By Billa
While searching the topic of cheese for my Say Cheese dinner (See blog post of November 14, 2021), I came across many interesting tidbits about cheese. So, as part of my table setting, I made up a cheese trivia quiz with the questions written on yellow card stock "cheese" wedges.
See how you fare on my cheese quiz:
Which State in the US produces the most cheese?
Have the holes in Swiss cheese been getting larger, smaller, or staying the same?
If you are lactose-intolerant, is it better for you to eat soft or hard cheeses?
Which country is the largest producer of cheese in the world?
Which of the following cheeses never spoils: cheddar, edam, gouda, or halloumi?
Where did Philadelphia cream cheese originate?
What cheese has lately become a target of organized crime ambushes in Italy?
Queen Victoria received a 1,000 pound wheel of cheese as a wedding present. What kind of cheese was it?
What’s the most popular cheese in the US?
Which of the following cheeses is highest in fat: cheddar, feta, Parmigiano Reggiano, or Swiss?
In which country do people eat the most cheese per capita?
What’s the origin of cheese?
ANSWERS
Wisconsin.
The holes in Swiss cheese have been getting smaller. That’s because the holes form due to bacteria or dust in the milk, and milk has been getting cleaner.
Soft cheeses like brie, camembert, cottage, and mozzarella have more lactose than hard cheeses. So, lactose-intolerant individuals are better off eating hard cheeses.
The US produces the most cheese with 5.5 million tons per year. Germany is second with 2.7 million tons, and France is third with 1.8 million tons.
Edam is a cheese that never spoils, it only gets harder as it ages. It was the one cheese that was taken by Europeans on their long voyages to the colonies.
Philadelphia cream cheese was first made in Lowville, NY. That was 144 years ago. It was never made in Philadelphia.
Parmigiano Reggiano. The cheese, which has been produced since the 1300’s, has lately become a target of organized crime in Italy, with around 1,000 wheels of cheese being stolen every year in ambushes of delivery trucks. Each wheel is worth around $640.
Cheddar.
Mozzarella.
Cheddar.
Denmark, where the average person eats 61 pounds of cheese per year. Greece is number two with 59 pounds of cheese per year (3/4 of it feta), and France is third with 57 pounds of cheese per year.
Cheese originated in Mesopotamia about 8,000 years ago. In those days, milk was carried in sacks made out of animal stomachs. Animal stomachs naturally contain a bacteria called rennet that curdles milk. And the rest is culinary history.