Cheese roll facts for kids
Cheese rolls at a Café in Milton, Otago, New Zealand
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| Alternative names | Cheese roll-up |
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| Place of origin | New Zealand |
| Main ingredients | Bread, cheese |
A cheese roll is a yummy snack from New Zealand. It's made by putting a special cheese mix on a slice of bread, rolling it up, and then toasting it. Some people used to call it a cheese roll-up.
You'll find cheese rolls everywhere in the Otago and Southland regions of New Zealand, especially in cafes. They are so popular there that some people even call them "southern sushi"! This snack is special because it's one of the few recipes found mostly in just one part of New Zealand.
Contents
How to Make a Cheese Roll
Making a cheese roll is quite simple. All you need is a slice of bread and some cheese. But usually, people add more ingredients to make a special filling.
What's in the Filling?
The filling often includes things like onion, Worcestershire sauce, and even onion soup mix. Sometimes, people get creative and add crushed pineapple or sweet corn! The important thing is that this mix is made separately first. Then, it's spread onto the bread.
Rolling and Toasting
After the filling is on the bread, it's rolled into a tube shape. To keep it rolled, you might gently break the crust or use toothpicks. Sometimes, a little butter is spread on the outside before toasting. This makes the roll taste even better and look golden brown.
A toasted cheese roll is great because it has a crispy outside. The inside stays soft, and the cheese often gets warm and gooey. Plus, its rolled shape makes it super easy to eat!
The History of Cheese Rolls
Cheese rolls have been around for a long time in New Zealand. The first recipes appeared in newspapers in the 1930s. One of the earliest was in the New Zealand Truth newspaper in 1935.
When Did They Become Popular?
This tasty snack really took off in the 1950s. This was when sliced bread became easy for everyone to buy. Early recipes sometimes called them "rat traps." This was a funny name, playing on "mouse traps" for cheese on toast. It also probably referred to their tube shape, which looked a bit like old rodent traps.
Where Did They Start?
The first known cookbook recipe for cheese rolls was in a book from a church in Dunedin in 1951. After that, many other community cookbooks in New Zealand's South Island shared the recipe.
However, cheese rolls weren't found in North Island cookbooks until the late 1970s. Even today, they are not very well known north of the Waitaki River. Cheese rolls became popular in the south because of the colder weather. They were a perfect warm snack to go with soup, especially during chilly winters!
Cheese Roll Fundraisers
Sometimes, schools and sports groups hold "Cheese roll fundraisers." This is like how other groups might have a "sausage sizzle" (a barbecue). People make and sell cheese rolls to raise money for their cause. However, cheese has become more expensive lately. This means these fundraisers don't make as much money as they used to.
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