Cheddar cheese vs. American 'cheddar' cheese?

I would kill to find good sharp cheddar here in Hungary. I can find a UK import, but not as good as a top notch American equivalent. How the heck do you do a good grilled cheese? Wait, that just reminded me of a cheese toasty sandwich I got under a bridge near the Globe Theater in London. Hands down the best grilled cheese (cheddar) i have ever had .... to this day.

Unpopular opinion warning: First, I think few have any standard to judge "Cheddar" cheese. Yes, you could probably find a cheddar made in Cheddar, but the only company operating started in 2003, so about all you can say is that "Cheddar" is a process not something specific to a "domain" or Terroir.

To that end, Yes, many places make great "Cheddar" cheese, sure the bay area thinks much of themselves, but Vermont, Oregon, and Wisconsin do a much more than average job, in fact producing World class cheddars.

Paul, popular or not ..... very true.

Cheddar actually isn’t a protected category. It’s made everywhere and any cheese can use the name legally. There are lots of protected products in Europe, such as Champagne and parmesan, but the laws don’t apply in the US.

Cheddar is not a protected name legally unlike Stilton, which cannot legally be made in Stilton.

Champagne was invented in England but legally can only be called Champagne if made in Champagne.

I thought the difference was that American cheddar is orange : )

I'm not sure if there are objective criteria to define "cheddar-ness" but I think good is a matter of personal taste. For most people I know, it comes sliced in a package with a blue and red label. Anything else is showing off.

Whenever I hear “American” cheese, I think of Kraft singles, or similar sliced cheese used on sandwiches for little kids, or that you need to melt easily. I certainly wouldn’t call it cheddar, or even real cheese. Then again, I am from Wisconsin and we have pretty high standards when it comes to cheese. I did eat plenty of “American” growing up until I developed a taste for the good stuff like cheddar and Colby.

No disrespect to SF, but Wisconsin is the Cheese State. My wife and I regularly go to Monroe, WI, mainly to visit cheese stores and stock up. Even Michigan has two well known "cheese towns", Pinconning, and Linwood, which make and sell a lot of cheese. My wife's favorite cheese is a Coby cheese (similar to cheddar), and it has to come from Linwood. Last month I stocked up with Raclette cheese (hard to find, but a cheese store in Pinconning had some).

CindyB: Speaking of cheese, I am sorry your cheeseheads did not get their team into the playoffs...

CindyB, I think the OP was referring to American brand cheddar, not American cheese (which IMO barely qualifies as cheese, but is a "cheese-like product" like Velveeta or Kraft singles).

AFIK, Cheddar has never been a protected designation like Parm Reggiano or Stilton, and quality can vary from excellent to gawd awful depending on brand and regardless of place of origin. Also, there are orange English cheddars just as there are white North American ones. To a certain degree it may be a matter of taste. Some like it sharp and crumbly, others like it milder and smoother.

My preference is for a sharp aged cheddar. Our current favourite is a 5 yr old white, made in from an Ontario company thats been making it for over 140 years. It's as good, if not better than some of the aged cheddar we've had in England.

George Carlin did a great bit about Kraft Singles -- the board is sitting around for the presentation on this new product and their response is that they think we will have to put the word 'food' right on the label so buyers will know what it's supposed to be: pasteurized processed cheese FOOD.

Otherwise they might think it's a nightlight.

Yes, Bay Area people think a lot of themselves, but only because they merit it. All the Vermont and Wisconsin ad infinitum cheeses that you love and praise are available in our traiteurs and comptoirs along with the best of Humboldt County and every other prized cheese-making area in North America, and of the UK and the EU and South and Southeast Asia and East Asia and Oceania. We're not as strong as we might be on the Baltics and Eastern Europe -- I've seen better in Chicago and Phila -- but in my case that doesn't matter since I don't like most of what comes from anywhere farther north than Paris.

I did not know that the Asian countries were also renown for their cheddars. Learn something new every day.

It’s really hard to beat our Oregon Tillamook cheddar cheeses and Rogue River blues. And Mr. E, try havarti cheese on sour dough bread for your next grilled cheese.

along with the best of Humboldt County and every other prized cheese-making area in North America, and of the UK and the EU and South and Southeast Asia and East Asia and Oceania.

We had a month-long trip in Viêt Nam and Cambodia (aka Kampuchea) in November, and never came across cheese of any kind. Huh. India’s got fantastic paneer, but other parts of that enormous continent? Perhaps that was a typo.

A PBS fundraiser program last year, “England Made With Love,” showed a fancy milliner, a renowned Savile Row tailor, a master roof thatcher, an artisanal ceramic teapot producer, a restorative book bindery, custom watchmakers, a bespoke shoemaker, a tweed blanket operation, a wood-turning bowl maker, a hand-made umbrella business, a special globe maker, and yes, the couple who started making cheddar, aging it in caves in Cheddar. I fancied visiting them on a future trip, and then venturing on to Wales, as well. Here’s their Website, for The Only Cheddar Made in Cheddar - https://www.cheddargorgecheese.com/ . Arguably, any type or style of cheese made there would still be Cheddar cheese, just as every restaurant in China is a Chinese restaurant, even if they serve French (or whatever) recipes.

As someone who currently has 15 different types of cheese in the house, and a deep appreciation of cheddar especially, I'll offer a couple comments.

If you like Tillamook cheddar, which is quite good, try to get their older ones, which they do sell from the factory but I've never seen in the supermarkets. They do have 3 & 5 year old cheddars. I usually call if I'm down on the coast of Oregon and make a point to stop by if they are selling such, which they do not always do.

