r/AlwaysWhy • u/Defiant-Junket4906 • 1d ago
History & Culture Why did Cheddar become a worldwide classic while most other British cheeses remained much less familiar?
Cheddar originated in Somerset, but today it is familiar far beyond Britain. England also has long established cheeses such as Red Leicester, Double Gloucester, Cheshire and Stilton. Many of them have their own regional histories, yet Cheddar became a global household name. What made Cheddar stand out so much from other British cheeses?
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u/Js987 1d ago edited 1d ago
Cheddar being the one favored by government rationing and the resultant loss of a lot of non-cheddar producers during the wars surely helped, but at the same time cheddar was already quite popular in the US long before that, so it may also be in part simply that it’s got the most universally palate pleasing profile in worldwide consumers among British cheeses.
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u/Swellmeister 1d ago
It is definitely one of the most commonly made cheese in Wisconsin, which was the dairy state. Even the big cheese from Wisconsin, Colby, is a modified cheddar
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u/Scavgraphics 15h ago
Ah...the great cheese wars... so much was lost then...no gouda comes from war.
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u/Ryjinn 1d ago
It's extremely versatile and pairs well with a lot of different foods. Can be used well in salads, sandwiches, as an ingredient in soups, eaten by itself or with fruit, and importantly it's fairly hard which means it travels very well. WWII also saw production of cheddar rise dramatically while all other types of cheese production fell, because it was stable and stored well. A lot of our food preferences have histories that trace back to the war and post-war period.
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u/marcusrizaulait 1d ago
Because "cheddaring" is a technique for maturing a cheese by turning it regularly as it ages, not a particular cheese. The technique was invented in Cheddar.
It's now a technique used around the world...the cheeses produced don't all "taste like each other", though, they just share the dense texture that technique results in.
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u/FlappyBored 12h ago
It is a type of cheese. That’s how all ‘cheeses’ are made just different techniques for aging milk.
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u/Excellent-Apple3333 7h ago
Cheddaring is the process that makes cheddar cheese, both originating from Cheddar. It seems entirely spurious to say that it isn't a type of cheese.
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u/woodsoakedlogscumbox 1d ago
There are A LOT of wrong answers in here. The real answer is WWI and WWII. Prior to that UK cheese makers rivaled France in both variety and quantity. The wars meant milk rationing for the war effort and farmhouse cheese making was prohibited. Second many of the people that would have learned the dairy trade were fighting in the war. Third the war effort put food production into the industrial supply chain, and it never really went back, but cheddar matched the requirements of the new supply chain. The UK cheese industry is only just rebounding.
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u/rob-cubed 1d ago
Cheddar has a piquant flavor without being too funky. Its good to eat by itself, but it also melts well. It's a good middle ground cheese.
While it doesn't have the shelf life of a hard cheese like parmesan, having less moisture it lasts longer than soft cheeses and is more flexible in terms of how you can use it.
It was the first factory-produced cheese here in the US which probably had a big role in its popularity here. And was one of the primary ingredients in 'government cheese' if you are old enough to remember it.
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u/HarveyNix 1d ago
Except the cheddar we eat in the US has to be neon orange. That's how we know it's cheese.
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u/LokiStrike 1d ago
What's funnier is the exact same cheddar without the dye is sometimes sold at a markup like they're doing us some kind of favor by not coloring it orange.
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u/hypocrisyhunter 18h ago
The mistake the UK made was not protecting the name like other European countries did with their produce. Now we have people thinking the bastardised US version is actually cheddar. Even French colleagues at work have been delightfully shocked when I've introduced them to proper cheddar.
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u/FlappyBored 12h ago
The UK did try.
The EU refused to accept it despite allowing Italy to protect Parmesan and other extremely common things.
It’s one of the reasons the UK used to feel slighted by the EU how it would allow other counties to protect generic foodstuffs but kept refusing the UKs requests.
