Everything about Cheese Curds totally explained
» This article is about cheese curds, the regional delicacy. For information about the dairy product, see curd. For information about the role of curds in cheese processing, see cheese.
Cheese curds are the fresh
curds of
cheddar cheese. They are generally available in retail stores operated at cheese factories throughout the United States and Canada (especially in
Wisconsin,
Upper Michigan,
Ontario,
Quebec, and
Upstate New York, where they can be found in many grocery stores.) Cheese curds are little-known in locations without cheese factories, because they should ideally be eaten within hours of manufacture. After twelve hours, even under refrigeration, they've lost much of their "fresh" characteristics, particularly the "squeak". This "squeak" has been described by the
New York Times as sounding like "
balloons trying to neck". After twenty-four hours, that'll lose their freshness entirely. If they're purchased locally and need to be kept for a couple of days, room temperature, rather than refrigeration, may preserve the flavor and "squeak".
Their flavor is mild with about the same firmness as cheese, but have a springy or rubbery texture. Fresh curds squeak against the teeth when bitten into, which some would say is their defining characteristic. Cheese curds are sometimes referred to as "Squeeky cheese." They are sometimes somewhat salty. The American variety are usually yellow or orange in color, like cheddar cheese. Other varieties, such as the Québécois variety, can be roughly the same color as white cheddar cheese.
Fried cheese curds
In
Wisconsin,
Minnesota, Upper
Michigan,
South Dakota, and Iowa, deep-fried cheese curds are often found at carnivals and fairs, and often local non-chain
fast food restaurants and bars. Deep-fried cheese curds are covered with a beer-based
batter, like that used for
onion rings, or are breaded and placed in a
deep fryer.
In the United States,
A&W Restaurants and
Culver's have added fried cheese curds to their menu and they're available nationwide.
Poutine
Cheese curds are a main ingredient in
poutine, a
Quebec dish in which cheese curds are served layered on top of
french fries, and melting under steaming hot
gravy.
Cheese curds in song and poetry
The New York times in 1911 reported on an ancient Celtic song, dating from the 12th century, that mentioned cheese curd, perhaps the first musical reference to the most musical of cheeses:
"Visions of MacGonlannee"
» Stately and pleasantly it sat
A compact house and strong
» Then I went in
The door of it was hung beef
» The threshold was dry bread
And cheese curds were the walls...
Further Information
Get more info on 'Cheese Curds'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://cheese_curds.totallyexplained.com">Cheese curds Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
