United States Cheese: American Originals and Artisan Cheeses

A newer artisan scene, with goat cheeses like Humboldt Fog, sits beside them.

This page covers the main American cheeses, the federal rules that define several of them and how to shop for them, then points to the deeper state guides.

United States cheese at a glance

Here is United States cheese at a glance, with the cheeses most readers meet first, the milk behind each and what each one is known for.

The site directory lists the cheeses under this page as cards, with flavor and pairing notes for each.

American originals from Wisconsin and California

American originals are the cheeses first worked out in the United States rather than copied from a European name, and two states account for most of them.

Wisconsin gave the country brick and Colby. Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin says brick cheese was created in 1877 by cheesemaker John Jossi and named for the bricks used to press the curds. Bacteria smeared on the rind turn a mild, nutty young cheese pungent as it ages. Colby came in 1885, near the town it is named for, and the Wisconsin guide covers both along with Limburger. The cheese is moister and softer than cheddar because the cheddaring step is skipped; the Colby and Colby-Jack page explains the difference.

Monterey Jack and the California story

Monterey Jack is California's contribution, and its origin is disputed. A local-history essay from the Monterey County Historical Society lays out competing claims: Franciscan friars carrying a Spanish cheese style, Doña Juana Cota de Boronda selling "Queso del País" door to door, and the landowner David Jacks, who ran 14 dairy ranches and marketed it as "Jacks' Cheese." The same essay says the FDA sanctioned the name "Monterey Jack" on October 5, 1955. Add chilies and you have Pepper Jack.

Federal rules for United States cheese

Federal rules for United States cheese come from the FDA's standards of identity in 21 CFR Part 133, which define many cheeses by minimum fat and maximum moisture.

Two examples show how this works. The cheddar standard requires at least 50 percent milkfat in the solids and no more than 39 percent moisture, and it lists coloring as an optional ingredient, which is why some cheddar is orange and some white. The cream cheese standard requires at least 33 percent milkfat and at most 55 percent moisture, and describes a cheese made from pasteurized dairy ingredients with lactic cultures and clotting enzymes.

Raw milk has its own limit. The soft ripened cheese standard says that if the milk is unpasteurized, the cheese must be cured at no less than 35°F (2°C) for at least 60 days. That is one reason raw-milk American cheeses are aged ones. The raw-milk cheese page covers the risks.

Unlike the EU, the United States has no system of protected cheese names that works like PDO. The PDO and PGI guide explains what those labels mean when you see them on imports.

The American artisan cheese scene

The American artisan cheese scene is the small-producer movement that makes cheese with local milk and slow aging, instead of competing with factory blocks. Humboldt Fog, a pasteurized goat's-milk cheese from Cypress Grove with a line of edible vegetable ash through the middle, is its best-known goat cheese.

The scene is spread across states. Vermont leans on farmstead cheddar and clothbound wheels, and the American artisan cheese guide maps the rest, including the American Cheese Society's annual competition.

How Americans use cheese

How Americans use cheese is shaped by the melters. Colby, Monterey Jack and cheddar go into burgers, sandwiches and quesadillas, cream cheese goes on bagels and into cheesecake. Add the Tex-Mex tradition and you see why the country's everyday cheeses are mild and low in moisture rather than sharp and aged: they are built to melt.

For a board, one to two ounces per person works as an appetizer, and the cheese per person guide has the rest.

What most United States cheese lists get wrong

Most United States cheese lists get one thing wrong: they treat American cheese as only the processed slice. The country's real list is longer, and it is dated. Brick is from 1877 and Colby from 1885, so these are 19th-century inventions, not modern imitations.

They also overlook that US standards define moisture and fat, not place. A cheese labeled cheddar must meet the 50 percent and 39 percent figures wherever it was made, so Vermont and Wisconsin cheddar can both be true to the standard while tasting nothing alike. Age and makers decide flavor, and the label tells you little else.

Questions about United States cheese

These are the most common questions about United States cheese.

What cheese is the United States known for?

United States cheese is best known for cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack and cream cheese, with brick and Colby both invented in Wisconsin.

Is Colby an American cheese?

Colby is an American cheese: Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin credits its development to Wisconsin in 1885.

Does the United States have protected cheese names?

The United States has federal standards of identity for many cheeses, such as the 50 percent milkfat minimum for cheddar, but they define composition rather than place of origin.

Why is raw-milk cheese aged in the United States?

Raw-milk cheese is aged in the United States because the FDA's soft ripened cheese standard requires unpasteurized-milk cheese to be cured at 35°F or above for at least 60 days.

Where did Monterey Jack come from?

Where Monterey Jack came from is California's Monterey area, though historians dispute whether friars, Doña Juana Cota de Boronda or David Jacks deserves the credit.

Where to start with United States cheese

Start with United States cheese by tasting Colby and brick side by side, then add a Monterey Jack and a goat cheese like Humboldt Fog. Next, read the state guides above and use the pairing guide to match them with beer or wine.