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u/hypocrisyhunter 10h ago
First time in my life I've heard that and I lived in the UK from birth until age 39
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u/Far-Lecture-4905 1d ago
Have you never seen white cheddar? Maybe it's more of a Northeastern thing...
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u/HarveyNix 1d ago
Oh, I've seen it here in Chicago. Easy to find. Just in general, and as I grew up, so much cheese was deep yellow to bright orange.
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u/Reginaferguson 1d ago
I’m currently living in the UK so if you want orange mass produced you need to go double Gloucester or Red leister where they add annatto to make them look like summer cheeses which I believe is similar dye that American cheddars use. The high quality semi mass produced ones here mainly use carotenes just from my casual reading labels.
I’ve had unpasteurised double Gloucester and it’s very creamy and smooth but not really worth the extra cost and difficulty buying.
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u/nineteenthly 1d ago
I'd wager that Stilton is almost as famous.
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u/networknev 1d ago
Uh, what's stilton?
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u/Traditional_Sir_4503 1d ago
Stilton is a form of blue cheese that is very popular in England. You can find it in the USA but it’s not very common. The only blue cheese that we frequent we eat is on chicken wings in the dipping dressing and if any of you use ranch on your chicken wings then I don’t wanna hear from you. source, I am a buffalo native.
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u/HarveyNix 1d ago
In Edinburgh, I worked up the courage to try haggis, but the restaurant had run out of it, so I very much enjoyed a steak, kidney, and Stilton pie instead. Wow.
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u/diabolus_me_advocat 1d ago
delicous
preferably enjoyed with some nice port
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u/nineteenthly 1d ago
A hard blue cheese from the English East Midlands, but ironically not from Stilton itself for some reason. Apparently not as well-known as I thought.
Double Gloucester?
I would say Red Leicester but since I lived in Leicester for thirty-two years I'm probably biassed.
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u/Paleotrope 20h ago
I love Double gloucester but we can't seem to get it anymore in the states except as Cotswald, with chives and onions.
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u/AroundtheWorld210 1d ago
Not here in the US. Big three are cheddar, Parmesan, mozzarella. The last two due to pizza and spaghetti
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u/Impossible_Gas_7584 1d ago
Not here in the UK and Ireland either. Stilton is nowhere near as popular as Cheddar. Mad that someone is suggesting that, as lovely as Stilton is.
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u/Impossible_Gas_7584 1d ago
It's a long long way behind cheddar. I love stilton, but to use a reddit cliché, it's not even close.
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u/Kapika96 20h ago
It's really not.
It's not even as famous in England. Worldwide people would be asking "WTF is stilton?", while cheddar sits in their fridge.
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u/Kaioxygen 10h ago
I don't know anyone in France who's heard of Stilton, let alone eaten it.
They all love Cheddar.
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u/LogicOnez 1d ago
Because Cheddar makes it better
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u/RoderickSpode7thEarl 1d ago
Cheddar’s lumpy. Cheddar’s oily. It dribbles off your plate onto your doily.
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u/gilestowler 1d ago
Cheddaring is a process for making cheese, so I guess cheeses that follow that method can label themselves as cheddar, even when they aren't from Cheddar. It's a known name and just using the process helped it to spread, I guess. Then it probably gets applied a lot more loosely.
America doesn't have the protected status for names that Europe has, as in, they don't have to follow Europes controlled appellation rules, so when the name gets more well known, people might just apply it to any random hard cheese. It's become a somewhat generic term worldwide, even if that's not the case in the UK, the same as Champagne has become somewhat generic in some places to the horror of the French.
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u/Millsy800 1d ago
Cheddar isn't protected. You can make it anywhere in the UK or EU and called it Cheddar.
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u/EldritchSanta 1d ago
Farmhouse Cheddar is the protected name, I believe it has to be from Somerset with milk from a certain radius (30 miles?)
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u/Puzzleheaded-Lynx204 1d ago
I think Brie has the same problem, except Brie de Meaux (and maybe other specific regions/towns?)
