Patrick Oconnell
Cheddar cheese is a natural, relatively hard cheese that originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England. The cheese gets its name from Cheddar Gorge and the market town of Cheddar, where it was historically matured in natural caves. The caves provided the ideal humidity and steady temperature for maturing the cheese. Cheddar cheese is now produced all over the world, and its style and quality vary greatly.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Origin | Village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England |
| Name | Named after Cheddar Gorge and the market town of Cheddar |
| History | References date back to the 12th century |
| Traditional Method | Made within 30 miles of Wells Cathedral |
| Modernisation | Standardised in the 1800s by Joseph Harding |
| Current Producers | Cheddar Gorge Cheese Co. |
| Traditional Producers | Three farms near Shepton Mallet and Wells |
| Texture | Relatively hard |
| Colour | Off-white or orange with added colourings |
| Taste | Sometimes sharp-tasting |
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What You'll Learn
- Cheddar cheese originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England
- The cheese was matured in the natural caves of Cheddar Gorge
- The largest producer of cheddar cheese in the US is Kraft
- The Slow Food Movement has created a Cheddar presidium, arguing that only three cheeses should be called original cheddar
- The cheese gets its name from the process of cheddaring
Cheddar cheese originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England
Cheddar cheese is a natural, hard cheese with a sharp taste and an off-white or orange colour. It originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England, where it has been produced since at least the 16th century, though references to the cheese date back to the 12th century.
The name "cheddar" comes from Cheddar Gorge and the market town of Cheddar, where the cheese was matured in the natural caves and sold to tourists. The caves provided the ideal humidity and steady temperature for maturing the cheese. The rolling Mendip hills limestone soils in the area also provided superb grazing for cows, whose milk is used to make the cheese.
The process of making cheddar cheese involves heating milk and adding rennet (enzymes from the stomachs of mammals) or an acidic substance to cause the milk solids to form into curds. The curds are then cut, formed into blocks, and stacked to allow the excess whey to drain. This stacking and drying process is known as "cheddaring" and gives cheddar its unique texture.
While cheddar cheese may have originated in the village of Cheddar, it is no longer exclusive to the region. The cheese has spread internationally, with variations of cheddar now produced all over the world. The name "cheddar" does not have a protected designation of origin, although the term "West Country Farmhouse Cheddar" is protected in the UK and EU and may only be produced in Somerset, Devon, Dorset, and Cornwall using milk sourced from those counties.
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The cheese was matured in the natural caves of Cheddar Gorge
Cheddar cheese, a natural, relatively hard cheese, originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England. The cheese gets its name from Cheddar Gorge, a picturesque location on the edge of the village, which contains a series of natural caves. These caves provided the ideal humidity and steady temperature for maturing the cheese.
The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company, the only remaining producer of cheddar cheese in the village of Cheddar, continues to mature its cheese in these caves, preserving the traditional art of cheddar-making. The process of maturing cheese in caves, known as "cheddaring", involves cutting the curds, forming them into blocks, and then turning and stacking them repeatedly. This technique, which can also be achieved through ""dry-stirring", gives cheddar its unique texture and flavour.
The caves of Cheddar Gorge have been integral to the maturation process since the cheese's origins, which date back to at least the 16th century. Some references to cheddar cheese even date back to the 12th century, with King Henry II reportedly declaring it the best cheese in Britain in 1170. Over time, the cheese became a favourite among royalty, with Queen Victoria receiving a 1000-pound wheel as a wedding gift and Charles I ensuring its exclusivity to the King's court.
The natural caves of Cheddar Gorge provided the ideal environment for maturing cheddar cheese due to their constant temperature and humidity levels. This natural refrigeration also served as a practical solution to the problem of surplus milk in the region, which was a centre of England's dairy industry since the 15th century. The caves allowed cheesemakers to transform fresh curd into cheese, extending its shelf life and facilitating its trade with tourists visiting the Gorge.
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The largest producer of cheddar cheese in the US is Kraft
Cheddar cheese, a relatively hard natural cheese, originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England. The cheese was matured in the natural caves of Cheddar Gorge, which provided the ideal humidity and temperature. The name "cheddar" is not protected under European Union or UK law, and cheddar is produced all over the world.
