35 Impressive Cheddar Cheese Facts That Are Sure To Amaze You!

Cheddar cheese, known all over the world as cheddar, is an off-white, natural cheese that is relatively hard and sometimes tastes a little sharp.

Cheddar cheese originated from Cheddar, a small village in Somerset, England. Cheeses are produced all over the world in many different variations, but the most popular cheese in the UK is cheddar cheese, which accounts for 51 % of the annual cheese market of the country.

Cheese production has always been a major market in the U.S. too, and cheddar cheese production has grown so much that it is the second-most popular cheese in the country, just behind mozzarella cheese. The average annual consumption of cheddar cheese in the U.S. is 10 lb (4.5 kg) per capita. If you taste it once, you can't forget the smoothness of cheddar cheese. Traditionally they are hard, but many dishes can be prepared using cheddar cheese. That is why it is one of the most popular cheeses in the world.

The strength of cheddar cheese is mild to pungent while the texture of the cheese is soft and smooth. Cheddar cheese is also crumbly sometimes. Pale white to orange coloration is seen, but it depends on the different cheddar production. Cheddar is one of the most popular cheeses, not just in the UK but also in the world. There are different kinds of cheddar cheese and each kind has different strengths. If the cheddar cheese was aged for three months, the strength will be mild. If the cheese was aged for five to six months, the strength will be medium. For nine months, the strength will be mature. For extra mature cheddar, it is 15 months, and the cheese aged for 18 months or more, the strength will be vintage. Mild cheddar cheese will have a soft and smooth texture. The flavor will be light and creamy. vintage cheddar is hard and crumbly. The vintage cheddar cheese has a sharp, powerful, and tangy flavor and is delicious.

Origin Of Cheddar Cheese

Let us learn some facts about the origins of cheddar cheese.

• Cheddar cheese is the most popular cheese in the United Kingdom and the second most popular one in the United States.
• It is a type of hard cheese made from cow's milk.
• Cheddar cheese originated from the village called Cheddar in Somerset which is located in the southwest of England.
• The edge of the village has the Cheddar Gorge which has a number of caves.
• These caves provided the steady temperature and ideal humidity to maturing cheese of this magnitude.
• It is believed that the Romans might have brought the recipe of cheddar cheese to Britain.
• It is said that Romans brought the recipe from the Cantal region of France.
• The first record of cheddar cheese can be traced back to the 12th century.
• It was in 1170 when King Henry II bought 10240 lb (4645 kg) cheddar cheese. Even Charles I bought cheese from Cheddar village in Somerset.
• Cheddar cheese traditionally had to be made around 30 mi (48 km) of Wells Cathedral.
• Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding from the 19th century was instrumental to the standardization and modernization of cheddar cheese.
• Joseph Harding has been named 'the father of cheddar cheese' for his technical innovations, volunteer dissemination of modern cheese-making techniques, and promotion of dairy hygiene.
• 1851 was the year when the United States' first cheese factory was inaugurated in upstate New York. This cheese factory specialized in just one thing - cheddar cheese.
• World Wars I and II made cheese production a problem. Before the First World War, there were over 3500 cheese producers in Britain, but after the Second World War, only 100 or fewer of these producers were left.
• During the Second World War, and even up to 10 years after, milk produced in Britain was used to produce only one kind of cheese named 'Government Cheddar'.
• This was due to rationing and war economies. This almost made all other cheese production in the country go extinct.
• To make the taste more intense, cheddar cheese maturing takes around two years at the maximum.
• Cheddar cheese is natural rind bound in cloth and it has different colors ranging from white to pale yellow.
• Some cheese is also added with colors to make it yellow-orange. White cheddar cheese is the most common you see all over the world.
• Did you know, there once existed the largest cheddar cheese sculpture? In fact, it was the largest cheese structure in the world.
• It was made by Erik Acquistapace, Sarah Kaufmann, and Kerry Henning in Covington, Louisiana, USA, in 2018, on November 11.
• It weighed 3121 lb (1416 kg). The piece was made from a single block of cheddar cheese aged well and was shaped like an alligator frying a turkey and wearing a chef's hat.
• The cheese was later cut and sold to the public.

Nutritional Values Of Cheddar Cheese

Cheddar cheese nutrition values will give you a better insight into the making of the cheese and its uses.

• Cheddar cheese is rich in calcium like most dairy products. Calcium helps in building strong bones and also in blood clotting.
• Cheddar cheese is a good source of Vitamin A, Iron, and Vitamin K.
• An average portion of cheddar cheese will contain 69 calories, 0.1 oz (4 g) of protein, less than an ounce of carbohydrates, and 0.2 oz (6 g) of fat.

Health Benefits Of Cheddar Cheese

There are many health benefits of cheddar cheese. Cheese is not all that bad as most people portray it to be. Here are some potential health benefits of cheddar cheese.

• Despite having saturated fat content, eating cheddar cheese in regulation can help lower your cholesterol levels. This particularly helps middle-aged people.
• Cheddar cheese is known to be a good source of the most important nutrient for bones - calcium.
• Eating food with a high level of calcium will help your bone health and will help you reduce the chances of osteoporosis.
• Cheddar cheese also has vitamin K which helps promote bone health.
• Having cheese might also help reduce the chances of cavities, rather than sugary snacks.
• Shredded cheddar cheese is often added to burgers and sandwiches. In fact, cheddar is one of the most popular cheeses used in burgers.
• Scott took 3500 lb (1588 kg) of cheddar cheese from Cheddar with him on his famous 1901 expedition to the Arctic.
• As a wedding gift, a huge wheel of cheddar cheese that weighed around 1000 lb (454 kg) was given to Queen Victoria in 1840.
• Andrew Jackson, the U.S. president, was known for holding an open house party at the White House where a 1400 lb (653 kg) of cheddar cheese was served.

How is cheddar cheese made?

Cheddar cheeses have a unique taste and the production of this cheese also needs special care. The cheese industry has grown leaps and bounds just for the consumption from UK and U.S., at least for cheddar cheese.

• Making cheddar cheese is different from any other cheese made. The curds are first heated, then they are cut, and stacked.
• Stacks are then turned regularly and systematically and then restacked. This process is known as cheddaring.
• Sometimes the cheddar cheese is aged for around 30 months or less until it is ready to eat.
• In the process of cheddaring, the curd is kneaded with salt after being subjected to heat. It is then cut into cubes to drain the whey. It is then stacked and the process continues.
• Vintage cheddar cheese sometimes even needs 15 months to be matured. The cheese needs to be kept at a constant temperature which the caves provide.
• If produced in the cheese factory, the required conditions need to be replicated to mature the cheese.
• Even if there are many factories of cheddar cheese today, some cheddar cheese is still produced in the caves of Wookey Hole and Cheddar Gorge.
• Some versions of cheddar cheese are also known to be smoked to get a different flavor.
• Some cheeses that are more similar in appearance and taste to Red Leicester are sometimes called red cheddar. This is for market value.
• A legend says that cheddar cheese was usually discovered by accident when a milkmaid left some milk in the Cheddar Gorge cave and returned to find the cheddar cheese in place of milk. The story is said to be of the timeline of 800 years ago.
• Some use it as shredded and others use cheddar cheese powder in their food, depending on the cuisine and the requirements.