Vegetarian Cheese

[medtran49]

[Mod.Edit: This and the following few posts moved to form a new thread]

because cheese is not vegetarian

Why is cheese not vegetarian? I've never been corrected before when I've used it in dishes I've called vegetarian so I am really, truly, honestly curious.

 

[TastyReuben]

Why is cheese not vegetarian? I've never been corrected before when I've used it in dishes I've called vegetarian so I am really, truly, honestly curious.

I'm no expert, but I just found an explanation on the internet that technically, cheese that is made using rennet, since it comes from the lining of an animal's stomach, is not vegetarian.

 

[medtran49]

I'm no expert, but I just found an explanation on the internet that technically, cheese that is made using rennet, since it comes from the lining of an animal's stomach, is not vegetarian.

But not all cheese are made using rennet.

 

[Morning Glory]

Why is cheese not vegetarian? I've never been corrected before when I've used it in dishes I've called vegetarian so I am really, truly, honestly curious.

Only some cheese is not vegetarian. There are vegetarians who do eat all kinds of cheese (my daughter does). Arguably she is therefore not a true vegetarian.

I'm no expert, but I just found an explanation on the internet that technically, cheese that is made using rennet, since it comes from the lining of an animal's stomach, is not vegetarian.

That's correct. Not all cheese is vegetarian - but many are fine. It depends whether rennet is used or not. Classic Parmesan uses rennet, for example.

 

[TastyReuben]

But not all cheese are made using rennet.

True, that's the point of the article I was reading - if you want to truly be vegetarian, know which cheeses you can and can't eat.

 

[Mountain Cat]

There's also vegetable rennet. I ordered both types as I plan to try making my own cheeses later this winter.

 

[Mountain Cat]

There's also vegetable rennet. I ordered both types as I plan to try making my own cheeses later this winter

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Why is cheese not vegetarian? I've never been corrected before when I've used it in dishes I've called vegetarian so I am really, truly, honestly curious.

I'm no expert, but I just found an explanation on the internet that technically, cheese that is made using rennet, since it comes from the lining of an animal's stomach, is not vegetarian.

But not all cheese are made using rennet.

In this case though, both traditionally used cheeses are made with animal rennet (as are most cheeses that fall under the classification of traditional, most but not all).
There are options to make cheese using vegetable rennet (usually from a mushroom source iirc) and it is a case of checking each and every cheese to see if it is vegetarian. If it doesn't say vegetarian, it probably isn't. Over time, you just learn which ones are and which ones are not. Luckily in the UK at least, when I could still consume cheese, there was a very good selection of vegetarian cheeses to choose from. It wasn't always that way and in the 80s and early 90s it was a minefield with many everyday cheeses still using animal rennet.

Animal rennet is set of enzymes produced in the 4th stomach of calves that are young enough to still be fed milk. They need to be killed before they stop suckling in order to extract the enzymes needed.

To me, a non-vegetarian cheese is similar to making an excellent vegetable soup and then putting beef stock in it instead of vegetable stock. There are very many pitfalls to being vegetarian. Being vegan (a true vegan that is which I'm not because I still eat eggs from my own chickens and only my own chooks) is even harder.

 

[Morning Glory]

In this case though, both traditionally used cheeses are made with animal rennet (as are most cheeses that fall under the classification of traditional, most but not all).

Its difficult to know unless cheeses are labelled with ingredients. Ricotta & Mozzarella are never made with rennet - but brie can be. Mass produced cheddar is rennet free. Its pretty well impossible to list cheeses which are rennet free because it also varies according to the country of production. Its easier in the UK as most are now labelled.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Its difficult to know unless cheeses are labelled with ingredients

It's not difficult to know at all. But I'll leave it at that. i'm fed up with the conversation. But say I've been vegetarian for over 35 years. +30 of those in the UK and Europe having travelled widely since I was a teenager.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

The UK vegetarian society website is the best place for advice. Cheese | The Vegetarian Society

Which cheeses are always vegetarian?

• There are a few cheeses that do not use rennet in the cheese-making process, so are always vegetarian. These include paneer and cottage cheese.
• Artisan cheeses from specific areas, such as Cornish Yarg, which is wrapped in nettles, Colston Basset Stilton from Nottinghamshire and Lord of the Hundreds, an English ewes’ milk cheese, are always made using vegetarian rennet.
• Some British Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) cheeses are always suitable for vegetarians. They include Beacon Fell traditional Lancashire Cheese, Buxton Blue, Dorset Blue, Dovedale Blue, Orkney Scottish Island Cheddar, Single Gloucester, Staffordshire cheese, Swaledale cheese, Swaledale ewes cheese, Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop, Traditional Welsh Caerphilly and Yorkshire Wensleydale

Which cheeses are not vegetarian?

