American Cheese? Yes, Please! (Processed Slices In Plastic Not Included)

With all the patriotic revelry that goes on around this time of year, I found myself thinking about what our country does and makes well, and what foods we are best known for (everything turns into food trivia for me), when a commercial for American cheese slices comes on the TV.

How did this happen? How did some over-processed, rubbery flat orange square wrapped in plastic come to represent our country’s cheesemaking? I felt ashamed.

I grew up on the stuff, used to love it, but I’m convinced it’s more about the mouthfeel than the taste. In a grilled cheese sandwich, it’s creamy, salty and crispy: a sure-fire combo to please your palate. But is it really cheese at all?

The history of American cheese begins with English settlers making cheddar and shipping it back to England. The British called it American or Yankee cheese. It was inferior in quality but cheap and readily available.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Creative Loafing.