Hello all!
I'm a newbie cheesemaker from Helsinki, Finland. Bought a nice book about cheesemaking a couple years ago, but didn't really get going until recently. Have made lots of paneer for indian cooking, and now I have made some leipäjuusto (Finnish fried cheese), whole cream ricotta, halloumi and my first two batches of Feta are ripening in my cellar.
Next I would like to venture to the world of hard ripened cheeses, but unfortunately I lack some equipment (mainly wax), since there's just no shops in Finland that would sell cheesemaking stuff. Luckily I found out that there is a farm nearby that sells raw cow milk at reasonable prices.
Mold-ripened cheeses would be awesome too, but I'm afraid to get started since I don't have a cave of any kind, just my over-stuffed fridge.
I've been reading this forum for a while now, lurking and absorbing good info. Thought I might as well join and participate since people here seem to be nice and equally (or even more, delightful) cheeseheady than I am.
So greetings everybody!
--Jari Haavisto
Hi riha/Jari and welcome to the forum, I believe you are first member in Finland so I've just added Finland to our Geographic Boards (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/board,86.0.html) in case you have any local type stuff you want to post. Also, I could add a Finish language option for this forum's shell language (accessable via top right drop down language menu, default is English), but your English is perfect!
Congrats on your cheeses and looking forward to your input. FYI in our Cheese Making Suppliers list (https://cheeseforum.org/Links/Stores_Cheese_Making_Supplies.htm) there are several from Europe that could ship you some wax, although sadly none in Finland!
Welcome Jair. It will be fun to have ideas comming from Finland.
Hello Jari!
There is a cheesemaking supply company in the USA called the New England Cheesemaking Supply Co. (www.cheesemaking.com (//http://)) and they ship anywhere in the world. They sell red, yellow, and black cheese wax in 1-, 5-, and 10-lb. sizes.
Wow, it sounds like you are much more than a "newbie"! I have only made ricotta and mozzarella so far (and the ricottas were actually failed attempts at mozza :))... next I am going to try paneer.
I don't think I've ever heard of leipajuusto, but I pretty much love anything fried. :) Would you consider posting your recipe and/or a photo?
I just googled Leipäjuusto it sounds very interesting!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leip%C3%A4juusto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leip%C3%A4juusto)
Thanks for the tip Aquarabbit. I had checked NEC already, but I'm still searching for cheaper postage. 2 pounds of wax costs $11 and the postage is $20 which is a bit bad ratio. I already ordered some from Homestead Farm Supplies (UK) but they frankly f**ked me with the delivery. Excuse the language, I'm pretty angry with them. Aftermath is still on.
There seemed to be a leipäjuusto recipe on NEC website, but it's a bit weird since it uses cornstarch and sugar. Neither is used in traditional Finnish version as far as I know. I'll try to get some photos and put up a decent recipe next time I'm making some. There's one on my blog, but it's in Finnish :) It's pretty simple cheese to do and edible immediately so it's also very rewarding.
DeejayDebi, interesting info on leipäjuusto from Wikipedia. The Finnish version of the page does not mention anything about beestings (ternimaito in Finnish) and I didn't know that it is used for cheese. I haven't ever eaten leipäjuusto made from beestings. Perhaps I shall try to make some if I can afford it.
John, no need to put Finnish language for me, I prefer my desktop English :) What kind of stuff would go to Geographic Boards? Pretty quiet there overall.
riha, yep quieter than I expected on the Geographic Boards, they are just in acse you have anything local, then again I think you are the only Finn here!
Another Finn reporting here. Nice to see there's another one around!
Quote from: riha on July 22, 2009, 08:35:59 PM
Hello all!
Mold-ripened cheeses would be awesome too, but I'm afraid to get started since I don't have a cave of any kind, just my over-stuffed fridge.
So greetings everybody!
--Jari Haavisto
Wellcome Jari,
Don't worry about the cave. You can alter an old fridge (or a new one ;)) into a perfect cave. You need an external thermostat through it you connect the fridge. About humidity, there are plenty of solutions. You can put some plastic box or anything else filled with water, the bigger the surface area, the better, or hang a kitchen towel dipped in a water tank. I went one step further, I bought a second hand ultrasonic cold vapor device, the kind used in baby's' rooms. Connected it through a 24 hour cycle timer, it works 15 minutes, rests 30 minutes on medium intensity. To control temp and humidity, you'll need a temp and humidity meter, it costs about $10 at www.dealextreme.com (//http://), shipping free all over the world.
Welcome Jari- glad to see that you can get fresh milk in Finland also. I don't know what kinds of hard cheese you are going to make. I will suggest to you that you do have options other than waxing. You can do a natural rind of different types, and also you can bandage the wheel to age. Search in the forum here for those subjects. A lot is up to your personal likes as to how you will age the wheels you make.
After some light emailing Homestead Farm Supplies delivered what they promised and all is good. I have 1,5 kilos of cheese wax so I won't be running out any time soon. But I would like to try some other methods as well. Especially bandaging.
