National Cheese Lovers Day: What’s Texas’s Favorite Cheese?

Did you know that National Cheese Lovers Day is on January 20th?

There is no firm evidence of how humans discovered cheese-making. But legend tells us it was likely that someone created the first cheese by chance. Thousands of years ago, people transported milk and stored it in sheep's stomachs. Left to sit a few days, the proteins would separate into curds and whey. From there, preserving the solids with salt may have seemed a logical next step. Salt was a highly valued preservative in ancient times.

The earliest record of cheese-making dates back to 5,500 BCE in what is now Poland. Today there are over 1,400 varieties of cheese.

More than 2,000 Americans were surveyed to find out what each state’s favorite cheese is.

Here is what they found for Texas:

• Texas selected crowd-pleaser cheddar as their favorite cheese
• In the second place, Texans find themselves most devoted to mozzarella, followed by Colby/Monterey Jack
• Texas residents most commonly find themselves eating cheese ‘frequently’

How to observe National Cheese Lovers Day: 

Enjoy some cheese with your lunch or as a snack. Share your favorite cheesy recipes or puns. Try a new cheese pairing. Visit your favorite cheesemonger, and be sure to give a shout-out, too. Use #CheeseLoversDay to post on social media.

For the Love of Cheese

There are 18 other cheese-specific holidays on the calendar. Here are some examples:

• Cream Cheese Brownie Day (February 10)
• Cheese Doodle Day(March 5)
• Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day(April 12)
• Cheese Souffle Day(May 18)
• Cheese Day(June 4)
• Cheesecake Day (July 30 - along with three other flavors on the calendar)
• Goat Cheese Month(August)
• String Cheese Day (September 20)
• Moldy Cheese Day(October 9)
• Nachos Day (November 6)