Blessed are the Cheesemakers!

I love cheese. (As I compose this post, I am munching on slices of Dubliner Irish cheese with wheat crackers.) So you can imagine my excitement and anticipation as I prepare to attend the 2004 World Championship Cheese Contest tomorrow in Madison. (See more on the contest here.) During my recent field trip to the Wisconsin History Museum, I was surprised to learn that the dairy industry is rather young in Wisconsin, beginning in earnest in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was introduced to replace wheat farming and logging, which were the mainstays of the earlier economy. Once established, it began to focus on cheese, which is easier to transport than butter. Only within the last few decades has Wisconsin competed internationally in specialty cheeses, broadening from traditional cheeses like cheddar, Swiss, muenster, and brick. Even the cheese-eating surrender monkeys are gracing us with their presence this year.