In the US, Kraft is the largest producer of cheddar cheese. Kraft Foods Inc. was founded by James L. Kraft and was originally a Canadian cheese company. In 1915, the company invented pasteurized processed cheese, which had a longer shelf life than conventional cheese, and about six million pounds of the product were sold to the US Army for military rations during World War I. In 1924, the company changed its name to the Kraft Cheese Company and listed on the Chicago Stock Exchange. Kraft began to consolidate the US dairy industry through acquisitions, and by 1930, it had captured 40% of the cheese market in the US, becoming the third-largest dairy company in the country.
Kraft continued to grow through product development and advertising, launching sliced processed cheese and Cheez Whiz in the 1950s. In the 1960s, the company expanded its product line further with fruit jellies, fruit preserves, marshmallows, barbecue sauces, and Kraft Singles. Kraft Foods Inc. became a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 2008 and, in 2011, announced plans to split into a North American grocery products business and a global snacks company. In 2012, Kraft Foods Inc. spun off its North American grocery business into a new company called Kraft Foods Group, Inc. In 2015, Kraft Foods Group, Inc. merged with Heinz to become Kraft Heinz, the fifth-largest food and beverage company in the world.
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The Slow Food Movement has created a Cheddar presidium, arguing that only three cheeses should be called original cheddar
The Slow Food Movement has created a Cheddar presidium, arguing that only three cheeses should be called "original cheddar". The movement's specifications require that cheddar be made in Somerset, England, using traditional methods and ingredients, such as raw milk, traditional animal rennet, and a cloth wrapping.
The name "cheddar cheese" is used internationally, but it does not have a protected designation of origin. This means that cheddar can be produced anywhere in the world, and the style and quality of cheeses labelled as cheddar can vary greatly. For example, in the United States, the state of Wisconsin produces the most cheddar cheese, and it is sold in several varieties, such as mild, medium, sharp, and extra sharp. Similarly, in Canada, cheddar cheese was once a major export, but now the country is a net importer of cheese, with most Canadian cheddar being produced in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.
On the other hand, the name "West Country Farmhouse Cheddar" has a protected designation of origin in the United Kingdom and the European Union, meaning it may only be produced in Somerset, Devon, Dorset, and Cornwall using milk sourced from those counties. This type of cheddar is made using traditional methods, such as the "cheddaring" process, where the curds are cut, formed into blocks, and then turned and stacked repeatedly to create the cheese's unique texture.
The three producers that are part of the Cheddar presidium are committed to making traditional, cloth-wrapped cheddar in Somerset, England. They argue that their cheese is the true original cheddar and that the frequent use of pasteurized milk and modern production methods have reduced the unique characteristics of cheddar made in southwest England. By continuing to make cheddar using traditional methods and ingredients, these producers are preserving the art of traditional cheddar-making in the region.
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The cheese gets its name from the process of cheddaring
The cheese gets its name from the process of "cheddaring". This process involves cutting the curds, forming them into blocks, and then turning and stacking them repeatedly, which acidifies the curd and changes its texture from crumbly lumps to a pliable, elastic curd. This gives the finished Cheddar cheese its unique texture. The name "cheddar" is not protected under European Union or UK law, and the cheese is produced all over the world.
Cheddar cheese originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England. The land around the village has been central to England's dairy industry since at least the 15th century, and the earliest references to cheddar cheese date back to 1170. Cheddar Gorge, on the edge of the village, contains caves that provided the ideal humidity and steady temperature for maturing the cheese.
During the 19th century, Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding played a key role in modernising and standardising cheddar production. He introduced new equipment, such as his "revolving breaker" for curd cutting, and developed the "Joseph Harding method", the first modern system for cheddar production based on scientific principles.
Today, only one producer of cheddar cheese, the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Co., remains in the village of Cheddar. They continue to make cheese using traditional methods, such as using unpasteurised milk from cows grazing in the local pastures and maturing the cheese in cloth for up to nine months.
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Frequently asked questions
Cheddar cheese originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England.
The process of making cheddar cheese is known as "cheddaring". During the cheese-making process, the curds are cut, formed into blocks, then turned and stacked repeatedly to drain the whey. The curds are then chopped and mixed with salt.
Traditional cheddar is made by hand using unpasteurised milk from cows grazing in the pastures surrounding Cheddar in Somerset. Modern cheddar, on the other hand, is often made using mechanised processes and pasteurised milk.
No, while the cheese originates from Cheddar, Somerset, it is now produced all over the world. The largest producer of cheddar cheese in the United States, for example, is Kraft.
