Introduction:
Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard, pale yellow to off-white, and sometimes sharp-tasting cheese originating in the English village of Cheddar, in Somerset. Cheddar cheese is the most popular cheese in the United Kingdom, accounting for 51% of the country's £1.9 billion annual cheese market.
Cheddar cheese has been copied widely, both in the United Kingdom and in other countries, including Ireland, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. In all of these 'Cheddar' cheese, in many forms, is readily available, ranging from mild lower-fat cheeses to the more mature higher-fat and sharper cheeses.
Cheddar cheese has been copied widely, both in the United Kingdom and in other countries, including Ireland, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. In all of these 'Cheddar' cheese, in many forms, is readily available, ranging from mild lower-fat cheeses to the more mature higher-fat and sharper cheeses.
History:
Cheddar cheese has been produced since at least 1170. A pipe roll of King Henry II from that year records the purchase of 10,420 lb at a farthing per pound (£3 per tonne). One suggestion is that Romans brought the recipe to England from the Cantal region of France, where it was adapted.
Central to the modernisation and standardisation of Cheddar cheese was the nineteenth century Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding. For his technical developments, promotion of dairy hygiene and unremunerated propagation of modern cheese-making techniques he has been described as the father of Cheddar cheese. Harding introduced new equipment into the process of cheese making, including his "revolving breaker" for curd cutting, saving much manual effort. The "Joseph Harding method" was the first modern system for Cheddar production based upon scientific principles. Harding stated that Cheddar cheese is 'not made in the field, nor in the byre, nor even in the cow, it is made in the dairy's. He and his wife were behind the introduction of this very English cheese into Scotland and North America. Joseph Harding's son, Henry Harding, was responsible for introducing Cheddar cheese production to Australia.
During the Second World War most milk in Britain was used for the making of one single kind of cheese nicknamed 'Government Cheddar' as part of war economies and rationing. This nearly resulted in wiping out all other cheese production in the country. Before the First World War there were more than 3,500 cheese producers in Britain, while fewer than 100 remained after the Second World War.
Central to the modernisation and standardisation of Cheddar cheese was the nineteenth century Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding. For his technical developments, promotion of dairy hygiene and unremunerated propagation of modern cheese-making techniques he has been described as the father of Cheddar cheese. Harding introduced new equipment into the process of cheese making, including his "revolving breaker" for curd cutting, saving much manual effort. The "Joseph Harding method" was the first modern system for Cheddar production based upon scientific principles. Harding stated that Cheddar cheese is 'not made in the field, nor in the byre, nor even in the cow, it is made in the dairy's. He and his wife were behind the introduction of this very English cheese into Scotland and North America. Joseph Harding's son, Henry Harding, was responsible for introducing Cheddar cheese production to Australia.
During the Second World War most milk in Britain was used for the making of one single kind of cheese nicknamed 'Government Cheddar' as part of war economies and rationing. This nearly resulted in wiping out all other cheese production in the country. Before the First World War there were more than 3,500 cheese producers in Britain, while fewer than 100 remained after the Second World War.
Production:_medium.jpg)
Cheddaring refers to an additional step in the production of Cheddar-style cheese where, after heating, the curd is kneaded with salt, then is cut into cubes to drain the whey, then stacked and turned. Strong, extra-mature Cheddar, sometimes called vintage, needs to be matured for up to 15 months. The cheese is kept at a constant temperature often requiring special facilities. As with cheese production in other European countries, caves provide an ideal environment for maturing cheese; still, today, some Cheddar cheese produced in the UK is matured in the caves at Wookey Hole and the caves in Cheddar Gorge.
The curds and whey are separated using rennet, an enzyme complex normally produced from the stomachs of new-born calves. In vegetarian Cheddar, equivalent enzymes are derived from non-animal sources.
The curds and whey are separated using rennet, an enzyme complex normally produced from the stomachs of new-born calves. In vegetarian Cheddar, equivalent enzymes are derived from non-animal sources.
※International production and taste 
Cheddar cheese is produced in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, United States, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia (where it is usually called tasty cheese), Sweden, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Much of this cheese is mass-produced and quality varies enormously. The strong flavour develops over time, with a taste diverse enough that food packaging will usually indicate a strength using adjectives such as mild, medium, strong, tasty, sharp, extra sharp, mature, old, or vintage, and may also indicate the maturation period.
Character:The ideal quality of the original Somerset Cheddar was described by Joseph Harding in 1864 as "close and firm in texture, yet mellow in character or quality; it is rich with a tendency to melt in the mouth, the flavour full and fine, approaching to that of a hazlenut."
Cheddar, such as the PDO West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, made in the classical way, tends to have a sharp, pungent flavour, often slightly earthy. Its texture is firm, with farmhouse traditional Cheddar being slightly crumbly. Real Cheddar is never 'soapy', in texture or mouth-feel.
