thermophilic cultures.

Nutritional value of 100 g of product:
Proteins - 20.1
Fats - 17.6 g
Energy value - 238.8 kcal (999.8 kJ)
Store at a temperature from +2 o C to +6 o C at a relative humidity of 75-85%.
Vacuum packed.
After opening the package, consume within 48 hours.

TU BY 490871155.002-2011
TI RB 490871155.002

Semi-hard cheese Mozzarella Pizza (Italian: Mozzarella Pizza) is the most famous cheese of the Pasta Filata group.

Mozzarella Pizza reveals its taste best under the influence of temperature, which is why this cheese is so popular in dishes that require baking and heat treatment, for example, as a topping for pizza, lasagna. At the same time, the scope of using semi-hard mozzarella is much wider: sandwiches, salads, all kinds of cold appetizers - a countless variety of options.

Mozzarella Pizza and Mozzarella Fior di Latte differ mainly in terms of moisture content and fat content in dry matter. Mozzarella Pizza is characterized by reduced moisture content and a reduced fat mass fraction, which contributes to a longer shelf life and improves the characteristics of the cheese after melting. Mozzarella Pizza, unlike varieties such as Provola and Scamorza, does not ripen - this cheese is suitable for packaging immediately after preparation.

Mozzarella Pizza is great not only for making pizza, but also for casseroles, lasagna, pies. The most famous mozzarella Pizza pie is the calzone. Buy Mozzarella Bonfesto (Bonfesto) Turov Belarusian.

Aram Mikhailovich, are you going to Moscow with an inspection or are you planning to open a new restaurant? Now is just the right time - a crisis, a favorable period for growth, as economists say.

I'm not with the inspection, but for the pleasure! Before, before Traffic jams on Tsvetnoy, Moscow was perceived by me as a city where I would not want to work. I can't mess around, and I didn't have my place here. I did not understand what it was like to have your own restaurant in Moscow. Now everything is different: I come here to have fun, because I really like my restaurant in Moscow.

So, maybe you need to start a second one, and you will be twice as happy?

No, I will not have a second restaurant in Moscow. I don’t like to promise, but I definitely don’t plan to open new restaurants in the capital.

Three months of the food embargo, and it seems that nothing has changed. Has it changed or not changed in your opinion?

It has changed, of course. It is not noticeable to the consumer, but chefs and restaurateurs have added a lot of unnecessary trouble associated with obtaining products that were previously at hand. Of course, this is not catastrophic, but it is distracting.

Are you currently cooking with alternative products or are you using original leftovers?

Cheese from Serbia and Morocco will never replace French and Italian, there is nothing to talk about. AND Belarusian mozzarella sorry, this is funny. The product, its gastronomic qualities are determined by the place of origin - climatic factors, local traditions. In Russia we cannot make cheese, we can only cook it. We never had cheese making, cheese making only. AND Far Eastern oyster is a fundamentally different product. Some people like it, but it will not replace those classic oysters that we are used to.

But once again I emphasize: all this is not critical. Understand that the disappearance of French and Italian cheeses, Dutch vegetables, Polish apples is not noticeable to the people. Now, if they cut guilt, the consumer would immediately feel it.

And we forgot about the rest. The restaurant needs a stable food supply situation. The market is freed up, new suppliers feel a free niche, and a stream of new products, including very good ones, of impeccable quality, is coming here.

What is so new and interesting appeared in our market?

Products from Iceland- fish, meat... I have been to Iceland many times, I love this country and its people very much. Whenever I'm there, my friends open up new restaurants, foods and dishes for me, and every time it's delicious! Not for me, but for our market, Iceland is a discovery. Icelandic products have always been expensive, but now, after their crisis and under the embargo, they have become quite affordable. Argentine meat yet again...

Did you have to change the menu a lot?

Twenty percent. Most importantly - cheeses and salads. There are no high-quality green salads in Russia in sufficient quantity. And what is there does not meet any requirements. Holland has disappeared from the shelves, and with salads, seams. Almost all of my restaurants are Italian. For the preparation of some dishes, those products that are under the embargo are required. The hardest thing with cheeses: Parmesan, buffalo mozzarella- there is no substitute for them. But of course, we can always maintain the authenticity with a fine selection of Italian wines and my favorite Italian water. San Benedetto.

Is the crisis in the restaurant industry already here?

The general economic situation naturally affects restaurants. People have less money, and they are very biased in choosing establishments based on price and quality. Time for fierce competition. Anything done on the knees will fall apart. This applies primarily to the entire service sector - and travel agencies, and hairdressers, and restaurants. Everything of good quality will remain.

What are your personal criteria for evaluating a good restaurant?

The main thing in the restaurant is the atmosphere. It would be a mistake to assume that the atmosphere can be formed by the interior. The atmosphere is people: both guests and the restaurant team. How they smile at me at the entrance, how they accept my clothes, how they escort me to a table - everything is important. In a good restaurant, all employees know everything about their restaurant, menu, dishes, wine, history, that is, they live this place.

What do you associate the success of Cork on Tsvetnoy with?

Only what is done harmoniously and in balance can be successful. A wonderful team, a clear simple menu, stability in everything. We are a classic gastronomic restaurant, very high quality. We don't do anything too original, we go from season to season.

Well, seasonality is some strange, alien concept in our realities ...

Yes, the season in Russia is a non-existent concept. Why do we have a season - by and large, only pumpkins and mushrooms, and what else? Smelt in St. Petersburg! In Russia, few domestic products are produced, there is no developed agriculture. Therefore, the cuisine does not differ in variety. Although, as you know, we have opportunities for all this to appear. Therefore, we will believe that we will manage and find another renaissance of Russian gastronomy.