Cheese is not just a food; it’s an adventure of the taste buds. It’s an expedition of the senses. This dairy delicacy holds a special place in everyone’s heart (and stomach). So brace yourselves as we journey into the marvelous realm of cheese. We’re about to uncover some curd-aceous cheese facts that will leave you utterly amazed, hungry for knowledge, and maybe even craving a gooey grilled cheese sandwich.
From the humble cheddar to the daring blue, cheese has captured our hearts, tantalized our taste buds, and even sparked debates among cheese lovers. But beyond its undeniable tastiness, do you know the rich history of cheese and its intriguing secrets? We’ll uncover some mind-blowing cheese facts that will make you appreciate this gooey goodness even more. Cheese is as diverse as the people who enjoy it. There are more than 2,000 varieties out there. This means there’s a cheese for every palette! Some interesting facts about cheese state that the cheese-making process started as far back as the 13th century B.C. People would carry hard cheese on long journeys as their main source of protein. Today, it’s more of a gastronomical bliss. However, behind every cheese lies a tale of tradition, craftsmanship, and culture. We’ll dive into some cheese fun facts that will entertain and enlighten you.
So prepare to embark on a cheesy adventure filled with fascinating tidbits, delicious cheese trivia, and funny cheese facts. From exotic cheese origins to quirky, fun facts about cheese, this trivia will make you the life of every party. Hold on to your crackers, everyone! Here we go:
#1 It’s The World’s Most Stolen Food
More cheese trivia: According to a report, 4% of the world’s cheese gets shoplifted. The biggest cheese heist took place in 2012 and was dubbed the “Great Canadian Cheese Heist.” Thieves stole around 6 million pounds (2.7 million kg) of cheese valued at $18 million.
#2 Beaufort Cheese Powers The Town Of Albertville, France
One of the most interesting facts about cheese is that it can be used to generate electricity. The whey created during the making of Beaufort cheese is mixed with bacteria. The fermentation process produces biogas, which is used to power steam turbines and create electricity.
Image source: Florian Pépellin, Aarian Marshall
#3 Edam Cheese Hardens As It Ages And Almost Never Goes Bad
Some interesting cheese facts from history suggest that Edam cheese was very popular for sea journeys as it was easy to carry and never spoiled. It’s a semi-hard cheese covered in a red wax that prevents mold. It’s known to age really well and can last a long time if stored properly.
#4 American Cheese Is Not Really “Cheese”
According to the FDA, true “cheese” should have at least more than 50% cheese. Most American cheese is a mix of whey, milk proteins, emulsifiers, and salts. Legally, it cannot be called cheese. They are known as “cheese products,” or “cheese food.”
#5 France Has More Than 1,000 Varieties Of Cheese
This means they could eat 2-3 different types of cheese almost every day of the year. Talk about having a gouda time!
#6 Cheese Can Help You Taste Wine Better!
A small experiment with 31 participants found that cheese enhances the wine-tasting experience. Volunteers said that it diminished the overpowering citric aroma and helped them notice other flavors more.
#7 Cheese Can Help Prevent Tooth Decay
Cheese promotes saliva, especially varieties such as Swiss, mozzarella, and cheddar. This helps clear up sugars and acids from the mouth.
#8 Italy’s Credem Bank Accepts Parmesan As Collateral Against Loans
Cheesemakers in Italy can use their Parmesan wheels as collateral to acquire cheap loans at 3–5% interest from the Italian Credem Bank. Looks like the cheese does stand “a loan”!
#9 The Wallace And Gromit Animation Series Helped Boost Sales Of Wensleydale Cheese
Wensleydale was the favorite cheese of Wallace, an inventor in the stop-motion animation series. It sparked an interest among the audience and helped revive sales of the English cheese.
#10 Lactose Intolerant People Can Still Enjoy Some Varieties Of Cheese
The cheese-making process breaks down lactose into lactic acid. Hard, aged cheese varieties such as Parmesan and cheddar have very little lactose.
#11 Brie And Camembert Are Made With Molds
Some molds such as Penicillium camemberti are used for the production of soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert. They are used in trace quantities and are safe to eat.
