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Cheddar cheese is a hard, smooth-textured cheese that is usually made from cow's milk and comes in shades of white, yellow, or orange. It is the most popular cheese in the UK and the second most popular in the US. Cheddar cheese gets its name from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England, where it was first made. The cheese is known to have a flavour that ranges from mild to sharp or strong as it matures.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Texture | Hard, smooth |
| Colour | White, yellow, orange |
| Flavour | Mild to strong/sharp |
| Country of origin | England |
| Region | Somerset |
| Village | Cheddar |
| Year first recorded | 1655-1665 |
| Popularity in the UK | 51% of the country's annual cheese market |
| Popularity in the US | Second most popular cheese |
| Average annual consumption in the US | 10 lb (4.5 kg) per capita |
| Yearly production in the US (2014) | 3,000,000,000 lb |
| Yearly production in the UK (2008) | 258,000 long tons |
| Type of milk used | Cow's milk |
| Type of curds used | Rennet (enzyme from newborn calves) or chymosin (vegetarian/kosher) |
| Additional production step | "Cheddaring" (kneading curd with salt, cutting into cubes to drain whey) |
| Key figure in modernisation | Joseph Harding ("the father of cheddar") |
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What You'll Learn
- Characteristics: hard, white, yellow or orange, with a flavour that ranges from mild to strong
- Origins: from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England
- Popularity: the most popular cheese in the UK and the world
- Production: made from cow's milk, with an additional cheddaring step in the process
- History: standardised by Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding in the 19th century
Characteristics: hard, white, yellow or orange, with a flavour that ranges from mild to strong
Cheddar cheese is a hard, smooth-textured cheese that is typically made from cow's milk. It is named after the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England, where it was first made. The cheese is known for its characteristic white, yellow, or orange colour, which can range from a pale yellow in the UK to orange-yellow in other parts of the world. The colour of supermarket cheddars is sometimes altered to meet consumer expectations.
The flavour of cheddar cheese can vary from mild to strong, depending on the maturity of the cheese. Strong, extra-mature cheddar, sometimes called vintage, is typically matured for 15 months or more. During maturation, the cheese is kept at a constant temperature, often requiring special facilities such as caves, which provide the ideal humidity and temperature for the cheese to develop its full flavour.
Cheddar cheese is one of the most popular types of cheese globally, with high consumption in the UK, the US, and other countries. It has a rich history, with the 19th-century Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding playing a crucial role in its modernisation and standardisation. Harding introduced new equipment and techniques, including his "revolving breaker" for curd cutting, which improved the cheese-making process.
The "Joseph Harding method" became the first modern system for cheddar production based on scientific principles. Harding's description of the ideal quality of classical Somerset cheddar is worth noting: "close and firm in texture, yet mellow in character or quality; it is rich with a tendency to melt in the mouth, the flavour full and fine, approaching that of a hazelnut."
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Origins: from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England
Cheddar cheese originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England. The cheese gets its name from this village, which is located near Cheddar Gorge, a pass through the Mendip Hills. The gorge's caves provided the ideal humidity and steady temperature for maturing the cheese. In fact, the original Somerset cheddar was described by Joseph Harding in 1864 as having a "close and firm texture, yet [is] mellow in character or quality; it is rich with a tendency to melt in the mouth, the flavour full and fine, approaching that of a hazelnut".
Cheddar cheese has a long history in England, dating back to at least the 17th century when it was first recorded. The cheese was traditionally made within 30 miles of Wells Cathedral. During the Second World War and the decade following, most milk in Britain was used to make a single kind of cheese nicknamed "government cheddar" due to war economy and rationing. This led to the decline of other cheese production in the country, with fewer than 100 cheese producers remaining after the war.
In the 19th century, Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding played a crucial role in modernising and standardising cheddar cheese production. He introduced new equipment, such as his "revolving breaker" for curd cutting, which saved a lot of manual effort. Harding also promoted dairy hygiene and voluntarily shared modern cheese-making techniques. His contributions earned him the title of "the father of cheddar". Harding and his wife introduced cheddar to Scotland and North America, while his sons brought cheddar cheese production to Australia and New Zealand.
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Popularity: the most popular cheese in the UK and the world
Cheddar cheese is the most popular cheese in the UK, accounting for 51% of the country's £1.9 billion annual cheese market. It is also the second most popular cheese in the United States, with an average annual consumption of 10 lbs (4.5 kg) per capita, behind mozzarella. In 2014, the US produced approximately 3,000,000,000 lbs (1,300,000 long tons; 1,400,000 tonnes) of cheddar, while the UK produced 258,000 long tons (262,000 tonnes) in 2008.
