American Cheese

About this book

From the author of Away with Words, a deeply hilarious and unexpectedly insightful deep-dive into a cultural and culinary phenomenon: cheese."Who knew it was possible to enjoy reading about cheese as much as eating it? Remarkably entertaining, deeply insightful, and downright hilarious, American Cheese goes far beyond the plastic yellow slices we all know, and some love, revealing a community as quirky, passionate, and creative as the cheese they put into the world." -- Jim Gaffigan, comedian/actor and New York Times bestselling author of Food: A Love StoryJoeBerkowitz loves cheese. Or at least he thought he did. After stumbling upon anartisinal tasting at an upscale cheese shop one Valentine's Day, he realizedhe'd hardly even scratched the surface. These cheeses were like nothinghe had ever tasted--a visceral drug-punch that reverberated deliciousness--andthey were from America. He felt like he was being let in a great cosmic secret, and instantly he was in love.Thisdiscovery inspired Joe to embark on the cheese adventure of a lifetime, spending a year exploring the subculture around cheese, from its trenchesto its command centers. He dove headfirst into the world of artisan cheese; ofpremiere makers and mongers, cave-dwelling affineurs, dairy scientists, andrestauranteurs. The journey would take him around the world, from theunderground cheese caves in Paris to the mountains of Gruyere, leaving no curdunturned, all the while cultivating an appreciation for cheese and its place insociety.Joe's journey from amateur to aficionado eventuallycomes to mirror the rise of American cheese on the world stage. As he embedswith Team USA at an international mongering competition and makes cheese in theexperimental vats at the Dairy Research Center in Wisconsin, one of the makershe meets along the way gears up to make America's biggest splash ever at theWorld Cheese Awards. Through this odyssey of cheese, an unexpected culture ofpassionate cheesemakers is revealed, along with the extraordinary impact of onedelicious dairy product.