Smoked cheese

Smoked cheese is any cheese that has been specially treated by smoke-curing. It typically has a yellowish-brown outer pellicle which is a result of this curing process.

Smoke-curing is typically done in one of two ways: cold-smoking and hot-smoking. The cold-smoking method (which can take up to a month, depending on the food) smokes the food at between 20° to 30° C (68° to 86° F). Hot-smoking partially or completely cooks the food by treating it at temperatures ranging from 40° to 90° C (104° to 194° F). Another method of "curing" used in less expensive cheeses is to use artificial smoke flavoring to give the cheese a smoky flavoring and food coloring to give the outside the appearance of having been smoked in the more traditional manner.

Some smoked cheeses commonly sold include smoked Gruyère, smoked Gouda (rookkaas), Provolone, Rauchkase, Scamorza, Sulguni, Oscypek and smoked Cheddar.

Gallery

• Smoked Austrian cheese.jpg

  Smoked Austrian cheese

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  Smoked Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese

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  Smoked Gruyère cheese

• Smoked cheese in the Netherlands.jpg

  Smoked cheese in the Netherlands

See also

• List of smoked foods
• Food portal

References

• Juliet Harbutt. World Cheese Book. Penguin, Oct 5, 2009 pg .23