So lets start the American cheeses off with one of the most popular; Monterey Jack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This cheese was first produced during the 19th Century by Mexican Franciscan Friars of Monterey, California. A Californian businessman came along and decided to sell the Friars cheese commercially, he then tweaked the recipe to produce a Semi-hard, creamy, smooth, mild white cheese which he called “Jack’s Cheese”.

The name eventually had the place of origin added thus the name “Monterey Jack”.

There are not many variants in age of this cheese as they are only matured for 1-6 months but there is a “Dry Jack” which is compared to a Parmesan.

The history of “Dry Jack’s” origin was one big mistake! In 1915 a Californian cheese wholesaler stored but forgot about some rounds of Monterey Jack cheese. When World War 1 began and shipments of hard cheese from Europe ceased he rediscovered the cheese and found it had turned into a well aged hard cheese which could be a substitute for Parmesan.

You can enjoy this cheese in many uses from BBQ’S to quesadillas as it suits a variety of taste buds.

So there is a brief history about Monterey Jack and I hope you have enjoyed it.

Look forward to the next cheese feature!

Jon