What Makes Sharp Cheddar Sharp?

When it comes to Cheddar cheese, there are all kinds of different varieties out there, and they all taste different. There are some people that prefer the mild cheddar and others that want to go to the extreme and have the extra sharp and sharp cheddar. But, do you know what makes sharp cheddar sharp? What is the distinction that sets sharp cheddar cheese apart from all the other kinds of cheddar that are out there. Let us take a detailed look at what make sharp cheddar cheese have that distinction as sharp.

What does the Sharp Distinction Mean?

When people say that they like sharp cheddar cheese, or they are looking to buy sharp cheddar cheese, they are referring to the taste. The sharp taste is a more bitter taste that some people prefer with their cheeses. The sharper the cheese, the more bitter it is, or the more of a bite it has, it is your preference what you would like to refer to it as. So, sharp relates to taste that you experience when you bite into the chunk of cheese you are eating.

How does Cheddar get Sharper?

So, now that we understand what the sharp label means, how does cheddar cheese get sharper? The process of making the cheese is actually what makes the cheddar cheese the sharpness that you want, without the process and the small differences in it, all of the different grades of cheddar cheese come from a process that it all goes through. Generally, aging is the most common factor to getting sharp cheddar cheese where it needs to be. To get cheddar to sharp, and there of course is no exact science, it is generally aged for between six to nine months. For other cheesemakers, they also accredit the sharp flavor to the starter culture that is used, the salt added, the moisture content, and how that all ages together. Although there is a criterion for sharp cheddar, no block of cheese is generally going to have the same exact taste.

Whether you are a sharp cheddar cheese lover or not, know the distinctions in your cheese. But, it is also important to understand that no block of cheddar cheese is going to have the same exact taste or texture to it. If you like the more bitter cheese that has the bite to it, you are going to want to look at the different options for sharp cheddar cheese.

-Written by Viktoria Carella