Gordon Edgar loves cheese and worker-owned co-ops, and has been
combining both of these infatuations as the cheese buyer for San
Francisco’s Rainbow Grocery Cooperative since 1994. Edgar has been
a judge at numerous national cheese competitions, a board member
for the California Artisan Cheese Guild, and has had a blog since
2002, which can be found at www.gordonzola.net. Edgar is the
author of Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge (Chelsea
Green 2010) and he enjoys mold in the right places, good
cheese stink, and washing his hands upwards of one hundred times a
day.
“From the chief ingredient in Kraft's Mac ‘n’ Cheese to the
quintessential artisan creation, cheddar cheese represents the
extremes of American food culture—all delightfully deconstructed
and savored in Gordon Edgar's eponymous book. Great reading
for aficionados of food and cultural history.”--Sally Fallon
Morell, president, The Weston A. Price Foundation
Library Journal- "Edgar (Cheesemonger) explores the U.S. production
of cheddar cheese and how this popular food has affected American
history and culture. The book focuses on the broad history of
cheddar production from its origins in England to current methods
used in the United States with emphasis on the cheese hubs of
Wisconsin, Vermont, and California. The culture and politics
surrounding cheesemaking and dairy farming in these states are
compared and contrasted, and interspersed with amusing anecdotes
from Edgar’s many cheese-judging and research trips. Of course, the
varying types and flavors of American cheddars and curds are
discussed, using case studies of famous producers such as Cabot and
Tillamook, and interviews with prominent cheesemakers. Edgar is
especially interested in the ways that cheesemaking has changed
over the years, and addresses changes in farming technology,
scientific advances, roles of women, exports, and standardization
of cheddar flavors, appearance, and
processing. VERDICT: A wry look at the world of
cheesemaking, this work will interest casual cheese aficionados,
but its broad scope will likely not provide new information to
fervent fans or industry professionals.”
“On the surface, it would be easy to dismiss a book about a cheese
so integral to the gustatory fabric of the American experience that
it’s hardly noticed as much more than a standard hamburger’s melted
shroud. But this paean to America’s cheese tells the journey of a
food integrally linked to the rise of ‘cultures’ in America (cheese
and manufacturing, both) and, no less, to our value system. In
Gordon’s eminently capable hands, what could be a staid
single-subject book is blithely entertaining, peppered with
laugh-out-loud, respectful and occasionally irreverent anecdotes,
and ultimately a story chock-full of historical and contextual
references that come together to create a newfound understanding
and respect for a cheese that, because of this essential book,
will never be ‘just cheddar’ again.”--Laura Werlin, author
of Laura Werlin’s Cheese Essentials
“Cheddar by Gordon Edgar is a book of vignettes, ripened from the
author's wanderings around the country, milled with both large and
small cheese-making experiences, peppered throughout with Gordon's
political views, and aged to perfection. Edgar shares his knowledge
in sometimes smooth, sometimes sharp, and sometimes bitter ways,
coming up with an overview that is tried, ripened, and ready to
read.”--Ricki Carroll, owner, New England Cheesemaking Supply
Company
“Gordon Edgar’s latest work, Cheddar, is a lively story of this
much-maligned but iconic cheese. No longer will I quickly pass over
the large blocks of golden cheddar. Edgar has traveled the country
unearthing the historic roots of cheddar, from the artisan
clothbound wheels to the mass-produced blocks of commodity
cheese, and writes with wit and humor. His passion and experience
as a cheesemonger are evident, and the reader can’t help but love
cheddar by the end of this spirited book.”--Kurt Timmermeister,
author of Growing a Farmer
“In this witty and well-researched study of an iconic food, Gordon
Edgar serves up a satisfying slice of Americana. More than any
other cheese, cheddar evidences America’s tradition of innovation
and embodies the paradoxes of our food system. From mammoth,
processed blocks to clothbound, lard-rubbed wheels, Edgar details
how cheddar straddles the continuum of industrial and artisanal
manufacture to safely nourish great numbers of people while
reinforcing class distinctions marked by taste. This welcome book
credits the labor and ingenuity of America’s food makers, both past
and present.”--Heather Paxson, author of The Life of Cheese:
Crafting Food and Value in America
“Over the years I have read many thought-provoking works on cheddar
cheese, mostly dealing with cheese science and technology, but
rarely have such texts been ‘fun’ to read. Gordon Edgar’s
exploration of cheddar is both thought-provoking and fun, and has
given me a fresh perspective on a cheese that I have studied for
years and cherished all my life.”--Paul Kindstedt, author of Cheese
and Culture
“Kudos to Gordon Edgar for his comprehensive history and
contemporary analysis of America’s iconic cheese. For any lover of
cheddar, Edgar crafts the story of its unique place--from early
farm-based, handmade products to standardized, industrial cheese to
its renaissance over the past twenty to twenty-five years. A book
to savor, it helps us understand how cheddar evolves over four
centuries. He stirs an entertaining vat of literature, science,
poetry, and sociology to reflect broad changes in American
agriculture and our connections to food and place. Make sure to
have a piece of cheddar, and perhaps a glass of beer, to accompany
your journey!”--Jeffrey Roberts, author of The Atlas of American
Artisan Cheese
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