As for the cave, I have not found a thermostat that'd work with local 230V electric systems. Plus the darn things are expensive (more expensive than used fridges). I'm working on a zero budget being only part-time employed. Luckily I noticed that my cold basement is about 9.5 to 10 degrees celsius (50F) so I use that at the moment. I have a humidometer/thermometer that was cheap enough and some plastic boxes to get the humidity higher. So looking good.
Also, I just got my press finished. Pictures to come soon!
Zoey, hello, good to hear I'm not alone. We are going to have to teach these people how to make leipäjuusto and munajuusto, yes?
Quote from: riha on August 26, 2009, 11:50:28 PM
After some light emailing Homestead Farm Supplies delivered what they promised and all is good. I have 1,5 kilos of cheese wax so I won't be running out any time soon. But I would like to try some other methods as well. Especially bandaging.
You can recycle used wax, 1.5 kilos will keep for ages :)
The temp in your basement is good, there are cheeses that will not develope flavors (because of the type of culture and making) in the 4 deg home fridge.
I wish you to find some full time job.
Quote from: riha on July 25, 2009, 11:29:41 PM
Thanks for the tip Aquarabbit. I had checked NEC already, but I'm still searching for cheaper postage. 2 pounds of wax costs $11 and the postage is $20 which is a bit bad ratio. I already ordered some from Homestead Farm Supplies (UK) but they frankly f**ked me with the delivery. Excuse the language, I'm pretty angry with them. Aftermath is still on.
There seemed to be a leipäjuusto recipe on NEC website, but it's a bit weird since it uses cornstarch and sugar. Neither is used in traditional Finnish version as far as I know. I'll try to get some photos and put up a decent recipe next time I'm making some. There's one on my blog, but it's in Finnish :) It's pretty simple cheese to do and edible immediately so it's also very rewarding.
DeejayDebi, interesting info on leipäjuusto from Wikipedia. The Finnish version of the page does not mention anything about beestings (ternimaito in Finnish) and I didn't know that it is used for cheese. I haven't ever eaten leipäjuusto made from beestings. Perhaps I shall try to make some if I can afford it.
John, no need to put Finnish language for me, I prefer my desktop English :) What kind of stuff would go to Geographic Boards? Pretty quiet there overall.
Hi
Just saw this and thought Id try and clear up some confusion, Leipäjuusto is made from beestings/beastings its an old english word for colostrum which is ternimaito ; )
Ah ... not bee stings. It did sound rather difficult to obtain and I am alergic to bee-stings. Sometimes you get interesting translations don't you? ;D
Still more about leipäjuusto :)
All the leipäjuusto I have eaten has been made out of regular milk. I don't think any commercial brand is made out of colostrum / beestings / ternimaito. Simple reason being that it's so bloody expensive because it's so difficult to come by. Costs about 10 euros per liter, which would make the cheese something like 100euros/kilo. And I don't think there'd be much buyers with that price.
I make leipäjuusto out of regular shop-bought milk (1,5-3,5%) or fresh milk, using rennet. Also all the traditional recipes I have seen have used regular milk. Uunijuusto (Oven cheese) is often made out of colostrum, but it's completely different cheese.
I believe Finns didn't use rennet extracts before the german cheeses came to Finland in the 19th century. That's why traditional Finnish cheese is usually made with ingredients that coagulate without the help of rennet.
See riha's Munajuusto / egg cheese for example. This is the same thing with Leipäjuusto, which is traditionally made out of colostrum since colostrum coagulates by itself. Colostrum was actually historically called juustomaito or "cheese milk" in many parts of finland.
I'm not sure what actually qualifies as cheese, but to us Finns traditional cheese is fresh, baked with dark spots or just matted without baking, and does rarely include any added rennet.
Thanks Zoey, that helps explain things, I was wondering why so many different fresh cheeses from Finland.
Ah, we are getting to one of my favorite topics, the definition of tradition ;D (I am a folk dance teacher by profession, so excuse me. I usually don't discuss about the tradition of cooking though.)
I had wondered about this rennet thing, since using it didn't seem to fit into the rural image of pre-independent times of Finland (we became independent in 1917). Where's that info from, I'd love to read a bit more about the history of food culture in Finland.
Even considering the late arrival of rennet, I'd still say that a recipe that people have used all over the country for over a hundred years, is traditional. It has no specific known origin or creator and it's commonly known all around Finland.
My question is, can you make leipäjuusto without rennet, or does it become something else (something else might have been considered leipäjuusto in 18th century), like uunijuusto? I think it's good to have different terms for different kinds of cheeses in modern life no matter what they were called in the olden days. Just so we don't confuse each other.
I don't think I'll be rich enough in a while to try (with 10e/l) if this is possible, but it'd be nice to know.
