Processed cheese or cheddar?

Have you ever wondered what that square, yellow, shiny slice is made of?

No shame, you simply go for the €1 orange cheddar slices from the supermarket. And they work perfectly well on your cheeseburger or tuna melt, but there’s more. Try swapping this cheese for real English cheddar, because you really have to taste it.

There are roughly two types of cheddar, but what exactly is the difference? The real thing comes from the English village of Cheddar and may officially only be called that if it is made by hand on a farm. Even more importantly, the curd must be turned by hand during the cheesemaking process. This allows all the moisture to be drawn out of the cheese. Fake cheddar, processed cheese—in other words, processed cheese,—consists of cheddar only to a certain percentage. The rest is supplemented with other cheese, powders and water. That brings down the price, but also the quality.

What characterizes English cheddar is its sharp flavor and pastel-yellow color. The texture is slightly crumbly, which makes the cheese difficult to slice. The ‘processed’ varieties are often bright orange or very yellow due to the added colorings. In terms of flavor, factory-made cheese is much milder, creamier and saltier.