For some people, cheese is thought of as nothing more than the individually wrapped slices found in grocery stores. This type of processed cheese is usually half real cheese and half additives, like preservatives and other ingredients to maximize its gooey melting potential.

对于有些人而言，奶酪无非就是杂货店里一片片单独包装的食品。这种加工型的奶酪通常半是奶酪，半是添加剂，比如保护剂以及其他尽可能让奶酪柔软易融的成分。

But real cheese connoisseurs know the good stuff is elsewhere in the store—blocks or wheels of fancy cheese aged to perfection. But why wheels? What’s so special about a circular block of cheddar?

但是，真正的奶酪鉴赏家知道，优质的奶酪却在商店里的其他地方-成块的或轮子状的高级奶酪在岁月的沉淀下趋于完美。那么，为什么奶酪是轮子状的？圆形的切达干酪到底有哪些特别之处？

Cheese is made when bacteria convert the lactose in milk to lactic acid. An enzyme, rennet, is used to curdle the milk; the leftover curds are processed to leave clumps of casein, which is then pressed into a mold.

奶酪的制作方法是细菌将牛奶中的乳糖转化为乳酸。酶，即凝乳酶，用来使牛奶结块；未用完的凝乳被加工成块状的酪蛋白，然后被压入模具中。

The aging and ripening of cheese happens when cheese is left to absorb salt as well as molds like P. camemberti and P. candidum, which act to break down the milk proteins in the cheese and release flavor. Here's where shapes come in: If the cheese is in the shape of a wheel, the molds tend to distribute more evenly than if the cheese had edges for it to collect around. The mold moves over the surface and then downward.

当奶酪开始吸收盐和卡芒贝尔青霉菌和白青霉等霉菌时，奶酪开始变老熟化。卡芒贝尔青霉菌和白青霉的作用是分解奶酪中的牛奶蛋白并释放气味。这里是奶酪形状的由来：如果奶酪为车轮状，则其中的霉菌会比有边沿的奶酪分散地更加均匀。霉菌会移动到奶酪表面，然后向下移动 。

A cheese wheel also provides a better structure for a rind to form, which helps protect the cheese from insects, undesirable bacteria, or other contaminants. When molds (the stainless steel kind) are used, a round shape tends to hold up better to pressure than rectangles.

轮状奶酪还为外壳的形成提供了一个更加良好的结构。外壳可以保护奶酪远离昆虫、讨厌的细菌或其他污染物。当使用模具时（不锈钢类型的），圆形比长方形更容易承受压力。

Rind：某类奶酪或熏肉的外壳

Historically, European food markets used to prefer cheese wheels because it was far easier to roll a giant wheel than try to find transportation for it. Customers would then have the seller slice off the chunks they wanted.

在历史上，欧洲的食品市场更青睐于轮状奶酪，因为滚动一个巨大的轮子要比寻找适合它的交通工具更容易。客户也会请求卖家按照自己的要求切取奶酪。

So why is cheese sold in block form at all? Retail needs. Block cheese is easier to transport, stock on shelves, and may be less prone to damage during transit.

那么，为什么奶酪要按块状出售呢？零售的需要。块状的奶酪更容易运输，更易存放于货架且在转运时不容易损坏。

来源：Mental Floss

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