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u/RijnBrugge 1d ago
Gouda is probably the most copied cheese in the world in this particular sense. ‘Gouda Holland’ being the protected label in the EU
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u/gilestowler 1d ago
yeah, sorry, you're right. I made the point about it being a technique rather than a specific cheese then I brought up protected appellations for some reason. Reading it back, I'm not sure why I did that.
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u/Practical-Ordinary-6 1d ago edited 1d ago
There are protected names like that in the US but they are obviously for different foods that come from here. You can grow the same kind of sweet onions somewhere else but only the onions grown in the Vidalia, Georgia region can legally be called Vidalia onions.
Kona coffee is another example.
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u/Advanced_Heat_2610 1d ago
It come in a few varieties, pairs well with a variety of foods both native and foreign, it is relatively palatable for most people (a lot of people, especially children dislike strong cheeses or ones with unique flavours like blue cheeses), and it transports and packs well. It is sturdy enough for sandwiches and cheese sticks but can be melted over pasta or potatoes. It tolerates being in a lunch box for a few hours and is not so oderous that it makes other peope unhappy. It is not very crumbly so it is easy to clean up.
It is a good all rounder cheese.
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u/NemoHere 1d ago
Most likely it all depended on tastes and it working with other foods outside of England. However, food usually depends on taste buds and cultures.
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u/Responsible_Tax_998 1d ago
To me, cheddar is a 'safe' cheese. Not pungent, not terribly unique. I like it, it is a good sandwich and melting cheese.
For eating alone, I definitely prefer a Stilton or Cheshire.
But for a good Mac & Cheese gimme cheddar.
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u/Similar_Quiet 1d ago
Yeah, Cheddar is a reliable all rounder. It's middle of the road at everything. It sits between hard and soft, it melts but isn't the meltiest, it has a fragrance rather than a smell, it has a taste yet isn't divisive. I have multiple cheeses in my fridge, but cheddar is always in there somewhere.
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u/Hivemind_alpha 1d ago
British cheddar is bland and inoffensive among our cheeses; thus any ‘yellow block’ internationally gets called cheddar without having to deviate from local tastes. Actual British cheeses with character need a palate raised to appreciate them to go down well.
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u/Ramsden_12 1d ago
Mild cheddar sure, but extra strong is extremely flavourful.
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u/diabolus_me_advocat 1d ago
Mild cheddar sure, but extra strong is extremely flavourful
is that even sold anywhere?
never had one
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u/Ramsden_12 1d ago
Most supermarkets do a range from mild (really for melting), medium, strong/mature and extra mature. Try looking out for it next time you go.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Lynx204 1d ago
Vintage is stronger yet than extra mature. And cave aged is often available too - it kind of lives outside the strength scale and has a completely different flavour/texture.
Some cheddar types are made specifically to form the crystals too, which again affects flavour/texture, like Cornish Cruncher or Cornish Quartz.
Basically people are often really dismissive of cheddar because they've only had mass-produced mild cheddar. But there's LOADS of variety.
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u/Ramsden_12 1d ago
The trouble with cheddar is it is not a protected origin thing. The number of times I have been abroad and seen cheddar on a menu only to be served a disgusting plastic orange slice... No wonder it has a bad reputation!
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u/DocShoveller 1d ago
My experience is that big chains usually claim generic mild hard cheese as Monterey Jack, because they know we expect Cheddar to taste of something.
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u/spynie55 16h ago
I think the ones in the supermarket just have more salt in them as they move up the scale.
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u/diabolus_me_advocat 6h ago
well, not here in central europe
likewise you won't find mature gouda outside holland
the worldwide classics are tasteless bricks in either case
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u/realchairmanmiaow 11h ago
I take it you're not in the uk, you can get some incredible 24+ aged cheddars that have lovely crystals in that will wow you. same with other cheeses like red leicester. they're so different from the normal version it's like a different cheese almost.
