This Day in History: Velveeta Cheese was created by Kraft on this day in 1928, though some sources attributed the invention of Velveeta to Emil Frey of the Monroe Cheese Company in 1918. Velveeta is a brand name for a processed cheese product that tastes like an American cheese, with a softer and smoother texture than non-processed cheese. When melted, Velveeta keeps a fully integrated and evenly clump-free liquid texture.
Kraft Foods lists Velveeta's ingredients as: milk, water, whey, milk protein concentrate, milkfat, whey protein concentrate, sodium phosphate, and 2% or less of salt, calcium phosphate, lactic acid, sorbic acid, sodium citrate, sodium alginate, enzymes, apocarotenal, annatto, and cheese culture.
The product was advertised as a nutritious health food. In the 1930s, Velveeta became the first cheese product to gain the American Medical Association's seal of approval. It was reformulated in 1953 as a "cheese spread", but as of 2002 Velveeta must be labeled in the United States as a "pasteurized prepared cheese product."
The best-selling cheese in America is Mozzarella and the second most popular cheese in the USA is Cheddar. Camembert is the number one cheese in France, and in Germany it is Gouda. In Switzerland the top cheese is Le Gruyère, and in Spain it is Manchego. The top cheese in the UK is Cheddar, and Cheddar is also the top cheese in Canada.
According to one site, the top 10 cheeses in the world are: (10) Cream cheese, (9) Camembert, (8) Feta, (7) Wensleydale, (6) Stilton, (5) Parmesan, (4) Brie, (3) Red Leicester, (2) Mozzarella and Cheddar is at number one.
Cheese is so old it is hard to figure out who came up with the idea first. It could be Egypt, Greece or Rome. In 2004 researchers determined that the Vieux Boulogne cheese is the stinkiest, even more pungent than the Epoisses de Bourgogne which is banned from public transportation throughout France. The holes in Swiss cheese is caused by the fermentation process. The most popular cheese dish in the US is macaroni and cheese. There are only 2 locations that provide all of the cheesecakes for the Cheesecake Factory, and one of them is in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
“A cheese may disappoint. It may be dull, it may be naive, it may be over-sophisticated. Yet it remains cheese, milk's leap toward immortality.” Clifton Fadiman
Heinz Schmitz
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