I was eating this cashew cheese at a farmers market (it was delicious btw) and it made me think, wtf even is cheese? From a couple articles I found
Fundamentally, cheese is a concentrated source of fat and protein derived from a liquid base, structured into a semi-solid or solid form through a process called coagulation.
While we traditionally think of cow's, goat's, or sheep's milk, the "cheese" label applies to any food that replicates this specific structural transformation, regardless of the starting ingredient. Here is the breakdown of what makes something cheese at its core:
- The Core Mechanism: Coagulation
The defining characteristic of cheese is not the source (milk vs. nuts), but the method. To turn a liquid into a cheese-like solid, you must separate the solids (curds) from the liquid (whey).
In Dairy: You add an acid (like lemon juice or vinegar) or enzymes (rennet) to milk. This causes the casein proteins to denature and clump together, trapping milk fats within the matrix.
In Plant-Based (Cashew, Soy, Almond): Since there are no caseins or lactose, you usually rely on mechanical processing (blending soaked nuts into a paste) combined with fermentation or the addition of thickeners (like agar, tapioca starch, or nutritional yeast) to mimic that curdled texture.
- The Biological Component: Fermentation
Traditional cheese relies heavily on microbiology. Bacteria and fungi are added to the curds to:
Convert lactose into lactic acid (preserving the cheese and adding tang).
Break down proteins and fats over time (ripening/aging), creating complex flavor compounds (umami, nuttiness, sharpness).
In vegan cheeses, this step is often simulated using cultured nuts (fermenting cashews with live bacteria cultures) or by adding flavorings like miso or yeast extracts to mimic that aged profile.
- The Structural Matrix
At a chemical level, cheese is an emulsion and a colloid.
It is a network where fat globules are suspended in a continuous protein matrix.
When you eat dairy cheese, your saliva and body heat melt the fat and break the protein bonds.
When you eat a cashew "cheese," the structure is held together by the natural oils in the nut and the gelatinization of any added starches or gums, aiming to replicate that same melting or spreading behavior.
Summary: What defines it?
If you strip away the cultural association with cows, "cheese" is simply:
A base (milk, nuts, soy, coconuts).
A flocculation agent (acid, enzyme, or mechanical separation) to create solids.
A flavor development phase (fermentation, aging, or curing).
A texture modifier to achieve a specific mouthfeel.
So, a cashew block fermented with lactic acid bacteria and salted is technically functioning as cheese because it has undergone the same fundamental physical and biological transformations as a wheel of cheddar, just using different building blocks. It is a functional food category defined by texture and production method rather than strict ingredients.
