Really random question about cheese

[PastMidnight]

Does anyone know what types of cheese a middle or upper class American in the early 20th century might be familiar with? I've seen mentions of Limburger. What else? I don't know how to research this one, at least not from this side of the pond.

[alleycat]

I'll throw in Cheddar.

If by early 20th Century you mean up to, say, 1920, then probably an upper-class American would be familiar with most of the cheeses in the world then in production; especially the English, French and Italian varieties.

I would still guess the most common cheeses purchased would be Cheddar, Swiss, and the best-known of the French types. I'm no cheese expert however, so this is a guess.

[BottomlessCup]

Cheddar
Swiss
Mozzarella
Blue - (for upper class, make that Stilton, Gorgonzola, etc.)
Gouda
Parmesan
Cottage
maybe Feta

Processed cheese started in 1915. Velveeta in 1928. Both exploded in popularity very quickly.

[Puma]

Hi - My Dad's Father had a grocery store in the early (very early) 1900's. They sold wheels of cheese at the store. I'm not sure about exact varieties, but I do know they were yellow cheese (and my Dad loved sharp cheese). So, my guess would be they had a sharp of some kind and a colby-Longhorn type. Dad used to talk about cutting the triangular wedges from the wheels for customers and cutting the mold off from the rind. Hope that helps a bit. Puma

[robeiae]

Cheddar and Leicester (sp?)would probably be the most common types.

Factory-like production (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese#Modern_era) of cheeses started in the U.S. in the mid-19th century and accelerated rapidly.

Kraft started making processed cheese near the start of WWI, and that took off like wildfire.

But for the upper class, there's really no reason to assume they followed this pattern. Really, they could have any type, if they lived in urban areas. It was harder, especially in summer, to get for rural areas, so they would probably have to "make do" with the common stuff.

Also, cheese wasn't a big staple item in the U.S. at the beginning of the 20th century. It boomed thanks to Kraft.

[BardSkye]

Wouldn't there have been a lot of cheeses made by the local farmers?

What about cheese curds? That was something quite common where I grew up (Quebec) yet almost unheard-of in Calgary when I moved here. (Of course there are considerably fewer dairy farms here.)

Mmm. Never met a cheese I didn't like. I'll ask my dad the next time I talk to him if he can think of what cheeses were available when he was a kid.

[johnnysannie]

Colby-longhorn (with a rind) would likely have been most common for the average folk along with cottage cheese. Upper classes would have had more options....ethnic choices would have also been different than the average. Cup cheese was another old-fashioned cheese that we don't see much of today but would have been around.

[PastMidnight]

Thanks for the suggestions! When reading contemporary accounts, people always just seem to mention eating 'cheese', and so I'm never quite sure what this refered to. I'm sure that often it was just a local variety, as BardSkye pointed out. I am trying to come up with specific types of cheese that a character can list by name and you've given me some ideas.

[Brickie]

Cheddar and Leicester (sp?)would probably be the most common types.


Wow, an American who can spell Leicester!

Can you pronounce it, for a bonus mark? :D

[robeiae]

I can spell "Swiss," too.

[BardSkye]

"Lee-chester?"

Personally I'm partial to Wensleydale with apricots but can usually only find it here right around Christmas.

If my dad's home today, I'll ask him. (Haven't seen him for a while.)