Cheese with fenugreek: description, useful properties, nutritional value, types

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

On store shelves you can find bright green and yellow cheese with the addition of spicy seeds. This is fenugreek, which gives the product a nice nutty flavor.

What is fenugreek?

Fenugreek is an annual plant whose seeds have spicy-aromatic properties. It is found under other names: Greek hay, shambhala, fenugreek, helba, chaman. It grows in Eastern Europe, in the mountains of Central Asia, Turkey, Iraq and Iran. Seeds no larger than 4 mm ripen in pods. They have a sweetish aftertaste, which is especially enhanced when roasted. The plant itself has a pronounced bitter aroma of freshly cut hay.

The properties of fenugreek resemble an aphrodisiac. Substances contained in the seeds of the plant contribute to the production of male sex hormones and increase the level of testosterone in the blood.

Fenugreek contains vitamins, macro- and microelements, which allow it to be widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, traditional medicine and cooking.

Cooking uses of fenugreek

Seedsfenugreek is used as an aromatic spice both on its own and in special mixtures (chutney, chaman, suneli hops, curry). Commercially, fenugreek (seasoning) is often offered as a ready-made powder.

Young shoots, leaves and seeds of the plant are used in many dishes, especially in oriental cuisine. They give food a pleasant, nutty flavor. The leaves are dried and used in this form to make "green cheese", which has been a favorite delicacy of millions of Russians for many years.

Green cheese with fenugreek

Many European countries, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, specialize in cheese making. They even became associated with certain types of cheese. Switzerland does not lag behind these countries. It is here that the real green Schabziger cheese is produced.

The technology of its manufacture is slightly different from the traditional method. For cooking, only skimmed milk is used, to which dry grass is added - blue fenugreek. After that, the mass is heated to a certain temperature (90 degrees) and citric or acetic acid is added. As a result of curdling milk, whey is formed, which is the basis for making cheese. It is poured into special forms in which it is stored for about a week. Then they are hung up and left in this position for a period of 2 to 6 months to ripen.

Fenugreek Cheese Shabziger gets its unusual green color, nutty taste and strong aroma thanks to the grass. Herefers to sour-milk solid varieties. It has a low calorie content compared to traditional cheeses (137 kcal), a minimum of fat (1 g) and a large amount of protein (33 g). It does not contain carbohydrates and lactose, so this fermented milk product is not only tasty, but also very he althy. By changing the production technology, the fat content and calorie content of cheese can be significantly increased.

Fenugreek cheese: he alth benefits

Hard cheese with the addition of fenugreek is sold in traditional round heads, grated and powdered. So it is added to omelets and pasta, used in the preparation of sauces and baking bread. This fermented milk product perfectly combines the beneficial properties of cheese and fenugreek. It contains vitamins A, C, E, PP and group B, minerals (zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, sodium).

Fenugreek cheese has a high nutritional value. It is rich in protein, so it is useful for athletes who are gaining muscle mass, and for children for growth and bone he alth, and for the elderly for well-being.

Belarusian cheeses with fenugreek: types

Cheese with the addition of fenugreek is prepared not only in its homeland, in Switzerland, but also in other countries. In terms of taste, the Belarusian cheese "Armel" with fenugreek is in no way inferior to the original.

It is not very strong, but spicy in moderation, with a slight, unobtrusive hint of walnut. It is made from normalized milk, so the fat content and calorie content of thischeese is much higher than that of real green cheese. This is a classic yellow fermented milk product with the addition of spicy fenugreek seeds. Tastes well with white wine.

Another Belarusian cheese with fenugreek "Alpental" is reminiscent of the quality of the beloved "Armel". It is fragrant, moderately sour, with a pleasant creamy aftertaste. Cheese "Alpental" yellow with bright patches of fenugreek seeds.

How to make fenugreek seed cheese at home

To make your own spicy nutty cheese, you will need 1 kg of cottage cheese (9-18%), a liter of pasteurized milk, 3 eggs, butter, s alt, soda and the main ingredient is fenugreek seeds.

First, the cottage cheese must be combined with milk, mix well and put on a slow fire to heat. Make sure that the mass does not boil. After a while, the milk will begin to curdle. Pour the resulting mass onto gauze, let the whey drain. In about an hour, dry cottage cheese will be ready.

Now, transfer it to a non-stick pan, add eggs, 2 teaspoons of s alt, baking soda on the tip of a knife, fenugreek seeds and butter (100 g). Mix thoroughly and put on a slow fire. Soon the mass will begin to melt and will resemble hot processed cheese in consistency. Do not forget to constantly stir the contents of the pan. When the mass becomes homogeneous, it can be poured into a mold for cooling. After 12 hours, the cheese can be tasted. It will not be as dense as hard cheese from the store, but no lesstasty and he althy.