#12 Cheese Produces A Mild Opiate-Like Effect In The Body
The protein in cheese, called casein, breaks down into casomorphins. These compounds produce a mild opiate-like effect, which can make regular cheese consumption addictive.
#13 Cheese Was Accidentally Discovered By Merchants Carrying Milk In The Stomach Linings Of Animals
The history of cheese and its origins are unclear. According to legend, it was made by accident by merchants who were carrying their supply of milk in pouches made from a sheep’s stomach. The rennet in the stomach lining curdled the milk and produced the first-ever cheese.
Image source: idfa.org
#14 Ten Pounds Of Milk Makes Just One Pound Of Cheese
Most of the milk is removed as whey, and the remaining curds are used to make cheese.
#15 Eat Your Cheese Warm
You’ll be able to taste the flavors better at room temperature. This is because cheese contains fat, and the fat molecules contract in cold temperatures. Once it comes up to room temperature, the fat molecules expand again and release flavorful aromas.
#16 Cheese Needs Air To Survive
If you want your cheese to last long, then don’t suffocate it. Avoid wrapping it in plastic. Instead, use porous packaging material such as cheese paper or parchment paper.
#17 The “Holes” In Swiss Cheese Were Once Considered An Imperfection
In the history of cheese, the holes or “eyes” were considered a sign of imperfection. Cheesemakers would press down during production to avoid the holes. Today it’s a trademark of Swiss cheese.
#18 Stilton Blue Cheese Can Give You “Weird Dreams”
An interesting study of 200 volunteers found that consuming Stilton blue cheese half an hour before bed produced vivid and bizarre dreams. Subjects said they saw talking soft toys and lifts that moved sideways!
#19 A Swedish Farm Produces The World’s Most Expensive (And Only) Moose Cheese
A family farm in Bjurholm, Sweden, has three moose (elk). Milking the animals takes two hours and has to be done in complete silence. Cheese made from moose milk sells for $500 per pound.
#20 Vieux Boulogne Is Considered To Be The World’s Smelliest Cheese
It’s known to smell like wet socks.
#21 Eat That Rind Off The Brie!
Yes, it’s edible! It’s a protective layer of mold and bacteria that keeps the center creamy. It’s completely safe to eat.
#22 The World’s “Most Dangerous” Cheese Has Maggots In It
Casu marzu, a famous pecorino cheese in Sardinia, Italy, has been nominated as “the most dangerous cheese in the world” by the Guinness World Records. The production involves allowing cheese fly eggs to be laid in pecorino cheese. These hatch into larvae, consume the cheese and ferment it in the process. They make the cheese soft and creamy. The cheese is sold with the larvae still alive and active within it.
Image source: Shardan, britannica.com
#23 The Crunchy Bits In Cheese Are Calcium Lactate Crystals
These crystals are formed when the lactic acid in cheese reacts with calcium ions. They are mostly found in aged cheddar and Parmesan and are safe to eat.
#24 Pule Is The Rarest Cheese In The World And Is Made From The Milk Of Balkan Donkeys From Serbia
Pule cheese is one of the most expensive cheeses in the world as it’s a very limited product. This is because Serbian donkeys have an extremely low milk yield, which makes this cheese rare.
#25 The Oldest Cheese Residue Was Found In A 13th Century BC Tomb For Ptahmes
A spectrometry analysis was done on broken jars in the tomb of Ptahmes in Egypt. The jars contained a “solidified whitish mass,” which was confirmed to be a few milligrams of cheese.
Image source: AlexanderVanLoon, bbc.com
#26 There Is A Guinness Beer Cheese!
Irish Porter cheese is made by adding Guinness stout beer into the cheese-making process. It’s flavorful, creamy, and has the distinct aroma of the beer.
Image source: Achim Raschka, cheese.com
#27 The First Commercial Cheese Factory Was Established In 1815 In Switzerland
It produced mainly Emmental cheese.
#28 Cheese Curds Squeak Against Your Teeth Because Of Their Elastic Protein Strands
It’s just friction and won’t harm your teeth! Fresh curds will squeak more because of their high moisture content.
