Caerphilly cheese

Infobox Cheese
name = Caerphilly


othernames =
country = Wales
(Also England)
regiontown = Caerphilly
region =
town =
source = Cows
pasteurised = Often
texture = hard crumbly
fat =
protein =
dimensions =
weight =
aging = Up to 10 Weeks
certification = None

Caerphilly cheese is a hard, white cheese that originates in the area around the town of Caerphilly in Wales, although it is now also made in England, particularly in the South West and on the English border with Wales. It was not originally made in Caerphilly, but was sold at the market there, hence taking the town's name.

It is a light-coloured (almost white), crumbly cheese made from cow's milk, and generally has a fat content of around 48%.

It has a mild taste, but perhaps its most noticeable feature is its saltiness. It is rumoured that the cheese was developed over time to provide the coal miners of the area with a convenient way of replenishing the salt lost through hard work over ten hour shifts underground and so was a staple of the diet of the coal-miners.

Caerphilly was one of the many cheeses mentioned in the "Cheese Shop" sketch from "Monty Python" in the 1970s.

Real Farmhouse Caerphilly production died out during World War II as all milk had to go to the Cheddar factories to help the war effort. After the war these factories started making their version of Caerphilly (initially to help their cash flow as Caerphilly matures quicker than Cheddar), which is how it is mostly known today, dry and crumbly. However, there are now two or three farms making original Caerphilly which is dry in the middle and creamy around the edges.

External links

* [http://www.caerphillynet.co.uk/caerphilly-cheese/ Caerphilly Cheese]

References

* Greener, M.; et al. (2002), "Simply British Cheese". Storyman publishing. ISBN 0-9543134-2-9
* Barthélemy, R.; Sperat-Czar, A. (2004). "Cheeses of the World". Hachette. ISBN 1-84430-115-X.

See also

* List of cheeses
* List of British cheeses