What Makes Some Cheddar Cheese Sharp?

If you are new to the world of cheese, you may not completely understand some of the differences between various types of cheddar. The most common difference in cheddar cheese, for example, is in terms of sharpness with the most common flavors being mild or sharp although other options such as extra sharp are also available. You will notice that these cheeses all taste slightly different from one another but are all delicious. In order to understand what makes some cheddar cheese sharp, you need to understand the aging process of the cheese as this is the most important factor.

Age

Put simply, the thing that makes some cheddar cheese sharp is age. The older a cheese is, the sharper it will be. Cheddar is aged at least three months in all cases in order to qualify as the cheese. When it is aged between three and four months, it is considered mild. When it is aged between four and nine months, it is considered medium. Anything that is aged more than nine months is considered sharp and even within this category of cheese, you will notice differences such as extra sharp cheese (which is usually three to five years old). Although sharp cheddar only needs to be aged nine months, you can commonly find ones that were aged seven years and occasionally find specialty ones that are even older.

Taste

Although the difference in terms of producing sharp cheddar cheese as opposed to mild cheddar is age, they will also have different tastes. In terms of taste, the term sharp refers to bitterness. Therefore sharp cheddar will be more bitter than mild cheddar. Which cheese you select depends completely on your preference, as some people prefer less bitterness in their cheddar while others prefer more of this taste. You can even opt to buy a sampler platter that contains several different types of cheddar of varying sharpness.

Texture

Because sharp cheddar cheese is older, you will also notice a change in texture when you have a bite. This change is due to the development of very small calcium deposits which form little crunchy crystals within the cheese as it ages. This means that as cheddar ages (and becomes sharper), the texture will become a bit more crumbly. Younger cheeses (therefore the mild ones) will have a creamier texture. In some cases, extra sharp cheese or other cheeses that are aged for a very long time can even have a small layer of these calcium deposits around their edges, adding to the texture.

How Does The Flavor Change?

Now that you know what differences you can expect from sharp cheddar as opposed to a mild one, you may be wondering why these differences occur. The bottom line is that cheese contain (good) bacteria that produce enzymes. It is these enzymes that will break down the fat and proteins within the cheese as it ages, giving it the bitter taste associated with sharp cheddar. In order for the aging process to work well, however, there must be the right mix of salt, moisture and starter cultures making the production of these cheeses a bit of a science.