You can get cheddar in France, and nice ones too. But they are usually only in the cheese shops. The large Carrefour near me in St Avold has cheddar at the counter, not in the aisles, (This means they sell it cut off a block, by weight, not prepackaged.) In Nancy I found some at a very good shop, but it was quite obvious they don't sell much of it. It really helps to speak the local lingo.

I have a 18 month old "Grand" that's quite sharp and very much like a cheddar that | got in France, along with several other cheeses from the same shopping spree. I also picked up an aged Gold in Frankfurt that's very similar and goes very well with red wine. I get English cheddars every couple months when one of my friends goes over the Channel to visit family, and there are a couple brands that are available in the store locally.

I have family in Wisconsin and used to receive care packages on a regular basis, but that's out now due to shipping issues.

What I have found is that there's more variation between manufacturers than can be laid strictly on location. There are some fairly poor American cheeses sold as cheddar. There are some extremely good cheeses that resemble cheddar sold under different names. Half the stuff in my stock doesn't have a specific "name". "Rustic" is a category that covers a lot of ground over here.

If I had to say any one thing that sets the English apart from a lot of the others is that it's not as hard when it gets older. And that's pretty broad.

And since I'm still learning to appreciate the verities offered in this part of the world I don't pay as much attention to the name as to the taste and texture.

The term “ cheddar” refers not to the place but to a process in cheesemaking. Specifically, “ cheddering” or “ cheddering off”, refers to cutting and stacking the cheese curds and pressing them to help release and drain off the whey.

https://clovercreekcheese.com/2018/02/15/cheddaring-is-a-verb/

My personal favorite cheddar is Beecher’s, a local Seattle product made in the Pike Place Market, where you can watch the cheesemaking in action through large windows which you enjoy some signature Beecher’s Mac and Cheese,

https://beechershandmadecheese.com/

https://beechershandmadecheese.com/products/flagship/

The best cheddar (Swiss, Buffalo, etc.) is the one on my plate.

Well, we can learn about places outside of Europe here on the forum too, I suppose.

For your information:

https://www.cheeseprofessor.com/blog/all-the-cheese-in-china

+1 Margie and Lola. I will add Face Rock and Cougar Gold.

Yes, Oregon Cheddar seems to be doing quite well.

[snip]

Tillamook Creamery Maker’s Reserve 2014 Extra Sharp White Cheddar was pronounced the “Best Cheddar in the World” at the World Cheese Awards in Portugal.

The creamery’s Maker’s Reserve cheeses are all white cheddars and are aged for at least three years, according to the Tillamook website.
An array of Oregon cheeses have won national and international honors in recent years.

Orkney Cheddar Cheese does have Protected Geographical Indicator Status because of the very unusual way it is made (the dry stir technique)- https://www.orkneycheddar.co.uk/

And it definitely is a unique cheddar as well, part of which of course comes from the Orkney milk, arising from what the cows eat.

If you travel on Northlink ferries it is used in the galley for meals (they are very proud of the amount of both Orkney and Shetland produce used). And also available to buy in the on board shop.

Like much Orkney produce (and there are also other unique island cheeses) it can be purchased at home from the Orkney Hamper Company.

Your link about All the Cheese in China is interesting, avi. It does say

China is not known for its cheeses. In fact, ask most people in the country, and they’ll tell you that Chinese people traditionally don’t eat cheese at all. For most of the country, dairy products are exotic Western ingredients that have only recently become popular in coffee shops that serve elaborate cappuccinos and American-style dishes like pizza and pasta…when I first visited China just a couple of decades ago, most of the people I met had never tried cheese.

Historically, however, there was cheese in China…Dairy was a regular part of China’s medieval diet…Today, these cheeses are a distant memory, and people in the country’s south and east do not eat cheese as part of their regular diet. But the idea that there is no cheese in contemporary China still ignores a large swath of the country—the areas to the north and west historically populated by China’s many minority groups.

I imagine we’re all a long way from there being any debate as to the merits of Shanghai or Beijing cheddar cheese vs. English or even American versions.

Another big fan of the Oregon Tillamook cheese! Our kids learned at a young age that the “boat cheese” was the one brand to select at the store. (Their logo had a boat on it.). But I don’t like their yogurt! For that category it’s definitely Ellenos!

Jean--I agree! It's funny, growing up on OR and always having Tillamook cheese in the house I did not realize how fortunate we were until we moved to the east coast. I am far from an expert on cheese, but even I knew in my 20's that other stuff did not compare. I used to bring it back with me every time we came home to visit. Same with Johnny's Seasoning. We had one mover who was packing our stuff and was so excited to see the seasoning. When he delivered our stuff after the cross country move, I gave him a huge bottle of it. You should have seen the smile he had on his face:)

Cheddar has never been a protected designation like Parm Reggiano or Stilton, and quality can vary from excellent to gawd awful depending on brand and regardless of place of origin.

The “West Country Farmhouse Cheddar” is a protected designation of origin for the original from England, more precisely: from the counties of Somerset, Cornwall, Dorset and Devon.

Years ago, when living in Bielefeld Germany, my then teenaged son asked me to make an American style dinner for some of his school friends, I went to a large grocery store to find ingredients for macaroni and cheese and other things on our menu. After looking through the large offering of cheeses I asked the man behind the counter for cheddar cheese. He couldn’t understand my accent I’m sure but eventually he did and said, Auch Englander Käsa, with a bad look and a big shudder. They didn’t have any so I chose 3-4 other cheeses but it wasn’t quite the same. The teenaged kids seemed to like it. The menu was fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, Cole slaw and brownies, all made from scratch.

Mr. E, add some sliced tomatoes to that havarti on sour dough, and if you really want to go crazy, add a couple fresh basil leaves. Yum!

american cheese typically taste better with meat, just my personal opinion :D

Wanderlust58, and bacon!!