What is Pepper Jack Cheese?
Pepper Jack is a variety of Monterey Jack cheese, which was first made by Mexican Franciscan friars at their monastery in Monterey California in the 1700s. The cheese itself has a creamy texture and melts well and is buttery and mild-tasting, but gets a spicy kick from the finely chopped jalapeno peppers that are added to the curds.
What does Pepper Jack Cheese Taste Like?
...Umami is one of five main tastes. It is savory with a depth of flavor. Umami is a taste in many foods, including meat, seafood, beans, and nuts. It is both naturally occurring and created through the specific use of ingredients to create a satisfying taste. Umami is characteristic of proteins and savory dishes.
...Spicy is a flavor that brings heat and fire to food by creating a burning sensation in the mouth or sinuses. Spicy flavors come from hot peppers, horseradish, and wasabi. Spicy adds a kick and sometimes complexity to a dish and releases endorphins, creating a mildly addictive quality.
Ingredients
...Milk is almost always sourced come from cows. Sometimes sheep, goat, yak and water buffalo milk are used. In general, store bough milk comes from a cow, unless specified otherwise. Whole milk is white, or cream colored and has a higher fat content than skim milk and therefore a creamier and richer texture and flavor. The flavor is mild and bland with a hint of savory sweetness and is satisfying, especially due to its creaminess. Milk is served as a beverage and used in a multitude of dishes both sweet and savory.
...Cheese starter is made from milk, or lab made and sold powdered or frozen. The starter is formed of healthy bacteria that quickly facilitates the process of raising the acidity levels in milk and changing it to lactic acid; a necessary aspect in cheese making. This helps the cheese to form and is used by cheese makers to aid in the process of creating their product.
...Jalapeños are a popular hot pepper with a medium-width body that is short and tapered. These peppers have a shiny thin skin and are often picked while green, and not fully mature. When jalapeños mature they turn red, as do many hot peppers. The thin green flesh of the jalapeño is crispy, with a hint of juice and very hot. Jalapeños also have a mild green flavor and contain extremely spicy seeds in their centers. The uses vary widely and jalapeños can be found in hot sauce, salsa, guacamole, cornbread and more. They are almost always used fresh or pickled.
...Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
...Enzymes are living organisms. They are found in plants and are lab made by humans. These enzymes create specific reactions and are used in food production for this purpose. For example the enzyme called papain, which comes from papaya is used as a meat tenderizer. Some enzymes break down lactose, or keep the fermentation processes stable. Enzymes are commonly sold as powder, or in tablet form.