Cheddar originates from the English village cheddar’s Cheddar in Somerset. Cheddar cheese is produced all over the world, and cheddar cheese has no protected designation of origin either in the United Kingdom or the European Union.

Cheddar cheese originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, southwest England. Cheddar Gorge on the edge of the village contains a number of caves, which provided the ideal humidity and steady temperature for maturing the cheese. Cheddar has been produced since at least the 12th century. Nineteenth-century Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding was central to the modernisation and standardisation of cheddar. For his technical innovations, promotion of dairy hygiene, and volunteer dissemination of modern cheese-making techniques, Harding has been dubbed “the father of cheddar”.

During the Second World War and for nearly a decade thereafter, most of the milk in Britain was used to make a single kind of cheese nicknamed “government cheddar” as part of the war economy and rationing. According to a United States Department of Agriculture researcher, cheddar is the world’s most popular cheese and is the most studied type of cheese in scientific publications. Cheddaring” refers to an additional step in the production of cheddar cheese where, after heating, the curd is kneaded with salt, cut into cubes to drain the whey, and then stacked and turned. Strong, extra-mature cheddar, sometimes called vintage, needs to be matured for 15 months or more. The cheese is kept at a constant temperature, often requiring special facilities.

Cheddar made in the classical way tends to have a sharp, pungent flavour, often slightly earthy. The “sharpness” of cheddar is associated with the levels of bitter peptides in the cheese. This bitterness has been found to be significant to the overall perception of the aged cheddar flavour. One commonly used spice is annatto, extracted from seeds of the tropical achiote tree. The Slow Food Movement has created a cheddar presidium, arguing that only three cheeses should be called “original cheddar”. In addition to the United Kingdom, cheddar is also made in Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Finland, Uruguay and the United States.