Cheesy Facts

1. The U.S. produces more cheese than any other country - 6,717,000,000 pounds.

2. Wisconsin produces more cheese than any other state -1,913,681,000 pounds.

3. There are 5 steps in making cheese.

4. The first cheese was made 4,000 years ago.

5. The first cheese was made by nomadic tribes in Asia.

6. Cheese is sometimes made from buffalo, goat, or sheep milk.

7. Rennet is becoming scarce.

8. There are more than 400 kinds of cheese and over 2,000 names!

9. Cheese is mostly stirred and made by machines.

10. Cheese does not start out colored. Anetto is added for coloring.

11. Skunks absolutely love cheese. Cheddar is their favorite. They will follow cheddar anywhere.

12. In 1987, a 1400 year old piece of cheese was dug up in Ireland and is still edible!

13. Cheese was once used as money!

14. Limburger is only made in Wisconsin.

15. Colby cheese originated in Colby, Wisconsin.

16. Brie and other soft cheeses have less fat than hard cheeses

17. All cheese rind is edible

18. The mold in blue cheeses is a penicillium

19. Non-pasteurized cheeses are legal in the US as long as they’re more than 60 days old

20. Traditional mozzarella (mozzarella di bufala) is made from buffalo milk