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Wisconsin cheese is cheese made in the
Soon, dairy farms sprang up around Wisconsin, and farmers began producing cheese to preserve excess milk. In 1841, Anne Pickett established Wisconsin's first commercial cheese factory, using milk from neighbors' cows. A century later, Wisconsin was home to more than 1,500 cheese factories, which produced more than 500 million pounds of cheese per year.
Wisconsin has long been identified with cheese; in the words of a 2006 ''
*
"The Swiss Cheese Industry in Wisconsin"
''Wisconsin Magazine of History'', vol. 10, no, 1 (September 1926): 42–52. * Norton, James R. and Becca Dilley. ''The Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin''. Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, 2009.
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
History of Cheese in Wisconsin
The Rise of Cheese in America's Dairyland
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board - Cheese Statistics
{{Portal, Food American cheeses Cuisine of Wisconsin Wisconsin culture
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. Wisconsin has a long tradition and history of cheese production and it is widely associated in popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
with cheese and the dairy industry
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
.
History
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
's cheesemaking
Cheesemaking (or caseiculture) is the craft of making cheese. The production of cheese, like many other food preservation processes, allows the nutritional and economic value of a food material, in this case milk, to be preserved in concentr ...
tradition dates back to the 19th century. European immigrants who settled in Wisconsin were drawn to its fertile fields.
Soon, dairy farms sprang up around Wisconsin, and farmers began producing cheese to preserve excess milk. In 1841, Anne Pickett established Wisconsin's first commercial cheese factory, using milk from neighbors' cows. A century later, Wisconsin was home to more than 1,500 cheese factories, which produced more than 500 million pounds of cheese per year.
Wisconsin has long been identified with cheese; in the words of a 2006 ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' article, "Cheese is the state’s history, its pride, its self-deprecating, sometimes goofy, cheesehead
Cheesehead is a nickname in the United States for a person from Wisconsin or for a fan of the Green Bay Packers NFL football franchise.
Current usage
Wisconsin is associated with cheese because the state historically produced more dairy produ ...
approach to life." Wisconsin has claimed the title of the largest cheese-producing state in the United States since 1910. In 2006, Wisconsin produced 2.4 billion pounds of cheese and held onto its top ranking, despite concerns that California's faster-growing cheese industry would soon surpass Wisconsin's production. In 2007, Wisconsin again held onto its lead, which had begun to grow slightly. In 2010, Wisconsin's cheese production rose to 2.6 billion pounds (requiring the state cheese industry to import a substantial amount of milk from other states to meet production needs). In 2014, Wisconsin produced 2.9 billion pounds of cheese, accounting for 25.4% of all cheese produced in the U.S.
As of 2013, Wisconsin continues to be the largest cheese producer in the United States, making over 600 different cheese varieties. Wisconsin is the only U.S. state that requires that a licensed cheesemaker
Cheesemaking (or caseiculture) is the craft of making cheese. The production of cheese, like many other food preservation processes, allows the nutritional and economic value of a food material, in this case milk, to be preserved in concentrat ...
supervise the making of commercial cheese. It is also the only state to offer a master cheesemaker program, which is patterned on the rigorous standards of similar programs in Europe.
See also
* Cheese curd
Cheese curds are moist pieces of curdled milk, eaten either alone or as a snack, or used in prepared dishes. They are consumed throughout the northern United States and Canada. Notably, cheese curds are popular in Quebec, as part of the dish p ...
* Colby cheese
Colby is a semi-hard orange cheese made from cow's milk. It is named after the city of Colby, Wisconsin, US, where it was first developed in 1885 and quickly became popular.
Colby is manufactured in a similar process as cheddar cheese. Instea ...
* Cold pack cheese
* Cheesehead
Cheesehead is a nickname in the United States for a person from Wisconsin or for a fan of the Green Bay Packers NFL football franchise.
Current usage
Wisconsin is associated with cheese because the state historically produced more dairy produ ...
* Cuisine of Wisconsin
References
Further reading
* Apps, Jerold W. ''Cheese: The Making of a Wisconsin Tradition''. Amherst, Wis.: Amherst Press, 1998. * Emery, J. Q"The Swiss Cheese Industry in Wisconsin"
''Wisconsin Magazine of History'', vol. 10, no, 1 (September 1926): 42–52. * Norton, James R. and Becca Dilley. ''The Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin''. Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, 2009.
External links
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
History of Cheese in Wisconsin
The Rise of Cheese in America's Dairyland
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board - Cheese Statistics
{{Portal, Food American cheeses Cuisine of Wisconsin Wisconsin culture