California's cheese industry closes in on WisconsinBy ROBERT RODRIGUEZ
Fresno BeeIf California has happy cows, Wisconsin's must be depressed. The Golden State is expected to topple the Dairy State as the largest cheese maker in the nation. But it won't be easy and may even take a couple of years. California wrestled away the title of leading milk producer nearly a decade ago. read moreHere's a quick history of Cheese in California:From www.realcaliforniacheese.com1769 Cheesemaking Introduced To CaliforniaFather
Junipero Serra begins to establish the 21 missions that still dot the California coastline. He introduces many varieties of fruits and vegetables, including grapes, and lays the foundation for the agriculture industry in California. He also introduces dairy cows and
cheesemaking.
1882 Monterey Jack, A California Original, Is BornDavid Jacks, a businessman in
Monterey County, is the first to market
Monterey Jack, which his Swiss and Portuguese dairymen develop from old mission recipes. It becomes one of the most popular cheeses in the country.
1915 Dry Jack CreatedDry Jack is created when a San Francisco cheese wholesaler, D.F.
DeBernardi, leaves an order of fresh
Monterey Jack in storage for too long. Later, when World War I interrupts shipments of Parmesan and Romano from Italy, he discovers that aging has caused the Jack to harden and acquire a sweet, nutty flavor. Italian-American families quickly adopt this delicious alternative to the Italian hard cheeses. By the 1930s, an estimated 60 California
cheesemakers are producing Dry Jack.
1920s Greek Immigrants Develop Teleme, Another California OriginalIn attempting to recreate
Teleme, a Feta-like cheese found in Greece and nearby countries, Greek immigrants near San Francisco create an entirely new cheese from fresh cows milk - California
Teleme. This unique semi-soft cheese has a distinctive rice flour rind.
1993 California Becomes Nation's Dairy StateThe state's milk production reaches 25 billion pounds, making California the leading milk producer in the country. Nearly four out of every 10 gallons of milk produced goes to California
cheesemakers.
2000 Cheese Friday™ is born
Details are confidential.
2005 California Cheese Production Surpasses 2B PoundsCalifornia cheese production reaches a record 2.14 billion pounds in 2005. The state's more than 50
cheesemakers produce 250 different varieties and styles of cheese, and industry experts project that California will soon become the leading cheese producing state.
thanks to
snavy for reminding me to post!
Mr. DNA (copy &
pasting since 1994)