If tariff talk has you nervous about your cheese budget, fear not. Many popular “international” cheeses are actually made right here in the United States. What’s more, “American cheese” has come to mean much more in the last 20 years than individually wrapped singles. Many American cheesemakers offer artisanal selections that are modeled after European classics, minus the potentially hefty import tax.
Here are five European-sounding cheeses you didn’t know were made in the U.S., along with recommendations for American originals that will satisfy your curd cravings.
Président Brie
Food & Wine / Lactalis American Group, Inc.
According to Lactalis, the French creamery that makes Président, this recognizable supermarket brand is the most popular brie in both France and the U.S. It’s so popular that this classic has been produced for the American market in none other than Wisconsin, America’s dairy state, since the 1980s.
Brie isn’t a category of cheese unto itself, but rather a singular option in a broader category known as bloomy rind cheese. Now is a good time to get to know your local bloomy rind options, or to seek out American originals such as Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt Tam, Jasper Hill Farm’s Moses Sleeper, or Sweet Grass Dairy’s Green Hill.
Montchevre
Food & Wine / Saputo Cheese USA Inc.
Rindless, fresh cheeses such as chėvre aren’t built for longevity, or international travel, so it follows that one of the most recognizable goat cheese logs is domestically produced (French name notwithstanding). “Chėvre” simply means “goat” in French, and tangy and fluffy Montchevre is made with goat’s milk that is sourced in Wisconsin, Missouri, and Iowa, according to its parent company, Saputo USA.
Chėvres were among the first French-style cheeses to be produced in the United States, with California’s Laura Chenel as the pioneer. Other notable brands in American chėvre include Vermont Creamery and Cypress Grove.
Nikos Feta
Food & Wine / Saputo Cheese USA Inc
Your Greek salads are not necessarily about to get a big markup. Though its Aegean blue packaging evokes the island of Mykonos, Nikos Feta’s nearest coastline is Lake Michigan. Yes, Nikos is another classic European cheese made in Wisconsin by Saputo USA. Feta has Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status in the European Union, meaning that EU countries besides Greece aren’t able to legally produce it. However, its protection does not extend beyond Europe, so American versions such as Nikos are fair game.
Nikos Feta is made from cow’s milk for a relatively mild flavor, though traditional Greek feta must be made from tangier sheep’s and/or goat’s milk. If you want a taste of the real thing, Hidden Springs Creamery makes a 100-percent sheep’s milk version. Also look for Narragansett Creamery’s coastal Salty Sea Feta made with cow’s milk, or for other local selections at Mediterranean markets near you.
Gouda
Food & Wine / Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.
While gouda — pronounced “how-duh” in its native Dutch — has pedigree from Holland and the Netherlands, plenty of gouda in the United States does not come from abroad. Gouda isn’t name-protected, and Dutch immigrants to the U.S. brought the title as well as the recipe and process with them for production here.
Whether you take your gouda smoked, sliced, aged, or wrapped in wax, a number of large American manufacturers make gouda, including Sargento, Borden, and Hilmar. The best American goudas are made on a much smaller scale, however, by producers such as Wisconsin’s Marieke Gouda, California’s Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., and Pennsylvania’s The Farm at Doe Run.
Gorgonzola (and other blues)
Food & Wine / Maytag Dairy Farms, LLC
Italian blue cheese lovers, this one’s for you. Classic gorgonzola, in either its creamy dolce or crumbly piccante versions, does not necessarily need to pass through customs before passing through your lips. One of the largest producers of Italian cheeses, BelGioioso, is another dairy manufacturer that calls Wisconsin home. (That means you also don’t need to worry about a price increase on other BelGioioso products like mozzarella and burrata.)
Beyond BelGiosio, Maytag Blue Cheese is an American classic, and Oregon’s Rogue River Blue was once awarded Best Cheese at the World Cheese Awards.
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