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Cheese from Denmark

Samsø

A Danish semi-hard to hard cheese made with a DL-starter, salted and ripened from about three weeks at 8–17 °C. It is cut from flat wheels or blocks and has a firm, ivory to yellow body with round, pea- to cherry-size holes.

Fully documentedCheese21 daysCodex standard CODEX STAN 268-1966 (revised 2007, amended 2008 and 2010; adopted in the Gulf as GSO CODEX STAN 268:2021)Family: Washed-curd cheese family (Gouda as template)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedNeither source gives a recipe or doses.
Cows' milk or buffaloes' milk, or their mixturesRaw material listed in the Codex standard; Wikipedia calls Samsø a cow's milk cheese[codex-fao2011][wp]
DL-starter culture (commercial lactic culture)The Codex permits starter cultures of harmless lactic acid and flavour-producing bacteria[sondergaard2015][codex-fao2011]
Rennet or other safe and suitable coagulating enzymesPermitted ingredient in the Codex standard[codex-fao2011]
SaltNormal-salted cheeses hold about 3.4 % NaCl in the moisture[sondergaard2015]
Startercommercial DL-starter culture

Total time across the recorded steps: 21 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
shapes, not to countLactic acid bacteria

What changes: DL-starter culture goes into the milk before it is set

Step 1 of 4
Add starter and make the curd
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

The milk is soured with a DL-starter culture and set; the sources do not give times or temperatures for this step.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

A Danish semi-hard to hard cheese made with a DL-starter, salted and ripened from about three weeks at 8–17 °C. It is cut from flat wheels or blocks and has a firm, ivory to yellow body with round, pea- to cherry-size holes. Made in 4 steps over 21 days. The longest step, ripen, takes at least 21 days (FAO and WHO 2011) and runs at 8–17 °C (FAO and WHO 2011). Salt is 3.4 % (Søndergaard L 2015). Commercial DL-starter cultures; lactic acid bacteria counts and survival were followed over 12 weeks of ripening does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 21 daysSet[codex-fao2011][sondergaard2015]Ripen
Temperature8–17 °CSet[codex-fao2011][samso-codex]Ripen
Salt3.4 %Measured[sondergaard2015]Salt

What makes this one different

A Danish ripened cheese covered by its own Codex standard, with round pea- to cherry-size holes up to about 20 mm and a short ripening of about three weeks at 8–17 °C.

Ripening
Normally from 3 weeks at 8–17 °C for cheese ready to eat
Holes
Few to plentiful, evenly spread, smooth and round, pea to cherry size, mostly up to 20 mm

Related ferments

Safety

Under the Codex standard Samsø is a hard cheese ripened from 3 weeks at 8–17 °C. The standard does not say whether the milk is heated. CDC advises people who are pregnant, 65 or older or have a weakened immune system to avoid any cheese made with raw milk.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Wikipedia says Samsø was invented in the 1870s, when the king of Denmark invited Swiss cheesemakers to teach their skill, and that it is named after the Danish island of Samsø. The Codex standard was first adopted in 1966, as C-7-1966, and revised in 2007.

  1. [samso-codex] GSO CODEX STAN 268:2021 (Codex Stan 268:2019), Samsø cheese, sections 1–2 scope and description, Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Bahrain standards storespec
  2. [codex-fao2011] FAO and WHO, Milk and Milk Products, 2nd edition, Rome 2011, Codex Standard for Samsø, CODEX STAN 268-1966 (revision 2007, amendments 2008 and 2010), pp. 120–122spec
  3. [wp] Wikipedia, Samsø cheese (outline only)wiki
  4. [sondergaard2015] Søndergaard L., Ryssel M., Svendsen C., Høier E., Andersen U., Hammershøj M., Møller J.R., Arneborg N., Jespersen L. 2015, Impact of NaCl reduction in Danish semi-hard Samsoe cheeses on proliferation and autolysis of DL-starter cultures, International Journal of Food Microbiology 213:59–70 (abstract)paper
  5. [cdc-listeria] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Listeria Infectiongov