Milbenkäse
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2008-07-05T12:51:49Z
ProhibitOnions
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Nice job -- think we can remove the stub tag now...
[[Image:Milbenkäse.jpg|thumb|A wheel of young ''Milbenkäse'']]
'''''Milbenkäse''''' ("[[mite]] cheese"), called '''''Mellnkase'''''<!-- no umlaut --> in the local dialect and often (erroneously) known as '''''Spinnenkäse''''' ("[[spider]] cheese"), is a [[Germany|German]] specialty [[cheese]]. Today it is produced exclusively in the village of [[Würchwitz]], in the [[States of Germany|state]] of [[Saxony-Anhalt]]; historically it was known in the Saxony-Anhalt/[[Thuringia]] border region of [[Zeitz]] and [[Altenburg]] districts. The tradition, which dates back to the [[Middle Ages]], was nearly lost by 1970, with only the elderly Liesbeth Brauer knowing the technique. Local science teacher Helmut Pöschel was taught the proper way to make ''Milbenkäse'' and together with his associate Christian Schmelzer managed to revitalize the tradition. A memorial was later erected at Würchwitz to celebrate the renaissance of ''Milbenkäse'' production. The rear side of the memorial is hollow and is regularly stocked with small bits of ''Milbenkäse'' for passerbys and tourists to try.
[[Image:Milbenkäse02.jpg|thumb|left|Aged ''Milbenkäse''; the tiny yellow "crumbs" on the rind are the actual mites.]]
[[Image:Käsemilben-Denkmal.jpg|thumb|right|The [[cheese mite]] memorial of [[Würchwitz]] contains samples of ''Milbenkäse'' that passerbys can eat]]
[[Quark (cheese)|Quark]] flavoured with [[salt]] and [[caraway]] is shaped into small balls, cylinders or wheels, and dried. Then it is placed in a wooden box contianing [[rye]] [[flour]] and inhabited by ''[[Tyroglyphus casei]]'' [[cheese mite]]s for at least three months. The [[digestive juice]]s of the [[mite]]s diffuse into the cheese and cause [[fermentation (food)|fermentation]]; the flour is added because the mites would otherwise simply eat the whole cheese instead of just nibbling away at the crust as is desired. After one month, the cheese rind turns yellow, after three months reddish-brown. Some producers, however, allow the cheese to ripen for up to one year, until it has turned black. The taste is said to be similar to that of [[Harzer]] cheese, but with a bitter note (increasing with age) and with a distinctive zesty aftertaste. Mites clinging to the cheese rind are also consumed.
''Milbenkäse'' falls into something of a [[law|legal]] [[grey area]]: [[EC Regulation]] 178/2002 Article 2(b) allows the sale of foodstuffs containing living animals if they are "prepared for placing on the market for human consumption"[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32002R0178:EN:HTML]. On the other hand, cheese mites or their digestive juices are not explicitly permitted as [[Food additive|additive]]s for cheese according to the relevant German food [[ordinance]]s (''Zusatzstoff-Zulassungsverordnung'' and ''Käseverordnung''). ''Milbenkäse'' is produced under a permit by the local [[food safety]] office and [[Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points|HACCP]] compliance of the product is enforced.
''Milbenkäse'' is reputed to be beneficial for [[digestion]]; there are also claims that it can ease [[House dust mite]] [[allergies]]. This has not been studied yet (mainly due to the novelty of the cheese and the paucity of data), though it is [[Desensitization (medicine)|plausible]] - house dust mites and cheese mites being both members of the [[order (biology)|order]] [[Astigmata]] of [[Sarcoptiformes|sarcoptiform]] mites, they are probably not too distantly related [[immunological]]ly. Also, prolonged exposure to large quantities of cheese mites (as well as to the closely related [[flour mite]], ''[[Acarus siro]]'') occasionally causes a mild allergic reaction, the skin [[irritation]] known as "grocer's itch" or "baker's itch", showing that these [[species]] produce significant [[allergen]]s too, though weaker ones than those of house dust mites as it seems.
==Similar cheeses==
Cheese mites are used in cheese maturing elsewhere. The most famous example is probably [[Mimolette]] from northeeastern [[France]] and nearby [[Belgium]]. Other French cheeses - mainly from the [[Massif Central]], the [[French Alps]] and the [[Pyrenees]] - sometimes host cheese mites in their crust more (e.g. old [[Cantal (cheese)|Cantal]] and [[Salers (cheese)|Salers]]) or less (e.g. certain [[Tomme cheese|Tomme de Montagne]] varieties) by accident. But most of these cheeses are [[Cheese#Classed_by_texture|semi-hard to hard]] [[rennet]] cheeses, whereas ''Milbenkäse'' is a softer [[sour milk cheese]].
The Spanish [[Cabrales cheese]] of the [[Oviedo]] region also contains living cheese mites, though they are few in number, inhabit the [[mold]] canals, and take no significant part in the maturation of this [[blue cheese]].
==See also==
*[[Casu marzu]]
==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
:''This article draws heavily on the [[:de:Milbenkäse|corresponding article]] in the German-language Wikipedia.''
* [http://www.milbenkaese.de/ German language site about mite cheese]
* [http://www.icook.de/wissen/magazin/details.php4?art=354 German language article on mite cheese]
[[Category:German cheeses]]
[[de:Milbenkäse]]
[[es:Milbenkäse]]
[[lb:Milbekéis]]