cheese

[low_delta]

Wisconsin is (or was) known as "America's Dairlyland." This is where most of the nation's milk was produced. Until a decade or so ago, the market price of milk was set by how far from Wisconsin it was being sold. This was based on the cost to transport it from here. That's how California overtook us in dairy production - California milk earned so much more, since it was far from Wisconsin.

We were protectionist when it came to our product. When butter substitutes came on the market, for a while you couldn't even get them here. Then there was a law saying that you could sell margarine, or oleo as it was called at the time, but it couldn't be butter-colored, it could only be white. And then you could get packets of yellow coloring to mix into your oleo to make it seem to taste better. Even now, all dairy products sold in the state must be inspected for quality.

So we're all about the dairy products - milk, butter, cheese. We love our cheese. But for a long time, it was more about quantity than quality (much like our beer industry). Finally in recent years, our cheesemakers are being noticed on the international stages. Headlines read Wisconsin cheesemakers were in the spotlight at the World Championship Cheese Contest, winning more awards than any other U.S. state or country. Five of the top 20 global cheese finalists in contention for World Champion were from Wisconsin.

This is great. Because I like cheese. I like most cheeses. Cheeses we've had in the house recently: Cheddar, Havarti, Gruyere, Parmesan, Asiago, Swiss. I have Swiss all the time on my sandwiches. My friend and I ordered a "warm cheese platter" as an appetizer the other night. At gaming a while back, a guy brought a tray of cheese and sausage. I was the only one to eat the white cheddar, because the other guys all thought it was Swiss. My first thought was you don't like Swiss?! Followed by you can't tell the difference on sight between Swiss and white cheddar?

Cyn and I were just talking about cottage cheese the other day. I liked it when I was a kid, but I don't much care for it now. Blue cheese? Good when used right. Feta? Love it. Stinky cheeses, like Limburger? I actually don't know. Brie? It's good, but I prefer the sharper, harder cheeses. Like Manchego, as another example.

Don't get me started on American cheese. Otherwise known as "cheese" (with scare-quotes), or its official name, process cheese food. Processed cheese is not cheese. Even if one of its ingredients was actual cheese.

Have you ever had cheese curds? A Wisconsin favorite. Fresh ones are squeaky when bitten. Or you can have them battered and deep fried. Maybe dipped in marinara.

Did you know that Swiss cheese is made here in the US, but is modeled after the Swiss Emmental cheese?

Comments

[jo]

I thought Canada was the only place with weird laws around dairy products. I think it was our Supreme Court that actually struck down laws against margarine. And for the longest time when I was growing up, margarine sold in the province of Ontario was almost a fluorescent yellow colour -- so people wouldn't "confuse" it with actual butter. Meantime, in Quebec, margarine was dyed the same colour as butter so there were people who would actually smuggle Quebec margarine into Ontario.

I love good, fresh cheese curds. They're super easy to find in Quebec, but I've not really seen any proper ones in grocery stores in Toronto, unfortunately.

[low_delta]

Wikipedia says that cheese curds are popular in Ontario and Wisconsin, and also found in the midwest in general. I see that they are also used in poutine.

[halfmoon_mollie1]

New York state (where I live), especially the northern part and SOME of the central part (I live in central New York) is primarily known for dairy products. No, we are not all about that city down there that people seem to think is the only part of the state worth anything. My grandmother and my mother and my Dad told me about when margerine first started being sold (during The Depression) and the yellow dye capsules that were included so the margarine could be coloured. When I was a kid, my Mom brought our milk from one of the last working dairy farms in the area - a BIG can of it, every week or so. She made butter in her electic mixer from the cream that rose to the top, and we had had cream on our cereal. The milk was not pasturized, either. Here in our Farmer's Market, New York State cheese abounds. American Cheese, at least here if you read the label, is kind of velveeta in a different form. I love Bleu cheese, used correctly as you say. I worked at Hickory Farms and I HAVE tried Limberger cheese and one other really stinky type. I like them but don't eat them often enough to justify keeping them in my house.

[jbanana]

I've never heard of a cheese called "Swiss", but it wasn't a surprise to read that it doesn't come from Switzerland.

Strange English cheese fact of the day: Stilton (a blue cheese) can only legally be made in certain places, none of which is Stilton, the village that it's named after.

[low_delta]

That is a strange cheese fact!

[smittenbyu]

Never grew up with cheese. In India the only cheese was paneer. And then Amul brand came along and it's worse than the American "cheese". From there, I moved to Rome and tried cheeses. It took a while to adjust and then there was no looking back!! I do prefer softer cheeses compared to hard.

My sister is the cheese connoisseur between us - and she was asking me to get her some Wisconsin cheddar - so I knew WI was coming up in ranks! ha ha ha.

Did not know about Swiss cheese!

[low_delta]

Was paneer very common?

I've heard that cheese is very rare in Africa.

I would think you'd be able to find Wisconsin cheese anywhere in the country.

[smittenbyu]

Paneer is more common in Northern India - so we would have it on occasion at friends' homes who were North Indians. Yum.

Oh my sis now lives in India - and she has me bring over Italian cheeses, French, etc. and recently Wisconsin Cheddar has made the list! :)