Did you know Monday October 15 is National Cheese Curd Day? Wisconsin cheese curd makers do. Have you ever had the tasty, cheesy, squeaky snack before? Yes I said squeaky. The texture of the cheese has a signature squeak when chomping down on these tasty morsels. Since I’m trying to do the keto diet, these are yummy snacks I can actually have! Here’s some more fun facts about Wisconsin cheese curds you might not know:
- Milk it Up: Wisconsin cheese curds get their fresh flavor from top-quality Wisconsin milk. It takes 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese.
- Wait, So What is a Cheese Curd? A cheese curd is young cheddar. Instead of growing up into an aged block of cheese, they are separated from the whey during the cheesemaking process, leaving behind a solid curd of cheese that has a milky flavor. They give you an eye into the magic of cheesemaking, since all cheese starts by separating the curds from the whey.
- The Snack that Squeaks: Fresh cheese curds will make a squeaky sound as you bite into them, but why? The elastic protein strands in the curds rub against the enamel of your teeth to create that characteristic sound.
- Fresh is Best: The “squeak” is also a sign of curd freshness. And by fresh we mean they were made less than two days ago.
- No Curd Left Behind: If you don’t eat all of your curds within two days, you can restore the squeak by microwaving them for a few seconds. (You are also blessed with immaculate impulse control.)
- Variety is the Spice of Life: Cheese curds can be white or yellow because they are typically made from white or yellow cheddar cheese, and they come in many flavors. Aside from the traditional cheddar curds or occasional muenster curds, you can also find fresh cheese curds in flavors like garlic, spicy Cajun, taco or mild ranch.
- Curd Lover’s Dreams Come True: There’s an entire festival dedicated to cheese curds where you can celebrate, admire and eat Wisconsin cheese curds.
- Cheese Law: You must have a license to make cheese in Wisconsin and Wisconsin is the only place outside of Europe where you can pursue an elite Master Cheesemaker certification (which takes approximately 13 years). You’ll find some of the very best curds in Wisconsin.
- Curd Ambassador: Culver’s, the popular Wisconsin-based restaurant is the unofficial cheese curd ambassador, selling millions of their infamous fried curds a year.
- Taking Bets: It’s near impossible to eat less than five Wisconsin cheese curds, the cheesy goodness is addicting- you’ve been warned!
***Still hungry to learn more? For more information, check out: WisconsinCheese.com
Wondering How Fresh Wisconsin Cheese Curds Made? Here’s the 9 Steps:
Step 1: Each day insulated tanker trucks pick up top quality milk from Wisconsin dairy farms which is delivered to cheese plants.
Step 2: Milk is carefully tested, weighed and heated, or pasteurized.
Step 3: Milk is pumped into a large vat. Rennet, starter cultures and enzymes are added. They thicken the milk and give it the desired cheese flavor.
Step 4: Next, the cheesemakers begin cutting the custard-like milk into tiny pieces. This separates the liquid, called whey, from milk solids, called curd.
Step 5: The curd and whey are stirred and cooked until the curd reaches just the right amount of firmness for the type of cheese to be made.
Step 6: The whey is drained and saved for other uses.
Step 7: Depending on the types of cheese to be made, the curd is cut and specially handled by the cheesemaker.
Step 8: The matted curd is milled in small bite-size pieces.
Step 9: The curd is salted, stirred and packaged.
***For more information and a list of 60+ of Wisconsin’s finest cheese curd retailers, check out: WisconsinCheese.com
I live in Pennsylvania so I don’t have ready access to these yummy little bites. The closest thing I have is the Wisconsin cheese bites at Sheetz lol