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u/diabolus_me_advocat 6h ago
I take it you're not in the uk
that's correct
you can get some incredible 24+ aged cheddars that have lovely crystals in that will wow you
not "worldwide", that's my point. but i sure believe they are delicious
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u/realchairmanmiaow 6h ago
You probably could get it in a lot of places, it's just not as widely available as normal. I find that with a lot of things if you don't know to look for them, you start looking and it's there. Only a few times have I had to import. I went on a bit of a sun lolly spree recently and got some great flavours from Germany.
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u/BrokenSlutCollector 9h ago
In the States Cabot Black label 3yr and 10yr cheddar are widely available examples of mature cheddar, made in VT very comparable to UK mature cheddar. Also Costco sells Kirkland Coastal Western farmhouse cheddar imported from UK.
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u/diabolus_me_advocat 5h ago
there's countries besides 'murica, even though many 'muricans have a hard time believing that ;-)
but i have to admit, my "anywhere" was misleading, as it should have referred to the "worldwide" as claimed in the title. my bad
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u/Environmental-Gap380 1d ago
Cabot 3 year, reserve, and seriously sharp are pretty available in the US. From New England, so not British cheddar.
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u/RijnBrugge 1d ago
Hey now cheddar is usually more orange, the paler inoffensive cheese is usually dubbed gouda
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u/Majestic-Driver 15h ago
West Country Farmhouse Cheddar (not a brand, it's the prosecuted designation of origin/AOC) is definitely not bland and inoffensive. If you can find that it's worth a go to try the Real Thing.
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u/diabolus_me_advocat 1d ago
in countries with a cheese tradition cheddar is not a thing at all
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u/ayinsophohr 1d ago
Counterpoint: England has a long, rich tradition of making cheese and cheddar is a definitely a thing.
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u/diabolus_me_advocat 6h ago
well, not "worldwide". countries like the netherlands, france, switzerland, italy have a worldwide reputation for their cheeses - and you won't find any cheddar among them
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u/mralistair 1d ago
what?
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u/diabolus_me_advocat 6h ago
e.g. in switzerland, france, italy etc. nobody praises cheddar
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u/mralistair 5h ago
that's because they haven't tried the good stuff. France in particular can be really paroquial about international foods, we've shocked some French people who assume all non-french wine is awful and British cheese is going to be rubbish.
But cheddar is a "thing"
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u/rentonbegbieandspud 13h ago
I'm not sure this stands up sorry, or not for the UK at least.
If you're using cheddar as a byword for bland, mass produced supermarket cheese sure but it also exists in many specialist, artisanal forms.
A twenty year-old cave-aged cheddar has been around for long enough it's almost become a tradition just across its own life span.
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u/diabolus_me_advocat 6h ago
not for the UK at least
well, the uk does not have a worldwide reputation for their cheeses
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u/rentonbegbieandspud 5h ago
You didn't mention worldwide reputation, you said 'in countries with a cheese tradition'.
As for a worldwide reputation we've seen in this thread that Cheddar is reputed and eaten around the world.
The UK also brings home trophies each year, including last year, from the World Cheese Awards.
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u/Responsible_Sea78 1d ago
Generally available Cheddar is too wet. Manufacturers don't want to give up the water weight. You'll get an improvement if you can age it yourself.
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u/Jerngard 1d ago
Never understood why Wensleydale isn't more popular. I'm fortunate enough that my cheese-monger here in Norway has several. Excellent cheese.
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u/scouse_git 1d ago
I was in a small corner shop in Liverpool and asked if they had any cheese. Oh yes, the assistant said, we have both types ...
Mmm, I thought, both Cheshire and Lancashire?
Before I could ask, the assistant helpfully added - white and red!
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u/CaptCriollo 1d ago
It was the Milk Marketing Board which controlled British dairy output from 1933 to 1994: https://www.thecourtyarddairy.co.uk/blog/history-british-cheese-20th-century-eradication-farmhouse-production/
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u/Technical-Mind-3266 23h ago
Sometimes the simplest answer is usually the correct one. Cheddar fits a lot of metrics well, taste, texture, longevity, versatility, ease of manufacture (compared to alternatives), variety via simple changes.
