Split these posts off from an Introduction post as useful information and would be buried and hard to find if left in Introduction Board.
Here's one for stinging nettle rennet: http://garlic-breath.blogspot.com/2008/03/stinging-nettle-rennet-works.html (http://garlic-breath.blogspot.com/2008/03/stinging-nettle-rennet-works.html)
How about this? cardo
Cardo is the popular Portuguese name for a cultivated variety of the species cynara cardunculus, a thistle-like plant. Its purple flower contains the enzyme cyprosin which is used as a non-animal rennet in cheese production. As cardo cheese is made of milk (cow, goat or sheep), cardo and salt, it is suitable for vegetarians. Cardo can be dried and stocked easily. When needed, an infusion of cardo and a little bit of water is added as rennet to the milk.
Good Luck!
Pam
Quiet a few of the portugeese recipes I am trying to translate use thisle or a vegetable rennet. The photos they show look just like the stuff that grows wild in the fields here. Purple flowers and all.
I read somewhere the other day that figs can also be used as a coagualant. Didn't say if they were any special kind of fig.
DeejayDebi
About portuguese Serra da Estrela cheese, I believe this can be useful for you:
full text pdf at: http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract/76/6/1725 (http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract/76/6/1725)
Thank you PF!