How Did Cheddar Cheese Get Its Name?

Like the famous cartoon mice we see on television, we too love our cheese. Whether its cheddar cheese on bread, mozzarella on pizza, smoked Gouda on a quiche or Swiss cheese and biscuits, we all have made cheese part of our diet. Cheese is considered to be one of the most wildly varied foods you can get. A visit to the local grocery store will reveal that there are various different types of cheese each with a different taste and smell to enjoy. The taste of the cheeses can be mild, rich, spicy, creamy, salty or sharp while the aroma can either be mild or intense. Produced all over the globe, cheese serves as a perfect pair for wine and an excellent way to finish a rich meal or just as a basic snack as part of our daily diet.

One of the most popular cheeses in the world is cheddar cheese. With different varieties available it is enjoyed by many of us.  Originating in England, it is now manufactured in large quantities in the United States, Australia and many other countries. Most of us are unaware of the history behind this cheese and how its name originated.

What Is Cheddar Cheese?

Cheddar cheese has a sharp taste and is a smooth and creamy cheese. It is usually made with cow’s milk and the unique feature of this type of cheese is that it undergoes a process called ‘cheddaring’. This is not common in other types of cheese. The natural color of the cheese is a sort of white color and then ‘annato’ is added which comes from an achiote tree or oil that is produced from paprika is added which produces the orange color. Sometimes different food colors are added too. The sharpness of this type of cheese depends on the ageing period of the cheese. The longer you leave it to age, the sharper the taste is and more crumbly. Cheddar is available in extra aged, aged, medium or mild.

Origin Of Cheddar Cheese

Cheddar cheese was developed by the village of Cheddar (Somerset, England). Somerset is believed to be rich in pastures and it was considered to be the center of the dairy industry in England. The local tale of how this cheese got its name is that a milkmaid had kept a bucket full of milk in the Cheddar caves and she had forgotten about getting it. It was later found that the milk was changed into a different item, but it tasted quite good. It was an incident that the villagers tried again to develop this product. Although there is no evidence to prove the exact time of invention of this type of cheese, it is believed to date back to the 12th century. There was no mass production at the time but through the years this cheese has become to be one of the popular types that undergo mass production with over 250 varieties of Cheddar available.