Today is a day of celebration for Americans worldwide, even here in Bavaria where grilling, making lots of noise, and drinking in public are normal day-to-day events for the locals anyways. It is a magical land, Bavaria, if you have the chance I'd highly suggest visiting.
I was raised, as were my parents, on bricks either of cheddar American cheese. I never really read too deep into the latter's name, remember I was just as happy to eat it out of an aerosol can on Saltine crackers, but by the time I had grown up some and they had begun selling the near-glowing cheese in single-serving vacuum packed slices I suddenly wondered what it is I was eating, and why it didn't taste like.... cheese.
You see, dear reader, back when the US first started producing and exporting cheese, yes even back to Europe, the Europeans found it to be so foul they universally called it American cheese. It was, however, so cheap that it sold like Senator's seats in Illinois (Heyyo!) and so the idea became ingrained in Europe that all American cheese is rubbish. As if things weren't bad enough the advent of processed cheese came about and suddenly consumers across the world had good reason to fear anything labeled "American cheese". It's not cheese.
American cheese, which in many states in the US now must be relabeled as "cheese product" or "cheese analogue", is a processed food product that may or may not have at one time contained any actual cheese. Originally, to make processed American cheese, other cheeses such as Colby or Cheddar were mixed with food dyes, vegetable-based gums, emulsifiers, salt, whey, and other stabilizers. These days the original cheese may be substituted with cheese ingredients such as milkfat, whey, and so forth. The first patent for processed cheese in the US, for the invention of this monstrosity belongs to the Swiss, was given to a one James Kraft. The rest is history, and for many of us was a recognizable name in our childhood before the standing US president.
Processed cheese, such as Kraft, is a perversion of the potential deliciousness of the true cheese it masquerades as. Do not be led astray; there is true and infinitely more worthy cheese being made in America, and to prove it here is a handful of trustworthy dairies that you can likely find in stores nationwide.
Cowgirl Creamery
Founded in 1997 by two cowgirls from California, Peggy Smith and Sue Conley, Cowgirl Creamery has a range of top-tier cheeses being made in the San Fransisco area. Their attention to the quality of their ingredients and the care given to each cheese makes for a reliably delicious experience, and the lines at their locations in Washington DC and San Fransisco are a testament to their loyal following. Look for their iconic logo and know that underneath that wrapper is a real American Gem.
Vella Cheese Co
Started by Tom Vella, the patriarch of California quality cheese, in 1931, Vella Cheese has an impeccable tradition of quality ingredients and both commercial and artisanal success. The man himself worked in a dairy for years until the opportunity to run his own came about, and since then the Vella name has become synonymous with hard work and high quality in the American cheese scene. Today his children run the operation and continue to stay true to their father's work ethic and dedication to the art.
Rogue Creamery
Also started by Tom Vella, a busy man, Rogue Creamery began in the 1930s partly as a way to make a quality product and partly as a way to keep the struggling dairy farmers of the Rogue River Valley afloat. Although times since have not always been easy it is safe to say that both goals are still being achieved today. The company was sold to a trusted friend of the Vella family but has continued to wow both at cheese competitions and in the accountant's books. Their Blue cheeses, and yes there are a variety, are in my mind the standard of excellence in American Blues.
Beehive Cheese Co
A relative newcomer to the game, Beehive Cheese Co was started in 2005 by brothers-in-law Tim Welsh and Pat Ford. These two left their normal 9-5s in the city and set forth on a grand adventure to conquer a quieter, if perhaps not as relaxing, work environment: The artisanal dairy. With the help of the good folks at the Western Dairy Center at Utah State University these two opened shop at the mouth of Weber Canyon in the Wasatch Mts and have already made a name for themselves with their inventive recipes and aggressive expansion into new styles of cheese.
Don't forget Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery and Cypress Grove, companies that I've already briefly profiled and that are living proof of the American Cheese Revolution, and moreover always be on the lookout for new and local cheeses! The Revolution is fast upon us and real American cheese is earning a reputation for excellence both domestically and abroad, so rejoice and eat cheese!
BUT ENOUGH UNPATRIOTIC BABBLE, BACK TO AMERICA!!!!!
What I'd like to mention today is the crisis facing cheese nomenclature today. This crisis, dear reader, regards what is known (both in the USA and abroad) as "American Cheese". What it is, for it's not actually cheese at all, is a disgrace to the good people of the fine fifty and a mockery of the honest, hardworking artisanal cheesemakers who call America home. I'll mention briefly the evil that is "American cheese" and then offer a handful of outstanding cheesemakers who can be proud to call their cheese Made in the USA. |
| I, however, was not this creepy as a child |
You see, dear reader, back when the US first started producing and exporting cheese, yes even back to Europe, the Europeans found it to be so foul they universally called it American cheese. It was, however, so cheap that it sold like Senator's seats in Illinois (Heyyo!) and so the idea became ingrained in Europe that all American cheese is rubbish. As if things weren't bad enough the advent of processed cheese came about and suddenly consumers across the world had good reason to fear anything labeled "American cheese". It's not cheese.
Processed cheese, such as Kraft, is a perversion of the potential deliciousness of the true cheese it masquerades as. Do not be led astray; there is true and infinitely more worthy cheese being made in America, and to prove it here is a handful of trustworthy dairies that you can likely find in stores nationwide.
Founded in 1997 by two cowgirls from California, Peggy Smith and Sue Conley, Cowgirl Creamery has a range of top-tier cheeses being made in the San Fransisco area. Their attention to the quality of their ingredients and the care given to each cheese makes for a reliably delicious experience, and the lines at their locations in Washington DC and San Fransisco are a testament to their loyal following. Look for their iconic logo and know that underneath that wrapper is a real American Gem.
Started by Tom Vella, the patriarch of California quality cheese, in 1931, Vella Cheese has an impeccable tradition of quality ingredients and both commercial and artisanal success. The man himself worked in a dairy for years until the opportunity to run his own came about, and since then the Vella name has become synonymous with hard work and high quality in the American cheese scene. Today his children run the operation and continue to stay true to their father's work ethic and dedication to the art.
Also started by Tom Vella, a busy man, Rogue Creamery began in the 1930s partly as a way to make a quality product and partly as a way to keep the struggling dairy farmers of the Rogue River Valley afloat. Although times since have not always been easy it is safe to say that both goals are still being achieved today. The company was sold to a trusted friend of the Vella family but has continued to wow both at cheese competitions and in the accountant's books. Their Blue cheeses, and yes there are a variety, are in my mind the standard of excellence in American Blues.
A relative newcomer to the game, Beehive Cheese Co was started in 2005 by brothers-in-law Tim Welsh and Pat Ford. These two left their normal 9-5s in the city and set forth on a grand adventure to conquer a quieter, if perhaps not as relaxing, work environment: The artisanal dairy. With the help of the good folks at the Western Dairy Center at Utah State University these two opened shop at the mouth of Weber Canyon in the Wasatch Mts and have already made a name for themselves with their inventive recipes and aggressive expansion into new styles of cheese.
Don't forget Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery and Cypress Grove, companies that I've already briefly profiled and that are living proof of the American Cheese Revolution, and moreover always be on the lookout for new and local cheeses! The Revolution is fast upon us and real American cheese is earning a reputation for excellence both domestically and abroad, so rejoice and eat cheese!
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