• Parmesan cheese is never vegetarian. Cheeses from a specific location need to follow a consistent recipe to be recognised as having specific names. In the case of Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Parmesan cheese, this means always using animal rennet.
• Grana Padano
• Roquefort
• Gorgonzola. You can substitute blue cheese with alternatives such as vegetarian Dolcelatte.

Mass produced cheddar is rennet free. Its pretty well impossible to list cheeses which are rennet free because it also varies according to the country of production.

That is not the case. mass produce cheddar still uses rennet. it is the source of the rennet that is important, animal or vegetable (from GMO fungal to melon rinds to one of my old favourites, Cornish Yarg which uses nettle leaves for the enzymes that are the vegetable rennet.)

HARD
A decent cheddar has to make an appearance at some point over the Christmas period, and it’s worth spending a little more to get a properly matured one with a little history behind it. West Country Farmhouse Cheddars are PDO-protected, which means they have to be made to a strict recipe in certain counties of England. While the rules don’t specify a particular rennet to use, a lot of the older dairies (such as Keen’s, Montgomery’s and Quickes) stick to their own traditional recipes, which always include animal rennet. More modern or mass-produced cheddars will be vegetarian, but if you’re buying a cloth-bound or cave-aged variety from your cheesemonger, do ask – they will know right away.

source How to Create a Vegetarian Cheeseboard - Great British Chefs

SOFT

If you’re planning to use ricotta, mascarpone or mozzarella in your cooking, don’t worry – nearly all soft, very fresh cheeses like these are made without rennet of any kind. However, it’s very likely you’ll be including a brie or a camembert on the actual cheeseboard. Again, it’s important to check the packaging – for example, Brie de Meaux will always contain animal rennet, and most French camembert also contains it. But there are plenty of British cheesemakers creating modern vegetarian varieties that are just as good (if not better) than their European counterparts

(my italics and same source).

For those in the USA, the vegetarian times has this guidance How to Buy Veg-Friendly Cheese (just remember that European does not mean British or UK.)

As a rule of thumb, be wary of fromage from across the pond. “Most European cheeses are made with animal rennet because these are age-old recipes that have always used animal rennet,” explains Ralph. In fact, according to European Union law, Parmesan must contain animal rennet in order to be called Parmigiano-Reggiano. Luckily, you can still find veg versions of Parmesan (and other European-style cheeses) made Statesid

and

(You can safely buy fresh cheeses that don’t contain rennet at all: think cream cheese and paneer.)

along with this list of cheesesSo if it is on the list, its made with vegetable rennet ordoes not require rennet. The 2020 List of Vegetarian Cheeses and Brands (Adapted from Joyous Living)
I also came across this list by manufacturer List of Vegetarian cheeses which may be of some use.

 

[Morning Glory]

That is not the case. mass produce cheddar still uses rennet.

I should have said most mass produced cheddar is animal rennet free. Certainly all the well known brands in the UK seem to be so (Cathedral City, Pilgrim's Choice etc.). The problem when shopping is that not all cheese is labelled as to whether its vegetarian. Increasingly in the UK it is, but not always.

N.B. It would be worth moving these vegetarian cheese posts to a thread of their own as they contains useful information. (Done)

 

[TastyReuben]

Usually, here in the US, if a food is vegetarian or vegan, it's labeled as such in the fine print, but that's not a requirement. I just looked at my Boar's Head Gruyere, and the ingredients lists "enzymes," and no little notation that it's suitable for vegetarian diets, so my assumption, without further research, would be that it's not suitable.

 

[Morning Glory]

Usually, here in the US, if a food is vegetarian or vegan, it's labeled as such in the fine print, but that's not a requirement. I just looked at my Boar's Head Gruyere, and the ingredients lists "enzymes," and no little notation that it's suitable for vegetarian diets, so my assumption, without further research, would be that it's not suitable.

I looked at their website and it shows this (below). I'm assuming by the symbols at the bottom of the page that it means its vegetarian. I looked at some of their other cheeses and some didn't show the symbol and some did. Not entirely sure...