Cream cheese: what it is, nutritional information and how to use it

O cream cheese, which in Portuguese can be translated as “creamy cheese”, is a type of white cheese.

With a soft texture and slightly acidic taste, the cream cheese has a very diverse use in cooking, and can be used in both sweet and savory recipes.

It is a cheese made to be eaten fresh and generally has a higher fat content than other cheeses.

Origin of cream cheese

There are two main theories for the origin of cream chesse.

The first states that the cream cheese is an original delicacy from the United States and was created when dairy farmer William A. Lawrence (March 26, 1822 – August 12, 1890), from Chester – New York, was trying to reproduce the cheese of French origin Neufchatel.

Neufchâtel cheese (Author: Zantastik/Creative Commons)

According to this theory, in an attempt to reproduce French cheese, William made a mistake that ended up resulting in a cheese with a creamier texture than expected.

William A. Lawrence (March 26, 1822 - August 12, 1890)

However, a second story asserts that the accidental discovery theory is nothing more than a myth.

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There are reports that instructions can be found for preparing the cream cheese in 1769 newspapers and in other publications from the early 1800s.

This second theory states that William A. Lawrence was only the first to produce large quantities of the product and that this was due to the technological evolution that the dairy industry underwent during the second half of the 1800s.

as the cream cheese It is made?

O cream cheese is made through a fermentation process triggered by external microorganisms, such as bacteria Streptococcus thermophilus. This fermentation gives rise to a curd.

Preparation of curds (Source: cafuego at Foter.com/CC BY-SA)

Once ready, the curd is divided into cubes that are placed in a tissue for a period of 12 hours so that the whey can drain.

Finally, after the curd is completely drained, salt and other ingredients are added that contribute to a homogeneous texture, which can be packed right away.

Some people choose to do a kind of cream cheese homemade: line a strainer with a cloth and place a natural yoghurt over it so that all the whey drains.

Afterwards, this yogurt is placed to rest in the refrigerator for about 10 hours, thus being ready to be consumed.

There are also those who choose to do the cream cheese of kefir.

Kefir is an acidic drink resulting from a particular fermentation of milk, which results in granules called kefir grains.

Kefir grains (Authors: Saúde em dia, Douglas Medrado, Alan Costa/ Creative Commons)

differences between cream cheese and cottage cheese

The main difference between the curd and the cream cheese is in a small detail that is part of the production process.

Both in the production of the curd and in the production of the cream cheese, the milk is fermented to create a curd and to it emulsifiers and cream are added.

However, the fermentation that gives rise to the curd of the cream cheese it is made by external microorganisms.

Fermentation to make the curd is done with an enzyme called rennet, extracted from the stomach of a ruminant animal.

Nutritional information: cream cheese vs. cream cheese

With regard to nutritional information, we can also highlight some points in which the characteristics of the curd and the cream cheese diverge.

O cream cheese has a higher fat content compared to curd.

Look at the data from Inmetro (National Institute of Metrology) for 30 grams of each of the cheeses:

Serving: 30g	Total fat	Saturated fat	Fats Mono Ins	Polysat Fats	average cholesterol
cream cheese	7.7g	5.3g	2.0g	0.5g	27g
Cream cheese	4.5g	2.5 to 4g	1.2g	0.09g	18mg

Regarding the taste, the cream cheese it is slightly more acidic. The curd has a neutral pH and with it, a milder flavor.

Where to find cream cheese in Brazil?

O cream cheese it became available in practically all Brazilian supermarkets as of 1994.

Before that, cheese was only found in Brazil as an imported product, which ended up raising its price.

A large part of the Brazilian population became aware of this delicacy through dishes consumed in restaurants.

This scenario took several brands of cream cheese to establish cobranding with restaurant chains.

As a way to advertise their products, they make customers associate the brands with certain dishes.

In a famous pizzeria chain, for example, the name of one of the pizza flavors includes the name of one of the main brands of pizza. cream cheese from the market.

pizza with cream cheese

In addition to the partnership with pizzerias, some brands of cream cheese established cobranding with other types of restaurants, such as houses specializing in cheesecake and stuffed baked potato.