Some Google fun: Pics of Leipäjuusto
http://images.google.fi/images?hl=fi&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&um=1&sa=1&q=leip%C3%A4juusto&btnG=Kuvahaku&aq=0&oq=leip%C3%A4juu (http://images.google.fi/images?hl=fi&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&um=1&sa=1&q=leip%C3%A4juusto&btnG=Kuvahaku&aq=0&oq=leip%C3%A4juu)
and Uunijuusto (oven cheese)
http://images.google.fi/images?hl=fi&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&um=1&sa=1&q=uunijuusto&btnG=Kuvahaku&aq=f&oq= (http://images.google.fi/images?hl=fi&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&um=1&sa=1&q=uunijuusto&btnG=Kuvahaku&aq=f&oq=)
Also, have any of you tried Juhannusjuusto (midsummer cheese?) that is cooked long enough to become red in color, like in this blog:
http://hannele78.vuodatus.net/blog/archive?&y=2008&m=06 (http://hannele78.vuodatus.net/blog/archive?&y=2008&m=06)
I just found a recipe in a book and am definitely not waiting until midsummer to try this one out. Also with this cheese, all the recipes seem to call for rennet, even the ones that use colostrum.
Anyway, sorry about tradition & definition attack. Comes with the profession, I'm afraid. Can't help it. I have seen a doctor and he gave me some pills to suppress them, but they don't work very well... :-X
Oh wow, where do you teach folk dancing? I used to go to some folk dancing lessons (Helsingin Pitäjän Kansantanssijat) but I'm living too far from them now, so I've had to give up dancing at least temporarily until I find a new group.
About my sources - sorry but I have little to point you to. I'm an enthusiastic collector of old cookbooks and kitchen crafts books (as they had larger scopes back then), so I've just read them and noticed what kind of recipes they include or don't include. Any books before commercial cheese making don't seem to include finnish hard (aged) cheese, even by mention or as ingredient in other recipes.
I remember reading somewhere (probably newer material) that it was forbidden in Finland to use the flesh coming from calves that were still milk-fed, so that's probably why no rennet could be produced. I understood that it's about the cruelty of butchering the calf while it's still milk-fed and a person eating that would be tainted by the cruelty.
Well, as you see, I'm obviously completely useless what comes to naming sources (hence my expression "I believe" in my last message). :)
The only thing I've found about european cheese coming to finland is discussed here:
http://www.yle.fi/java/elearning2/lesson/index.nvl?0.task=3563 (http://www.yle.fi/java/elearning2/lesson/index.nvl?0.task=3563)
I know, it's ridiculously little information, and not from a reliable source.
Also, the Q&A of museum Sarka handle this topic:
http://www.sarka.fi/kuukaudenesine.asp?yv=9&av=88&esid=2&kieli=1 (http://www.sarka.fi/kuukaudenesine.asp?yv=9&av=88&esid=2&kieli=1)
This seems to be contrary to my information, since they specifically mention rennet.
However, I don't know what to believe, because my recipes for "Kehäjuusto" mentioned there don't include rennet, but are fresh buttermilk-coagulated cheeses (with or without eggs). I wonder if their information comes from Europe anyway... maybe I should contact Sarka for more information.
Maybe it's just that rennet was very rare for the above mentioned reason... Sarka mentions that the rennet was only taken from calves that had to be put off anyway... maybe for other reasons than getting meat?
About making Leipäjuusto without rennet - doesn't colostrum include the rennet enzymes by itself, so therefore it can be used in regular cheese making without rennet? Only it tastes really really different, so it's impossible to get the same taste using milk+rennet. I would try it but also don't have the financial resources. :)
Just waiting to get my cow... :)
Beestings is a type of pudding cooked from colostrum, not the colostrum itself.
Recipe for beestings:
1 part sugar or honey
2 parts regular milk
4 parts colostrum
cinnamon or other spices to taste
Cook over a double boiler until it thickens (happens pretty fast).
I have also had some success just microwaving colostrum (without the milk) until it turns into a fluffy pudding.
Colostrum is high in albumen (not rennet), which is why it thickens so fast.
Having said all that - for my two cents' worth - colostrum is really yucky! :P I don't like it at all, even with the sugar and spices. Nowdays, I just let the baby goats have it. In fact, I don't use any milk from my animals until about a month after they give birth as it takes that long for the colostrum taste to fade completely from the milk.
Zoey, I teach all over Helsinki. All over.
Sarka website was a bit strange. It stated quite clearly that there has been rennet-cheeses and buttermilk cheeses in Finland. It'd be nice to know if there has been any cheese aging culture in Finland before modern times. They don't mention aging.
Goeatherdess, this Beestings recipe is a bit similar to Juhannusjuusto I mentioned on my earlier post. Just less cooked. I'm going to have to try that sometime.
I actually emailed Jaakko Rahola from "Raholan syötävät sanat", since he seems to know everything about Finnish cuisine (or cuisine in general). The email was in Finnish, and I find it a bit questionable to paste it over here, but I'll send you his response as a private message. Anyways, as a veeery short referate he seems to have collected some statistical info on rennet usage, and the ratio between rennet/non-rennet in traditional Finnish cheese recipes seems to be pointing highly towards non-rennet.
Also, I'm planning on buying the book "Ostnyland - Juusto-uusimaa" By Bengt Wallen. I believe this might give some at least regional answers. It seems this topic isn't widely discussed though.
I once made a recipe for "Leipäjuusto" that called for regular milk and rennet. But this sounds very different that what you are describing.