#29 Västerbottensost Can Only Be Made In One Village Of Sweden
The distinct taste of Västerbottensost only comes from the Burträsk village in northern Sweden. No other dairy producers have been able to replicate the flavor. No one knows why. Some theories suggest the unique flavor comes from the local spruce shelves where it matures. There’s another theory about a meteorite that struck the village eons ago, making its soil rich in calcium.
#30 Blue Cheese Has The Same Bacteria That Cause Smelly Feet
Blue cheese has the same bacteria that produce a strong odor in unwashed feet. If you’re seeking a whiff of adventure, then blue cheese is for you!
#31 Cheddar Cheese Is Not Naturally Orange
Cheddar cheese is usually white or pale yellow. Cheesemakers add a pigment that gives it an orange color. There’s no difference in taste between white and orange cheese.
#32 A 17th Century Fraud Gave Rise To The “Orange” Cheese
Back in 17th century England, a lot of cheeses used to have a natural yellowish-orange pigment. Some devious cheesemakers started skimming off the cream to sell separately. However, it was the cream that contained the pigment, and the leftover was low-fat white milk. To pass it off as a high-quality product, cheesemakers started adding orange pigment.
#33 Philadelphia Cream Cheese Did Not Originate In Philadelphia
Contrary to popular belief, cream cheese was first produced by dairy farmers in New York.
#34 In Greek Mythology, The God Aristaeus Taught Humanity How To Make Cheese
Aristaeus, the son of Apollo and Cyrene, was considered a minor god in Greek mythology. He is seen as the protector and creator of many crafts, such as cheese-making and beekeeping. According to mythology, he passed down this knowledge to early humans.
Image source: Carole Raddato, wikipedia.org
#35 You Can Chew On The Rock-Hard Chhurpi Cheese For Hours, Just Like Bubble Gum
Chhurpi is made in Nepal from yak milk. It’s a great source of protein and fats in the harsh winter months. It’s considered one of the hardest cheeses in the world. You’ll need to chew quite a bit to get it to soften.
Image source: Krish Dulal, Neelima Vallangi
#36 The Largest Cheese Sculpture Weighs Over 3,000 Pounds
It was created from a single block of aged cheddar. The sculpture features an alligator in a chef’s hat cooking a turkey.
#37 U.S. President Andrew Jackson Received 1,400 Pounds Of Cheddar Cheese As A Gift From A Dairy Farmer
The president left it in the White House to age. Two years later in 1837, he hosted an open house for the public to share the cheese. The “Big Cheese” event became Jackson’s legacy.
#38 There’s A Cheese Made From Bacteria Collected From Human Toes
In an experiment, scientists took microbial strains from toes, armpits, belly buttons, and mouths. They added milk, lactobacillus, and compounds to the culture to make different varieties of cheese. That takes “grow your own food” to the next level!
#39 In 2013, Only One Dry Jack Was Entered In The American Cheese Competition. It Came Third.
The judges left the first and second spots empty.
#40 Traces Of Cheese Were Found On 7,200-Year-Old Pottery In Croatia
The discovery made from two Neolithic villages on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast indicates the earliest evidence of cheese-making in the Mediterranean.
#41 The Largest Cheese-Tasting Event Involved 1,000 Participants
Another Guinness Record involving cheese: nearly 1,000 people in Australia came together to attend the largest cheese-tasting event ever.
#42 Not All Cheese Names Are Equal – Some Are Capitalized, Some Not
Cheeses named after cities or towns are capitalized. For example, Gouda, Parmesan, and Brie are capitalized, but mozzarella is written in lowercase.
#43 Shredded And Crumbled Cheeses Lose Their Smell And Texture Quickly
Love buying pre-grated cheese from the supermarket? You are not going to get enough flavor from it, especially if you store it for a long time. Grated cheese has a large surface area, which means it’s exposed to more oxidation. This can change its flavor and aroma.
#44 Wisconsin Produces 2.6 Billion Pounds Of Cheese Every Year
Some more cheese fun facts: Wisconsin is the largest cheese producer in America. It makes over 600 different varieties. It is also the only state that offers a master cheesemaker program – on par with the rigorous standards of European programs.
#45 The Highest Number Of Strips Peeled From String Cheese In One Minute Is 33
This Guinness World Record was achieved by Mami Endo in Japan.
Image source: Chris Hsia, guinnessworldrecords.com
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