Contents
Cheese diversity allows gourmets to choose a product for every taste – soft, buttery, tender, spicy, salty, mushroomy, velvety … But how can these, at first glance, mutually exclusive epithets refer to one type of cheese? Yes, if we are talking about Cambozole, a cheese that has been produced by the German company Kaserei Champignon since 1980.
Cambozola was “born” from a combination of two famous cheeses with mold – Camembert and Gorgonzola, and even got the name corresponding, consonant with the names of its predecessors. Camembert is a product with a creamy taste and soft structure, covered with a white crust with mold, while Gorgonzola is famous for its blue mold and sharp, sharp taste. Cambozola took the best taste qualities from them, combining them in one product, which is a success today. It can be found on the shelves of supermarkets and specialty cheese shops. It even has cheese counterparts: Blue Bavaria German, and French Bree de Bless. However, the name “Cambozola” is only a product produced at the Mushroom factory – it was this company that invented the manufacturing technology and filed a patent for its production.
History and theory of production
The first cheese very similar to Cambozola was Blue Bavaria, which the Champignon company began to prepare at the beginning of the 20th century. That first “prototype” differed in taste from the cheese of today, which captivated consumers around the world, and today it is produced as a separate product and brand. However, a start was made – in the 1970s, Kaserei Champignon developed a recipe and technology for making Cambozola cheese, patented them, and in the 80s they began to win the hearts of customers with a new product that combines such different facets of taste.
High-fat cow’s milk is used to make cheese, as well as salt, rennet, mold cultures and cream. Thanks to the latter, the product gets a gentle soft aftertaste, a bit like the taste of butter. Noble blue mold is injected into the body of the cheese head with metal needles, so small punctures can be seen on the crust.
Types of Cambozola cheese
The original product is the one that is prepared from raw materials with a fat content of 41% (in a dry product, about 70% fat content). This variety is called classic. There are other types of cheese that are less fatty and even slightly exotic. For example, Noir Grand is aged longer than the classic version, in addition, the cheese heads are coated with black wax and kept at low temperatures – as a result, the product gets a darker, grayish crust, spicy taste and creamy texture.
For those gourmets who find 70% fat too much, there is a lighter version of the product called Balance. Cambozola with the addition of garlic is called finesse. Another variety, which is made from Cambozola and yogurt, has the consistency of cream cheese, smeared and rather than cut, is cream.
Taste characteristics, nutritional value, use in cooking
The product is considered dessert, it has a creamy velvety texture, creamy aroma and aftertaste. Blue mold heads give it a sharpness and salinity. White or gray crust has a slight mushroom flavor and smell. For those who would like to get closer to blue cheeses, it is probably best to start with Cambozola, as it has a more delicate flavor palette, not as sharp and savory as Gorgonzola. The body of the cheese head has a color from ivory to light yellow, with blue streaks of mold, the crust is light – white or grayish. Slightly spicy smell, but gentle cream is felt in it.
100 g of cheese contains 13,5 g of proteins, 0,5 g of carbohydrates and approximately 43 g of fat – this figure depends on the type chosen.
The calorie content of the product is 427 kcal per 100 g.
Those who want to fully experience the taste of Cambozola should take it out of the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes before serving. After lying at room temperature, the taste of the cheese will open up and be more expressive.
The product is a completely independent dish, it is often used as part of a cheese plate. It goes well in snacks with pears, dried fruits, melons, grapes, nuts, honey. It would be appropriate to decorate the dish with mint, which successfully sets off the aftertaste of cheese. From alcohol to it, it is better to choose dry wine. Drizzled with warmed fruit syrup, the cheese becomes a complete dessert. In addition, it is sometimes added to salads instead of varieties like dorblu, sandwiches are made with cheese, sauces for pasta and meat, and roasts.
Recipes using Cambozola cheese
The product is not a typical inhabitant of refrigerators, however, in addition to delicious recipes for snacks and desserts, it is also added to simpler everyday dishes, and it only benefits from such a neighborhood.
For potato casserole with Cambozola take:
- 6 medium-sized potatoes;
- 300 ml of milk;
- 200 g cheese;
- 2 chicken eggs;
- salt and butter to taste.
Potatoes are washed, peeled and cut into thin circles or slices. For these purposes, you can use, for example, a food processor or a special grater. The crust is removed from the cheese and cut into small slices, the cheese itself is cut into thin rectangular pieces. The baking dish must first be greased with butter, after which the potatoes and cheese are laid in layers in turn: a quarter of the potato slices first, then a quarter of the chopped cheese, and so on. The last layer should be cheese. Prepare the Filling by whisking milk with eggs and salt. It is important not to oversalt it, as the cheese itself is quite salty. Products in the form are poured with a mixture, the form is closed with foil and put in the oven for 30 minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees. After that, the foil is removed, and the dish takes another 10 minutes in the oven. The readiness of potatoes can be checked with a knife or a toothpick.
The fact that Cambozola cheese goes well with fruits and nuts has given rise to many recipes for various salads with these ingredients.
For fig salad with Cambozola you need:
- 2 ripe figs;
- leaf salad;
- 50 g cheese;
- handful of pine nuts;
- lemon juice;
- 1 teaspoon of flower honey;
- 2 tablespoons of nut butter.
Nuts should be toasted in a dry frying pan. The figs are peeled and cut into pieces, the cheese is cut into slices. The dressing is made from oil, lemon juice and honey. The dish is laid out on lettuce leaves and seasoned before serving.
The meat sauce recipe consists of just a few ingredients: cheese, cream, vodka. 200 g of chopped cheese is poured into the pan, 150 g of low-fat cream is poured. After the mixture becomes homogeneous, add 20 g of vodka there, bring to a boil and keep on low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Pre-cooked and fried portioned pieces of meat are added to the sauce and stewed in it for two minutes. Pork, turkey and beef go well with this sauce.
Product benefits and disadvantages
Cheese contains a large amount of calcium and phosphorus, so its use has a positive effect on the condition of the skin, nails and hair. B vitamins, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, iron are useful for the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Vitamins A, E, D and valuable amino acids help to strengthen the immune system and body resistance. A large amount of protein allows small amounts to be introduced into the diet of athletes.
However, the product is high in calories, so its use by overweight people is undesirable. It can also be used with caution for those who suffer from individual intolerance to dairy products. According to the manufacturer, the product does not contain lactose.
The German cheese Cambozola, which in the process of cooking acquires two types of mold at once, is highly valued by gourmets. It has an unusual taste, vaguely reminiscent of both Camembert and Gorgonzola. Soft creamy texture allows you to combine it with fruits, nuts, make new recipes for snacks and sauces from it. Piquancy and sharpness of the product and dishes from it is added by blue mold with a characteristic aftertaste and smell. It is thanks to an unusual and original combination that this type of cheese has gained popularity not only in its homeland in Germany, but throughout the world.