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National Grilled Cheese Day: Cheesy Goodness

It's a gouda day to melt into this savory list of vocabulary all about cheese.

Here are links to our lists in the collection: Cheesy Goodness, A Toast to Bread
17 words 1668 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

  1. au gratin
    covered with breadcrumbs or cheese and baked
    He makes soothing dishes from his midwestern upbringing like beef stew and potatoes au gratin.
    Salon
  2. enzyme
    a complex protein produced by cells that acts as a catalyst
    The other, which had its origin 749 in the United States, asserts that there are digestive enzymes—that is, unorganized or soluble ferments—inherent in the milk itself that render the casein soluble. Various
  3. feta
    a white salty Greek cheese cured in brine
    Desdemona packed his Greek lunch of feta, olives, and bread in a new American container: a brown paper bag. Middlesex: A Novel
  4. fondue
    melted cheese or chocolate into which other foods are dipped
    The appetizer arrives—a steaming Crock-Pot of bubbling cheese fondue with three types of breads and apples with tiny dipping forks. Love, Hate & Other Filters
  5. fontina
    a mild, semi-hard, light yellow cheese made from cow's milk
    Small chunks of fontina cheese stirred in at the end melt with the residual heat of the pasta and sauce, making the dish rich and creamy.
    Washington Times
  6. grate
    reduce to shreds by rubbing against a perforated surface
    The old lady listened so intently that she stopped grating the cheese. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage
  7. halloumi
    a cured white cheese made from sheep’s and goat’s milk
    If you have leftover rice, put it to good use in this crispy rice salad with halloumi and ginger-lime vinaigrette.
    The New York Times
  8. lactose
    a sugar that occurs only in milk
    E. coli can survive by feeding on two very different kinds of sugars—glucose and lactose. The Gene
  9. melt
    become or cause to become soft or liquid
    There are no lobsters like these—simply boiled, with no fancy sauces, only melted butter and lemon, they have no equals anywhere. Travels with Charley in Search of America
  10. Parmesan
    hard dry sharp-flavored Italian cheese; often grated
    He learns that one does not grate Parmesan cheese over pasta dishes containing seafood. The Namesake
  11. pasteurize
    heat food in order to kill harmful microorganisms
    Gas is used across a range of processes that most people never see—to forge steel to make cars, make glass bottles and pasteurize milk and cheese.
    The Seattle Times
  12. pecorino
    a hard, crumbly Italian cheese made from sheep’s milk
    He had ordered a salad topped with warm lambs’ tongue, a poached egg, and pecorino cheese, something she swore she would not touch but ended up eating the better part of. The Namesake
  13. processed
    subjected to a special treatment
    Around dinnertime he opened his refrigerator and discovered there was nothing to eat but three individually wrapped slices of Kraft processed cheese. Hoot
  14. quesadilla
    a tortilla that is filled with cheese and heated
    When I get back to my room twenty minutes later, I'm carrying two plates of quesadillas, perfectly browned on both sides, topped with sour cream and salsa. We Are Okay
  15. ricotta
    soft Italian cheese like cottage cheese
    Eggs may be the most universal symbol of springtime on Easter tables around the world, but, in Italy, dishes made with ricotta are also a menu mainstay.
    The New York Times
  16. wedge
    any shape that is triangular in cross section
    I sat down at the table to eat, and my mother brought out a small tureen of tomato soup, a loaf of bread, and a wedge of cheese. Prisoner B-3087
  17. whey
    the watery part of milk that separates from cheese curds
    Much of the lactose that remains is found in the whey, which gets separated from the curds toward the end of the cheesemaking process and is drained off.
    The Washington Post
Created on Mon Apr 10 16:33:48 EDT 2023 (updated Mon Feb 12 14:56:52 EST 2024)

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