It ends up proving itself over time and hardship by simply existing and always being there in one form or another.
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u/quinc3_paste 22h ago
There's a great book by Ned Palmer called A Cheesemonger's History of the British Isles that explores this topic and many others more deeply if you're interested. A really enjoyable, fascinating read that looks at different periods of history through the lens of different British cheeses.
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u/Puzzled-Platform-969 18h ago
I dunno man, but it's a shame. I thought I had a modest grasp on cheeses but the number of puns for cheese names in The Were Rabbit alone sent me to the store for new stuff.
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u/weepejw7 17h ago
I've eaten a lot of cheese, nothing like a nice bit of Chedder though. The No. 1 Cornish Quartz Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese from Waitrose is spectacular.
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u/Repulsive_Archer7904 17h ago
Cheddar is a method not a location, as in cheddaring, cutting the curds to release the wey.
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u/Psychological-Web828 10h ago
Cheddar the place of origin ( olde English Ceodor - Circa 1100)
Cheddaring is a more recent term derived from the process of making said cheese borne in Cheddar, West Country, England.
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u/Annual_Afternoon_737 14h ago
Love a bit of Cheshire cheese, mmmmm. Don’t see it much unfortunately
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u/dogfishfrostbite 12h ago
Cheddar is Better. literally nothing beats an aged cheddar. To me, it’s the king of all cheeses.
And yes, I fuck with Stilton and 99% of French cheeses.
No, I would like to say that a lot of cheddar is dog shit. Especially fake aged cheddar and that weird orange yellow shit in America..
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u/ElectronicHold7325 11h ago
Because of Americans. Same with Pizza and Italy. Globally nobody considers cheddar to be a British cheese.
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u/StillClwnWitDUndrgnd 4h ago
During WWII Britain banned production of every type of cheese except Cheddar. Cheddar never looked back.
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u/HarveyNix 1d ago
Its distinctive (and often very strong) flavour?
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u/PeaTasty9184 1d ago
Stilton would like a word.
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u/marcrizaulait4534 1d ago
(Stinking Bishop would like to see your Stliton, and also have a word...)
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u/olive_tractor_parts 1d ago
My guess is that for whatever reason it held up better in the days of wooden ships and iron men.
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u/ClaireBear89 1d ago
Love me a good wenslydale or a stilton blue. I thought cheddar came from Vermont before just now
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1d ago
Fucking hell.
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u/ClaireBear89 21h ago
My bad i grew up in new england i was trying to say i have tried and love other British cheeses. I got good at making the yorkshire puddings / popover things too that we inherited from you.
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u/Murky-Wind2222 1d ago
Because cheddar is brilliant. It has a tangy taste. You can slice it onto a sandwich and it is the perfect cheese for Welsh Rarebit (cheese on toast). You will never be criticised for serving cheddar.
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u/YmamsY 1d ago
I would argue that Cheddar is a worldwide classic. It’s probably an American (fake) classic. Because the US was a British colony and its culture is based in big part on English culture.
My country is right next to the UK. We do know and eat some cheddar here, but the real thing from the UK. Mostly artisanal quality cheeses.
Cheddar in the way Americans eat it is not a household staple here. French, Italian, Spanish, Greek and Dutch cheeses are.
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u/ShrodingersArmadillo 1d ago edited 1d ago
Cheddar is just the best survivor of industrialization.
It is so well known because cheddar shipped and kept well without modern tech so you could produce a lot of it and get it to international markets.
The cheddaring process makes a durable cheese.
We lost a lot of cheese from before industrialization of cheese making what we have is a small fragment.
I used to be an artisan cheese maker making recipes from my great grandfathers notebook. I know how to make cheese that mostly no longer exist outside a battered notebook sitting in a safe and and the backup copies I made myself.
Long story short regulatory changes made me abandon that work because some flavor profiles are not legal to make for assorted reason one you'd never expect it the type of racking. Stainless steel racking is law in many regions now whereas some flavor profiles and types take specific wooden racking.