Cheddar

Cheddar takes its name from Cheddar, a village in Somerset, England, itself derived from Old English ceodor, meaning a deep dark cavity or gorge — a reference to the dramatic limestone gorge that defines the landscape. The cheese was made there at least as early as the 12th century; a 1170 royal purchase recorded King Henry II buying 10,240 pounds of it. The place named the cheese, and the cheese eventually eclipsed the place in global recognition.

Traditional cheddar is made by a process called cheddaring: after the curds form, they are cut, stacked, and repeatedly turned and compressed, expelling whey and developing the cheese's characteristic texture. The cheddar gorge provided the ideal conditions — constant cool temperatures, limestone caves that controlled humidity. Local cheesemakers stored their wheels in those caverns, and the cave environment shaped the flavour.

The British Empire dispersed cheddar cheesemaking across its territories in the 19th century. Settlers brought recipes to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. American dairy industrialists in the 1850s developed the factory-production method, replacing farmhouse craft with economies of scale. Wisconsin alone produces more cheddar than the entire United Kingdom. The global cheddar that fills supermarket shelves is often softer, blander, and more uniform than any wheel that ever aged in a Somerset cave.

Protected Designation of Origin laws in the European Union recognise West Country Farmhouse Cheddar as geographically specific. The generic name cheddar, however, is available to any producer worldwide. A Somerset farmer and a Wisconsin dairy cooperative both make cheddar, legally and simultaneously. The gorge and the gorge's name belong to a village; the cheese belongs to the world.