How Well Do You Know Your Cheese?

How Well Do You Know Your Cheese?

    Are you a big cheese lover and think that you know your cheese pretty well? There are over 2,000 different types of cheese, each with its own history and flavor. Here are some fun facts about all things cheese for you on this beautiful Friday to better appreciate your favorite food!

1. Cheese is the result of curdled milk, which means that it's a dairy! A fun fact about dairy, in general, is that June happens to be National Dairy Month. 

2. Did you know that the most popular cheese recipe in the United States is, no surprise, Mac and Cheese? Everyone loves it so much that it even has its own day! July 14th is National Mac and Cheese Day. 

3. To make one pound of cheese, you need to have ten pounds of milk, but it also depends on what kind of milk is being used. A lot of the time, cheese is made by using pasteurized milk or raw milk. The cheese must be aged for longer than 60 days when raw milk is used.

4. Queen Victoria once received a giant wheel of cheddar cheese as a wedding gift in 1840! Cheddar cheese wasn't always known as yellow cheese. Flavorless annatto seed is added to make your favorite cheese orange colored.

5. Can you believe that cheese was discovered by accident? More than seven thousand years ago, by carrying milk in the linings of animals, a bacteria rennet was found that ended up curdling the milk. It's thanks to them that we can enjoy so much of it today!

6. In the United States, Wisconsin wins the prize for producing the most amount of cheese in the country! Each year they make more than 2.5 billion pounds of cheese. California is behind them in second place.

7. Have you ever wondered how cheese got its name? It was actually based on the Latin word casein. The original definition is "to ferment, become sour." 

8. The oldest cheese known is called Bitto Storico. It's been known as the world's most edible cheese and is from Italy. This cheese gets aged for up to 18 years! That's longer than just about every other cheese around.

9. To no surprise, the most popular popcorn flavor happens to be cheese!

10. Gouda cheese alone is about 60% of the world's most eaten cheese. This seems to be surprising, considering its harder texture. 

  We hope that you've learned something new about your favorite delectable today! This is only the beginning of what there is to learn about cheese. Let us know what you found the most interesting among these facts and if we should share some more fun information in the future. For all things cheese related, make sure to keep up with Bunker Hill Cheese!