String cheese
Encyclopedia
Several different types of cheese are known as string cheese. It is peelable and when peeled, it does so in strings or strips from the larger cheese.
In Slovakia
, a traditional string cheese called korbáčiky
is made which is a salty sheep milk
cheese, available smoked or unsmoked. It is traditionally made by hand-pulling steamed sheep's cheese into strings and braiding them. Machine milk versions are also available.
In Armenia
, traditional string cheese is made with a white base. The type of milk used usually comes from an aged goat or sheep depending upon the production methods of the area of choice. It includes black cumin
and a middle-eastern spice known as mahleb, and it comes in the form of a braided endless loop. The cheese forms strings because of the way it is pulled during processing. There is also Syrian cheese processed this way. Other cheeses are only cut and pressed, not pulled, and don't develop strings.
Another popular string cheese is the Mexican Oaxaca cheese
, usually served molten in a quesadilla
. This has been adapted over the years to now be produced as a commercial food ingredient in many fast food products.
Cheese strings became a popular snack in Europe in the early 1990s
. They are made from processed cheese
by Kerry Group
and the mascot is a cartoon character called Mr Strings. The original advert had a theme tune based on the popular song "Bend Me, Shape Me
" but with different lyrics ("You got a cheese string day or night, you got a cheese string you're all right"). Originally Mr Strings was a wild cartoon character who pulled himself apart but by the late 1990s the packaging had been redesigned with a more simplified mascot.
On television the original Mr Strings was phased out and replaced by an unseen character who played creepy practical jokes on teenage consumers. In the late 2000s the design of Mr Strings was changed for a third time to appear more child-friendly
and was given a new catchphrase ("Hey, i'm just cheese").
In the United States
, string cheese generally refers to snack-sized servings of low-moisture mozzarella
. This form of string cheese is roughly cylindrical, about 6 inches (15 cm) long and less than 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter. The cheese is cut and packaged, either individually or as a package of several lengths. The cheese used is nearly always a form of mozzarella, or a combination of mozzarella and cheddar
. This type of string cheese gets its name because it can be eaten by pulling strips of cheese from the cylinder along its length and eating these strings.
In Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, a traditional string cheese called korbáčiky
Korbáciky
Korbáčiky is a type of string cheese from the Orava region of Slovakia. It is made from steamed cheese interwoven into fine braids. The name roughly translates to "little whip" which refers to the pattern woven onto the strings. The common flavors include the plain salty, smoked and garlic....
is made which is a salty sheep milk
Sheep milk
Sheep's milk is the milk of domestic sheep. Though not widely drunk in any modern culture, sheep's milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products. Well-known cheeses made from sheep milk include the Feta of Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, the Pecorino Romano , the Pecorino...
cheese, available smoked or unsmoked. It is traditionally made by hand-pulling steamed sheep's cheese into strings and braiding them. Machine milk versions are also available.
In Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, traditional string cheese is made with a white base. The type of milk used usually comes from an aged goat or sheep depending upon the production methods of the area of choice. It includes black cumin
Nigella sativa
Nigella sativa is an annual flowering plant, native to south and southwest Asia. It grows to tall, with finely divided, linear leaves. The flowers are delicate, and usually coloured pale blue and white, with five to ten petals. The fruit is a large and inflated capsule composed of three to seven...
and a middle-eastern spice known as mahleb, and it comes in the form of a braided endless loop. The cheese forms strings because of the way it is pulled during processing. There is also Syrian cheese processed this way. Other cheeses are only cut and pressed, not pulled, and don't develop strings.
Another popular string cheese is the Mexican Oaxaca cheese
Oaxaca cheese
Queso Oaxaca is a white, semihard cheese from Mexico, similar to unaged Monterey Jack, but with a mozzarella-like string cheese texture. It is named after the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico, where it was first made. It is available in several different shapes. It is also known as quesillo...
, usually served molten in a quesadilla
Quesadilla
A quesadilla is a flour or corn tortilla filled with a savoury mixture containing cheese and other ingredients, then folded in half to form a half-moon shape. This dish originated in Mexico, and the name is derived from the Spanish word queso ....
. This has been adapted over the years to now be produced as a commercial food ingredient in many fast food products.
Cheese strings became a popular snack in Europe in the early 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
. They are made from processed cheese
Processed cheese
Processed cheese, process cheese, cheese slice, prepared cheese, cheese singles or cheese food is a food product made from normal cheese and sometimes other unfermented dairy ingredients, plus emulsifiers, extra salt, food colorings, or whey...
by Kerry Group
Kerry Group
Kerry Group , is a public food company headquartered in Ireland. It is quoted on the Dublin ISEQ and London stock exchanges. It evolved initially from a local dairy co-op in the Munster region of Ireland...
and the mascot is a cartoon character called Mr Strings. The original advert had a theme tune based on the popular song "Bend Me, Shape Me
Bend Me, Shape Me
"Bend Me, Shape Me" is a song written by Scott English and Larry Weiss. It was first recorded by The Outsiders as a track on their album The Outsiders In in 1966...
" but with different lyrics ("You got a cheese string day or night, you got a cheese string you're all right"). Originally Mr Strings was a wild cartoon character who pulled himself apart but by the late 1990s the packaging had been redesigned with a more simplified mascot.
On television the original Mr Strings was phased out and replaced by an unseen character who played creepy practical jokes on teenage consumers. In the late 2000s the design of Mr Strings was changed for a third time to appear more child-friendly
and was given a new catchphrase ("Hey, i'm just cheese").
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, string cheese generally refers to snack-sized servings of low-moisture mozzarella
Mozzarella
Mozzarella is an Italian Traditional Speciality Guaranteed food product. The term is used for several kinds of Italian cheeses that are made using spinning and then cutting :...
. This form of string cheese is roughly cylindrical, about 6 inches (15 cm) long and less than 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter. The cheese is cut and packaged, either individually or as a package of several lengths. The cheese used is nearly always a form of mozzarella, or a combination of mozzarella and cheddar
Cheddar cheese
Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard, yellow to off-white, and sometimes sharp-tasting cheese, produced in several countries around the world. It has its origins in the English village of Cheddar in Somerset....
. This type of string cheese gets its name because it can be eaten by pulling strips of cheese from the cylinder along its length and eating these strings.
External links
- Process of making mozzarella cheese — US PatentPatentA patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
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