Cheddar cheese is a hard, smooth-textured cheese, usually made from cow's milk, and its colour ranges from white to deep yellow, or orange. The flavour of cheddar varies from mild to sharp as it ages, with strong or extra-mature cheddars needing to be matured for 15 months or more. The cheese is kept at a constant temperature, often requiring special facilities, and some versions are smoked.
Cheddar cheese is thought to originate from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England, where the cheese was first made. Cheddar Gorge, on the edge of the village, contains several caves that provided the ideal humidity and steady temperature for maturing the cheese. Cheddar cheese was traditionally made within 30 miles (48 km) of Wells Cathedral.
The Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding is known as the "father of cheddar" for his contributions to modernising and standardising cheddar cheese production in the 19th century. Harding introduced new equipment to the cheese-making process, such as his "revolving breaker" for curd cutting, and his methods were based on scientific principles. He and his wife introduced cheddar to Scotland and North America, while his sons facilitated the establishment of the cheese industry in Australia, New Zealand, and other countries.
During the Second World War and the decade following, most of the milk in Britain was used to make a single type of cheese nicknamed "government cheddar" due to war economy and rationing measures. This led to a decline in the production of other types of cheese in the country, with fewer than 100 cheese producers remaining after the war. The popularity of cheddar cheese in the UK and worldwide can be attributed to its versatile flavour, ranging from mild to sharp, and its suitability for a variety of dishes, from grilled cheese sandwiches to casseroles and pasta.
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Production: made from cow's milk, with an additional cheddaring step in the process
Cheddar cheese is a hard, smooth-textured cheese, typically made from cow's milk. The colour of cheddar cheese varies from white to deep yellow, and its flavour ranges from mild to sharp as it matures. The production of cheddar involves an additional step called "cheddaring", which is where the name comes from.
Cheddar cheese is made from cow's milk, with the specific type of milk varying depending on the desired outcome. Traditionally, cheddar was made using whole milk, but modern cheddars often use a mixture of whole and skimmed milk to create a lower-fat product. During production, the milk is typically pasteurised and then mixed with a bacterial culture and rennet, an enzyme that coagulates the milk, separating it into curds and whey.
The curds are then cut and stirred, and the mixture is heated to around 38-40°C. This step is crucial in the cheddaring process, as it helps to firm up the curds and prepare them for the next steps. After heating, the curds are ready for the cheddaring step.
The cheddaring step is unique to the production of cheddar cheese and involves several specific processes. First, the warm curds are kneaded with salt, which helps to extract more whey from the curds. The curds are then cut into large cubes and stacked on top of each other to form a block. This stacking process helps to drain even more whey from the curds and also encourages the curds to knit together, forming a solid mass.
The stacked curds are then cut into smaller cubes and placed back into the vat, where they are mixed with additional salt and any desired flavourings or additives. This mixture is then pressed into moulds or blocks to form the final shape of the cheese. The cheese is then typically aged or matured for several months to develop its characteristic flavour and texture.
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History: standardised by Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding in the 19th century
Cheddar cheese, which originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England, was standardised by Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding in the 19th century. The cheese was traditionally made within 30 miles (48 km) of Wells Cathedral.
Harding, who has been dubbed "the father of cheddar", introduced new equipment to the cheese-making process, including his "revolving breaker" for curd cutting. This equipment saved a lot of manual effort in the cheese-making process. The "Joseph Harding method" was the first modern system for cheddar production based on scientific principles. Harding stated that cheddar cheese is "not made in the field, nor in the byre, nor even in the cow, it is made in the dairy".
Harding and his wife introduced cheddar to Scotland and North America, while his sons Henry and William Harding were responsible for introducing cheddar cheese production to Australia and facilitating the establishment of the cheese industry in New Zealand, respectively.
In 1864, Harding described the ideal quality of the original Somerset cheddar as "close and firm in texture, yet mellow in character or quality; it is rich with a tendency to melt in the mouth, the flavour full and fine, approaching that of a hazelnut".
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Frequently asked questions
Cheddar cheese is a hard, smooth-textured cheese, usually made from cow's milk. It ranges in colour from white to deep yellow and in flavour from mild to sharp as it matures.
Cheddar cheese is named after the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England, where the cheese was first made.
During the manufacture of cheddar, the curds and whey are separated using rennet, an enzyme complex normally produced from the stomachs of newborn calves. In vegetarian or kosher cheeses, bacterial, yeast or mould-derived chymosin is used. "Cheddaring" is an additional step in the production of cheddar cheese where, after heating, the curd is kneaded with salt, cut into cubes to drain the whey.
