So you think you know cheese? Well did you know that …

1. Cheese is NOT yellow.. In fact none of it is. All cheese is naturally white – the yellow color is added when the cheese is being manufactured. Cheese makers of the highest caliber can’t taste the difference between white cheese and yellow cheese – chances are if you’re partial to one color over the other, they’re two different cheese companies.
2. Cheesemakers are basically chemists. These folks aren’t just making cheese, they’re making sure pH levels are correct, they’re screening for bacteria’s, they’re testing stretch and melting temperatures and creating different formulas. Wisconsin is the only state that requires a license for this job! And if you want to be a Wisconsin Cheesemaker – take a number and get in line. The waiting list for licensing classes is only available for those who have apprenticed for half a year! To reach the ‘Master’ level of Wisconsin cheese making, first thing to do is complete 10 years of regular cheese making, then finish three years of ‘Master’ cheese-making school! Only about 60 people hold this prestigious title.
3. If Wisconsin became its own nation, it’d be the planets 4th largest producer of cheese. Currently Wisconsin makes more than ¼ of America’s cheese.
4. In Wisconsin several counties have poured cheese brine on streets to keep them from freezing … Yes, in Wisconsin winters you could find a street literally paved with cheese. Rock salt is typically what cities use to keep roads from freezing. But rock salt is expensive – which is why some Wisconsin townships have mixed the salt with cheese brine to make it stretch further. The salts in the cheese brine also help to melt down the snow on the winter roads.

Stay tuned for more fun facts about the fascinating world of CHEESE.