ISSUE 67, ARK OF TASTE, Part 3: Dry Monterey Jack Cheese
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Dry Monterey Jack CheeseFoodlore & More is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Now over a century old, the Sonoma Valley’s famous hard cheese, Dry Monterey Jack, came into existence because of supply disruptions during the First World War. Italian and Hispanic communities on the West Coast, while they would buy local “fresh cheeses,” imported their aged grating cheese from Europe. When the War ended these importations, San Francisco wholesaler D. F. DiBernardi while casting about for a source for dry grating cheese, recalled an oversupply of wheels of cow’s milk cheese that he had warehoused in 1915. It has been neglected for a year and a half. The wheels had hardened, mellowed and deepened and flavor, and developing a flakey granular texture. Customers immediately embraced this aged cheese as a substitute for the Parmesan and Grana called for in traditional dishes. Dry Jack Cheese became a market variety.
ISSUE 67, ARK OF TASTE, Part 3: Dry Monterey Jack Cheese
ISSUE 67, ARK OF TASTE, Part 3: Dry Monterey…
ISSUE 67, ARK OF TASTE, Part 3: Dry Monterey Jack Cheese
Dry Monterey Jack CheeseFoodlore & More is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Now over a century old, the Sonoma Valley’s famous hard cheese, Dry Monterey Jack, came into existence because of supply disruptions during the First World War. Italian and Hispanic communities on the West Coast, while they would buy local “fresh cheeses,” imported their aged grating cheese from Europe. When the War ended these importations, San Francisco wholesaler D. F. DiBernardi while casting about for a source for dry grating cheese, recalled an oversupply of wheels of cow’s milk cheese that he had warehoused in 1915. It has been neglected for a year and a half. The wheels had hardened, mellowed and deepened and flavor, and developing a flakey granular texture. Customers immediately embraced this aged cheese as a substitute for the Parmesan and Grana called for in traditional dishes. Dry Jack Cheese became a market variety.