Liederkranz cheese facts for kids
Liederkranz is a special kind of cheese from America. It's a lot like a German cheese called Limburger, but it's made a little differently. Liederkranz is made from cow's milk. It has a light yellow-orange crust that you can eat, and inside, it's soft and pale. It has a unique smell and a mild, strong flavor. If it's not stored correctly, its smell can become a bit like ammonia.
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The Story of Liederkranz Cheese
How Liederkranz Was Invented
Liederkranz cheese was first made in 1891 by a young cheesemaker named Emil Frey. He was from Switzerland and worked in Monroe, New York. Emil Frey also invented another famous cheese called Velveeta in 1923!
Emil Frey worked for Adolph Tode at the Monroe Cheese Company. They decided to name the cheese after a local singing club, which was called a Liederkranz Club. "Liederkranz" means "singing circle" in German. Maybe they picked the name because it sounded German, or maybe it was named after a famous club in New York City.
How Liederkranz Was Sold
For a long time, Liederkranz cheese was sold in small boxes with holes in the sides. This helped the cheese "breathe." Today, when you can find it, it's wrapped in special foil that keeps its strong smell inside. Some people think its flavor is very similar to a French cheese called Epoisses.
Changes Over the Years
The Monroe Cheese Company, where Liederkranz was first made, changed owners. But Emil Frey stayed with the cheese! In 1926, the production of Liederkranz moved to Van Wert, Ohio. A few years later, in 1929, the company was sold to a big company called the Borden Company. Emil Frey retired in 1938.
Why Liederkranz Disappeared and Came Back
When Production Stopped
At the end of 1981, a fire damaged the factory in Van Wert. Because of this, the Borden Company stopped making natural cheeses like Liederkranz. They decided to focus on "processed cheese" instead.
A few months later, another company called Fisher Cheese Company bought the Van Wert factory and started making Liederkranz again. But in 1985, some of the cheese batches, including Liederkranz, had a problem with bacteria. Because of this, Fisher Cheese Company stopped selling Liederkranz. They sold the rights to the cheese and its special bacteria to other companies. After that, Liederkranz wasn't made for 25 years!
The Return of Liederkranz
Finally, in 2010, the cheese was brought back! A company called DCI Cheese Company in Richfield, Wisconsin, bought the trademark and the special bacteria needed to make Liederkranz. Many people thought the bacteria might not have survived after so long, but luckily, they did!
Fun Facts About Liederkranz
Did you know that Liederkranz was the favorite cheese of a famous poet named W.H. Auden? Another famous writer, T.S. Eliot, was the one who told him about it!
