Stuff Every Cheese Lover Should Know by Alexandra Jones

Author:Alexandra Jones [Jones, Alexandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quirk Books
Published: 2020-10-06T00:00:00+00:00

DOMESTIC ARTISAN CHEESES

Before North America was colonized by Europeans, dairy wasn’t a thing in the New World. In what would become the U.S., British colonizers introduced dairy animals along with their cheesemaking traditions, which at the time were highly regional, meaning that no two farms made exactly the same version of a style of cheese. Early Americans then did the same.

But during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Industrial Revolution consolidated and commodified cheesemaking and dairy farming. Hundreds of regional styles in the U.S. and U.K. were lost as dairy farmers sought efficiency by pooling milk together, moving production to factories, and developing standardized recipes that prioritized shelf stability and portability rather than flavor or character. This trend continued through the American postwar period, when agriculture consolidated and industrialized pretty much across the board.

Starting in the 1970s and 1980s, a group of (mostly women) would-be farmers, inspired by the back-to-the-land ethos of the cultural revolution, turned to an agrarian lifestyle—and some of them began making cheese. Their efforts helped foster a growing consumer interest in farm-to-table eating and local foods, which intensified in the early 2000s and continues to today. This prompted an explosion in artisan cheesemaking. Although many of these U.S. makers took inspiration from European classics, their passion for experimentation coupled with unique terroir meant that there are now hundreds of distinctive and exciting award-winning artisan cheeses made in the U.S.

A quick Google search or visit to your local farmers market will help you find makers near you. One of the most rewarding experiences as a cheese lover is supporting a producer making great cheese in your own community or region.

In addition to the many domestic offerings mentioned in the preceding pages, turn the page for just a few of the many excellent American-made cheeses and producers to try.

CHEESE

MAKER

STATE

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