Cheddar is usually a pale yellow (off-white) natural colour, but food colourings are sometimes used. In parts of the United States and Canada, annatto, extracted from the tropical achiote tree, is used to give some Cheddar cheeses a deep orange colour. The largest producer of these cheeses in the United States, Kraft, uses a combination of annatto and oleoresin paprika, an oil made from paprika.
Cheddar is often coloured and even as early as 1860 the real reason for this was unclear: Joseph Harding stated "to the cheese consumers of London who prefer an adulterated food to that which is pure I have to announce an improvement in the annatto with which they compel the cheesemakers to colour the cheese." According to David Feldman, an author of trivia books, "The only reason why cheesemakers color their product is because consumers seem to prefer it.". Some parts of the eastern United States are said to prefer white Cheddar, while other areas in the United States are offered coloured cheeses.
Cheddar cheese was sometimes (and still can be found) packaged in black wax, but was more commonly packaged in larded cloth, impermeable to contaminants but still allowing the cheese to breathe, although this practice is now limited to Europe and to artisan cheese makers. In the United States, Cheddar cheese comes in several varieties, including mild, medium, sharp, extra sharp, New York Style, Colby/Longhorn, white, and Vermont. New York style Cheddar cheese is a particularly sharp Cheddar cheese, sometimes with a hint of smoke. It is usually slightly softer than milder Cheddar cheese. Colby/Longhorn Cheddar cheese has a mild to medium flavour. The curds are still distinct, often marbled in colour, varying from cream to yellow. Cheddar that has not been coloured is frequently labelled as "white Cheddar" or "Vermont Cheddar", regardless of whether it was produced in the state of Vermont. Vermont Cheddar is the nearest of any North American cheese to authentic English Cheddar.
Cheddar, such as the PDO West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, made in the classical way, tends to have a sharp, pungent flavour, often slightly earthy. Its texture is firm, with farmhouse traditional Cheddar being slightly crumbly. Real Cheddar is never 'soapy', in texture or mouth-feel.
Cheddar is usually a pale yellow (off-white) natural colour, but food colourings are sometimes used. In parts of the United States and Canada, annatto, extracted from the tropical achiote tree, is used to give some Cheddar cheeses a deep orange colour. The largest producer of these cheeses in the United States, Kraft, uses a combination of annatto and oleoresin paprika, an oil made from paprika.
Cheddar is often coloured and even as early as 1860 the real reason for this was unclear: Joseph Harding stated "to the cheese consumers of London who prefer an adulterated food to that which is pure I have to announce an improvement in the annatto with which they compel the cheesemakers to colour the cheese." According to David Feldman, an author of trivia books, "The only reason why cheesemakers color their product is because consumers seem to prefer it.". Some parts of the eastern United States are said to prefer white Cheddar, while other areas in the United States are offered coloured cheeses.
Cheddar cheese was sometimes (and still can be found) packaged in black wax, but was more commonly packaged in larded cloth, impermeable to contaminants but still allowing the cheese to breathe, although this practice is now limited to Europe and to artisan cheese makers. In the United States, Cheddar cheese comes in several varieties, including mild, medium, sharp, extra sharp, New York Style, Colby/Longhorn, white, and Vermont. New York style Cheddar cheese is a particularly sharp Cheddar cheese, sometimes with a hint of smoke. It is usually slightly softer than milder Cheddar cheese. Colby/Longhorn Cheddar cheese has a mild to medium flavour. The curds are still distinct, often marbled in colour, varying from cream to yellow. Cheddar that has not been coloured is frequently labelled as "white Cheddar" or "Vermont Cheddar", regardless of whether it was produced in the state of Vermont. Vermont Cheddar is the nearest of any North American cheese to authentic English Cheddar.
Cheddar cheese is one of several products used by the United States Department of Agriculture to track the dairy industry; reports are issued weekly detailing prices and production quantities. The state of Wisconsin produces the most Cheddar cheese in the United States; other centres of production include upstate New York, Vermont, and Tillamook, Oregon.
Cheddar cheese is a good source of vitamin B12. A slice of vegetarian Cheddar cheese (40 g) contains about 0.5 µg of vitamin B12 (required daily intake for an adult is 2.4 µg).
Famous Cheddar cheeses from Somerset include Keen's, with a strong tang, and Montgomery's, with an apple after taste and the unpasteurised Cheddar made by the Gorge Cheese Company in Cheddar itself.
Cheddar cheese is a good source of vitamin B12. A slice of vegetarian Cheddar cheese (40 g) contains about 0.5 µg of vitamin B12 (required daily intake for an adult is 2.4 µg).
Famous Cheddar cheeses from Somerset include Keen's, with a strong tang, and Montgomery's, with an apple after taste and the unpasteurised Cheddar made by the Gorge Cheese Company in Cheddar itself.
By Ben
Here's a song about Cheddar Cheese:
And here's a mouse(Stewie) eating cheddar cheese:
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