Three things I didn't know about cheese

This year's festival attracted more than 30,000 people, of which I suspect round about 10,000 were students... well at least that's how it felt. They made sure that the wine stalls were packed throughout the day and definitely made a point of of getting the full value of the R15 they paid for their tasting glasses...

At the Checkers Theatre, Nataniël, Jenny Morris, Brümilda van Rensburg, Herman Lensing and Shaleen Surtie-Richards shared some culinary tips and tricks. I attended a show where Van Rensburg and Sarie's 22-year-old food editor, Lensing, gave us some excellent tips on preparing a three cheese "pof-omellet" (aka a fluffy, cheesy omelet). What a treat - the tasters, wine and the cooks.

Justifying cheesy tastings

I decided that I had to justify all my cheesy tastings by finding out if cheese has any benefits, or if it's simply a delicious, fattening treat. Lo and behold, I found three fascinating things that I never knew about cheese... and perhaps you didn't either?

1. Essential nutrients

Cheese contains a number of essential nutrients, including protein, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and vitamin B12. The major nutrients found in cheese include:

• Protein: Important for growth, development, and helping to build and repair tissues in the body. Cheeses with high amounts of protein include cheddar (reduced fat or fat free always being your healthier options), cottage cheese, goat cheese, mozzarella, ricotta cheese and Swiss cheese.
  
• Calcium: Ok at least I knew that cheese contained calcium. But, to be quite honest, I thought that was about all it contained. Calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth and for normal nerve and muscle function.
  
• Zinc: Can contribute to the structure of skin, assists in wound healing, and can also help support immune function.
  
• Phosphorus: Important for the health of bones and teeth.
  
• Vitamin A: Important for vision, maintaining a healthy skin, as well as healthy bones.
  
• Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Assists in converting energy from food for use by the body.
  
• Vitamin B12: Important for producing cells in the body e.g. red blood cells.

2. Teeth

• The nutrients in cheese can help block the build-up of acid on your teeth which can occur after eating sugary foods. Sugar is my cryptonite... so bring on the cheese!
  
• The combination of protein (casein), phosphorus and calcium in cheese reportedly helps to put minerals back into teeth.
  
• Cheese stimulates saliva which protects teeth by acting as a buffer to the acidity, and helping the teeth repair themselves.
  
• The nutrients in cheese (casein, phosphorus and calcium) play an important role in the normal structure of teeth. Who knew?

3. Lactose

Some people who do not produce enough lactase (the enzyme that breaks down and digests lactose) may have trouble digesting lactose which causes some pain and discomfort.

Well, good news is, even though cheese is made from milk, it has a low lactose content compared to other dairy foods, which means that all you lactose intolerant people out there can also have some cheese with your wine. Hooray!

During the cheese-making process, the whey component of milk (where most of the lactose content of milk is found) is removed. Cheeses such as cheddar and Swiss-styles undergo a further process called ripening, giving the cheeses their unique flavour, texture and appearance. During the ripening phase, any remaining lactose is often converted into lactic acid and other products, so little or no lactose is left in the cheese.

Fresh cheeses such as creamed cottage cheese and marscapone contain higher levels of lactose. However, most varieties of cheese are low in lactose and are generally well tolerated.

I have yet to explore Checkers' Cheese World with over 400 cheeses. So little time, so many cheeses... I'm getting off the guilt trip, feeling free to indulge... I'm doing it for my teeth.

Sources:

• www.joybauer.com
  
• www.cheesematters.com.au