Frederic Melton
American cheese is a type of processed cheese made from cheddar, Colby, or similar cheeses, in conjunction with sodium citrate. The first American cheeses were produced in the 1600s when pilgrims brought established recipes like Cheddar from Europe. By 1790, American-made Cheddar was being exported back to England, although it was labelled as inferior or 'American cheese' by competitors. The term 'American cheese' rapidly began to refer to the processed variety instead of the traditional but more expensive cheddars also made and sold in the U.S.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First American cheeses produced | 1600s |
| First American-made Cheddar exported to England | 1790 |
| Earliest use of the term 'American cheese' | 1801 |
| Processed American cheese invented | 1910s |
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What You'll Learn
- The first American cheeses were produced in the 1600s, when pilgrims brought recipes like Cheddar from Europe
- By 1790, American-made Cheddar was being exported back to England, but was labelled as inferior
- In 1911, Walter Gerber and Fritz Stettler developed the world's first processed cheese in Switzerland
- James Lewis Kraft, a Canadian-born former grocery clerk, began marketing his own processed cheese in the late 1910s
- The term 'American cheese' began to refer to the processed variety, rather than traditional cheddars
The first American cheeses were produced in the 1600s, when pilgrims brought recipes like Cheddar from Europe
In the early 20th century, James L. Kraft, a Canadian-born former grocery clerk turned aspiring cheese wholesaler, developed a new method for manufacturing processed cheese. He patented the process in 1916 and began marketing it in the late 1910s. Kraft's method involved melting together various cheddar pieces to 175 degrees for 15 minutes, whisking throughout. This research into more shelf-stable cheeses meant that the term 'American cheese' rapidly began to refer to the processed variety instead of the traditional but more expensive cheddars also made and sold in the US.
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By 1790, American-made Cheddar was being exported back to England, but was labelled as inferior
The first American cheeses were produced in the 1600s when pilgrims brought established recipes like Cheddar from Europe. Originally, cheeses were made for home consumption. Later, the sturdiest specimens (mainly Cheddar) began to be sold at market. By 1790, American-made Cheddar was being exported back to England, but was labelled as inferior. The English were afraid of new competition, so they labelled it as "American Cheese" and deemed it inferior. This began the trend of shunning American cheeses in the old world.
The term "American cheese" now refers to the processed variety instead of the traditional but more expensive cheddars also made and sold in the U.S. Traditional cheese is ground, combined with emulsifying agents and other ingredients, mixed and heated until it forms a melted homogeneous mixture.
Processed American cheese was invented in the 1910s by James L. Kraft, the founder of Kraft Foods Inc. Kraft patented his manufacturing process in 1916. However, the first step in transforming American cheese into the distinct entity it is today can be traced back to Switzerland in 1911, when Walter Gerber and Fritz Stettler developed the world's first processed cheese by shredding Emmentaler cheese and heating it with sodium citrate into a firm, unified substance upon its cooling.
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In 1911, Walter Gerber and Fritz Stettler developed the world's first processed cheese in Switzerland
The first American cheeses were produced in the 1600s when pilgrims brought established recipes like Cheddar from Europe. However, the term 'American cheese' began to be used to refer to a specific type of processed cheese in the 1910s, when James L. Kraft developed and patented a new method for manufacturing it.
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James Lewis Kraft, a Canadian-born former grocery clerk, began marketing his own processed cheese in the late 1910s
Kraft's processed cheese was cheaper than traditional cheddars also made and sold in the US. It rapidly began to be referred to as 'American cheese', a term that had previously been used to describe traditional American-made cheddars, which were considered inferior to their European counterparts.
European colonists were making cheese in America almost as soon as they arrived. By 1790, American-made Cheddar was being exported back to England, albeit labelled as inferior or 'American cheese' by competitors. The earliest use of the term 'American cheese' in print was from August 1801 in 'The Evening Post'.
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The term 'American cheese' began to refer to the processed variety, rather than traditional cheddars
The first American cheeses were produced in the 1600s when pilgrims brought established recipes like cheddar from Europe. However, the term 'American cheese' began to be used in the late 1910s to refer to a processed variety of cheese, rather than traditional cheddars. This was due to James L. Kraft, the founder of Kraft Foods Inc., who patented a new method for manufacturing processed cheese in 1916. Kraft's process involved melting together various cheddar pieces to 175 degrees for 15 minutes, whisking throughout. This new, processed 'American cheese' was cheaper than traditional cheddars, and the term rapidly began to be used to refer to this variety, rather than the more expensive, traditional alternative.
The first step in transforming American cheese into the distinct entity it is today can be traced back to Switzerland in 1911, when Walter Gerber and Fritz Stettler developed the world's first processed cheese. They did this by shredding Emmentaler cheese and heating it with sodium citrate to create a firm, unified substance upon cooling. This research into more shelf-stable cheeses opened the door for Kraft, who was doing his own experiments in a Chicago boardinghouse.
By the time the term 'American cheese' was first used in print in 1801, it was already being used colloquially to refer to traditional cheddars made in America. However, the development of processed cheese in the 1910s and the subsequent shift in terminology meant that the term began to refer to this new variety instead.
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Frequently asked questions
The first American cheeses were produced in the 1600s, when pilgrims brought established recipes like Cheddar from Europe.
By 1790, American-made Cheddar was being exported back to England.
In the 1910s, James L. Kraft began marketing a new method for manufacturing processed cheese. The term "American cheese" rapidly began to refer to the processed variety instead of the traditional but more expensive cheddars also made and sold in the U.S.
