Monterey Jack is the cheese goddess of melting. With a high fat and moisture content, this semi-hard American cheese will melt on cue for baked pasta, grilled cheese sandwiches, and any quesadilla it lays its eyes on. But the real power of Monterey Jack cheese? Its mild buttery flavor that always enhances and never overwhelms its fellow ingredients.
In Wisconsin, we pay homage to this cheese variety for its easy-going mildness, but we also like to spice it up with hot pepper, garlic, dill, wild morel, leek, lemon, and peppercorn varieties. If there's Monterey Jack cheese in the fridge, we're one happy group of cheese-worshipers.
California may claim the birth of Monterey Jack cheese, but Wisconsin is where this mild-mannered cheese has become a star. That's because in Wisconsin, giving cheese its big break is what we do.
Our cheesemakers have been making world-class cheese for 175 years, since even before we were a state. And all those generations of cheesemaking have certainly paid off – our cheesemakers have brought home more cheese awards (5,552 actually) than any other state or nation in the world. Nobody makes more cheese stars than Wisconsin.
So, next time you want Monterey Jack cheese to star in a quesadilla, casserole or grilled cheese recipe, make sure that jack has a Wisconsin pedigree.
Monterey Jack cheese is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese that originated in California. With a mild, buttery flavor and superior melting properties, Monterey Jack cheese is popular in Mexican dishes and grilled sandwiches. Monterey Jack variants include pepper jack cheese as well as cheeses studded with jalapeno chilis, mushrooms, garlic, dill, and other ingredients.
Early versions of Monterey Jack cheese were made in the Monterey area by friars in the 18th century. A Monterey businessman named David Jacks was one of the first to widely sell the cheese in the 1880s, and the cheese eventually came to be called by his name.
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When you want your meat and cheese platter to stop the conversation, make sure your guests are filling their plates with Wisconsin cheese. Because when you're eyeing a slice of Wisconsin cheese, it's hard to think about anything else.
See, we've been making cheese here for over 175 years, which means we've been the state of cheese longer than we've been the state of Wisconsin. And with 1,200 licensed cheesemakers and the only Master Cheesemaker program in the world (outside of Switzerland), it turns out we know how to make some pretty dang good cheese. We've got 5,552 awards on our (mile-long) mantle to prove it.
That's what happens when a whole state is dedicated to doing one thing better than anybody else – making the tastiest, highest-quality cheese in the universe. So, next time you're shopping for an epic meat and cheese board, look for the Proudly Wisconsin Cheese™ badge on the label.
Craving award-winning aged cheddar, pining for parmesan, or searching for a new cheese to try? The world’s best cheese is just a click away! Explore our directory of Wisconsin cheesemakers and retailers who offer online cheese shopping and get cheese shipped right to your door. What are you waiting for?
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