are mostly versions of European ones, especially Cheddar. Two which can claim to be American originals are described under brick cheese and Liederkranz.
The American cheese industry is centred on Wisconsin, where a state law once obliged restaurateurs to serve two-thirds of an ounce each of Wisconsin butter and Wisconsin cheese with every meal (it lasted two short years, 1935–7). New York State ranks second in production of cheese. Other states known for their cheeses are California, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, and Vermont.
Cheeses of the Cheddar type were first made in New England early in the 17th century, and were being exported to Britain by the end of the 18th century. The Cheddar technique, adapted to a greater or lesser extent, now produces numerous varieties of which the following are noteworthy: Colorado Blackie has a black rind; Coon is a premium variety which has a dark rind due to the conditions in which it is aged; Herkimer County cheese, the pride of New York State cheese-makers, is aged for a year or more, with a crumbly texture, a sharp and nutty flavour, and an attractive pale orange colour; Longhorn does not refer to a kind of cow but to a particular size of Cheddar; Vermont (State) cheese is a Cheddar with a tangy flavour, while Vermont Sage is flecked with sage, see sage cheese; Store cheese is a name for plain Cheddar of the kind which was a stock item in village stores. The Cheddar made in Tillamook, Oregon, prompted the publication in 1933 of a book in two volumes, the first of which is scarce and the second unobtainable. The title is The Cheddar Box. Volume I is a normal book, describing in picturesque language the history of the cheese made at Tillamook. Volume II looked like a book but was really a box containing a 2 lb (1 kg) cheese. Brown (1955) recalls borrowing a first volume whose flyleaf was thus inscribed:
This is an excellent cheese, full cream and medium sharp, and a unique set of books in which Volume II suggests Bacon's: ‘Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.’
Colby, a highly popular American cheese named after the town of Colby in Wisconsin, resembles Cheddar but has a softer and more open texture, and is moister. Two steps in the regular Cheddar manufacturing process, that known as ‘cheddaring’ (slicing up the curd) and the subsequent milling, are omitted when Colby is made. Several American cheeses with other names are really varieties of Colby. Cornhusker, developed in Nebraska, is like Colby but contains less fat. Monterey (or Jack, an alternative name now little used) is named after Monterey County in California, where it originated in the 1890s. It comes in two main varieties; a whole-milk semi-soft cheese, and a cheese for grating which is made with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. Both are made by a process resembling that used for Colby, but more rapid.
Club cheese resembles potted cheese and may be thought of as the original of processed cheese, with which the name of James Kraft, a Canadian by birth, will be forever linked. His company was merged in the 1920s with the makers of Philadelphia cream cheese.
The relationship of American consumers with the cheeses, especially the raw milk cheeses, of Europe has been dogged by various laws prohibiting or inhibiting their import. However, recent developments have made the country more self-sufficient in this regard as the rise of artisanal cheese-making has been as inexorable here as in other English-speaking countries. National competitions may attract hundreds of entries; the climate of consumption is in their favour; American cheeses may yet rise above their reputation for a certain monotony.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
Brown, Bob (1955), The Complete Book of Cheese, New York: Random House.
