Cheese shop in New York City. Shire777 / pixabay / 2021 / CC0 1.0
There was a time when the term “American Cheese” pretty much just meant cheddar. Moving into the mid-1900s, the term became used as a generic term for cheeses based on cheddar, but processed for longer shelf life, spreadability and / or lower cost with added sweeteners, thickeners, colourings and waters.
Consequently, “American cheese” has become amongst foodies a catchall phrase for “cheese with no taste.” This perception, however, is out-of-date given the diversity of high-quality cheeses now appearing in the United States.
The centre of American main-stream industrial cheese production remains the state of Wisconsin.
- 1 American artisanal cheeses
- 2 Literature & Lore
- 3 Sources
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4
Some American cheeses
- 4.1 Brick Cheese
- 4.2 Colby Cheese
- 4.3 Cottage Cheese
- 4.4 Cream Cheese
- 4.5 Creole Cream Cheese
- 4.6 Farmer’s Cheese
- 4.7 Guler Blue Cheese
- 4.8 Hoop Cheese
- 4.9 Humboldt Fog Cheese
- 4.10 Lamb Chopper Cheese
- 4.11 Liederkranz Cheese
- 4.12 Maytag Blue Cheese
- 4.13 Monterey Jack Cheese
- 4.14 Mozzarella (American)
- 4.15 Pinconning Cheese
- 4.16 Point Reyes Original Blue Cheese
- 4.17 Pot Cheese
- 4.18 Rondelé Cheese
- 4.19 Swiss Cheese
- 4.20 Tillamook Cheese
American artisanal cheeses
Quality, artisanal cheese makers have sprung up in the United States, particularly on the Pacific Coast. These cheeses aren’t exported because their output is so small, and the makers already have access to one of the world’s biggest cheese markets without going to the trouble of doing business internationally.
The artisanal American Cheeses springing up are imitative of European cheeses, as American cheesemakers striving to achieve European-style analogues, in the same way that the American wine industry did for decades. However, while some American industrial cheeses out and out steal European cheese names with no repercussions, artisanal ones are more “gentlemanly”: they might compare themselves with and aim to be a Camembert style cheese, but they generally won’t call themselves a Camembert.
There’s no general public awareness in the United States of these better quality cheeses, though, let alone any general international awareness. Most are sold in specialty shops, not supermarkets.
The quality of these small output artisanal cheeses is generally rated quite high. But if they were exported to Europe, they probably couldn’t compete on a combined quality / price level with European cheeses. It wouldn’t be the quality that would throw the equation off though: it would be the price by the time they got there.
Literature & Lore
The World Championship Cheese Contest is sponsored by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association since 1957 (named at first the “Cheddar Championship Contest”, it was elevated to world level in 1972. By the 1990s, Europeans were entering and had come to dominate the contest.
Sources
Friedrick, Joanne. American-made cheese earns an ‘A’ with retailers. Yarmouth, Maine: Gourmet News. June 2004.
Some American cheeses
Brick is a sweet, nutty-tasting American cheese with a soft, semi-firm texture. The colour will range from white to pale-yellow. It’s an all-purpose cheese, great on sandwiches or cheese trays, but it also melts well in cooked dishes.
Colby cheese is an American cheese somewhat like a cheddar, but with a milder taste, and a more elastic, moister texture.
Cottage cheese is an unaged, “fresh” soft white curd-type cheese made from skim milk. It can be eaten as is, or seasoned or flavoured, or used as an ingredient in cooking.
Cream cheese is a smooth, spreadable, unripened cheese that tastes mildly tangy. The standard cream cheese is white and unflavoured, though many different colours and flavours are now available.
Creole cream cheese is milk curd mixed with clabber cream. It is often served with breakfast in New Orleans, used as a topping for fruit or spread on toast.
Farmer’s Cheese can be thought of as a cottage cheese from which most of the moisture is pressed out of the curd, and which is then typically pressed into a loaf shape.
Guler Blue Cheese was an attempt at making a Roquefort cheese in the United States. It was aged in caves, first in Washington State and then later in Oregon.
Hoop Cheese is a term that is used to refer to either an American Hard Cheese or an American Soft Cheese. Wheels of the hard type would live on specially-made cutters in country general stores.
Humboldt Fog is a goat’s milk cheese with a line of ash through it. Like Brie, the cheese develops a white-velvet like mould and is creamy in the centre.
Lamb Chopper Cheese is smooth, firm and yellow inside, with a mild, almost sweet taste. It is made in the Netherlands and aged in the U.S.A. Its label shows a lamb on a motorcycle complete with helmet and scarf.
Liederkranz® is an American Limburger-style cheese with a strong aroma. Inside, the aged cheeses are soft, almost spreadable, and a honey colour. The rind is golden.
Maytag Blue Cheese is a mild blue cheese with a bit of a lemony tang to it. The texture is moist and crumbly. And yes, it is made by members of the Maytag family.
Monterey Jack Cheese is a semi-soft white cheese that shreds and melts well. It has a mild flavour, and is often used in Tex-Mex cooking as an ingredient and as a garnish.
American-style mozzarella comes in blocks, looks like a pale yellow cheddar and has a rubbery texture. It is almost always used as a cooking cheese.
Pinconning Cheese is an aged, semi-firm cheese made from whole cow’s milk. It is somewhere between Cheddar and Colby, but unlike Colby it can be aged.
Point Reyes Original Blue is a farmhouse blue cheese. It is very creamy and not crumbly, with no rind. The cheese body is white, with sparse bluish-grey mould veining it. The mild taste has a bit of a tang.
Pot Cheese is a soft, fresh cheese. It is basically a higher-fat, slightly salty pressed dry cottage cheese with large curds, sold in small tubs or pots. It has a neutral taste.
Rondelé® cheese is a smooth, spreadable cream cheese that comes in many flavours and with varying fat content. It is a snacking cheese, frequently presented on a cheeseboard with crackers.
Swiss Cheese is a North American generic imitation of Emmenthal cheese. It’s a hard, ivory-coloured cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk. It has a mildly nutty flavour.
Tillamook is the name of a brand of American cheddar. It is made in white and orange varieties, and sold aged 2, 3 and 15 months.
