cheese and vegetarians

[kinnip]

I try to cook meat free a couple times a week, so I spend some time perusing vegetarian sites. I'm amazed by the number of vegetarians who eat hard cheeses. They spend so much time avoiding things like gelatin, but don't seem to realize that most cheeses are made with animal rennet from the lining of a calf's stomach.

 

[ChickenTender63]

That's what I use to make my cheese. And it sure does a fine job with it also, but then I am a meat lover as well.

 

[meriruka]

I only eat cheese made with vegetable rennet. I think they are also called "microbial enzymes". Brands that uses veg. rennet for Parmesan are Bel Gioioso and Horizon Organic. I think most vegetarians aren't aware what animal rennet actually is.......

Here's a good site: http://cheese.joyousliving.com/CheeseListType.aspx

 

[patandchickens]

I could certainly be wrong (I'm not vegetarian so have never really stressed out over researching it in depth) but I was sorta under the impression that most cheeses nowadays were made with vegetable rennet (which is sort of a misnomer as these days I think most 'vegetable' rennet is actually from microbial cultures).

Certainly calf/kid stomachs are by no means the only source of rennet.

Pat

 

[kinnip]

There is vegetable rennet available, but it doesn't work as well as animal rennet. Bel Gioioso makes both an animal rennet parm and a veg rennet parm.