Monterey Jack (sometimes shortened simply to Jack cheese) is an American semi-hard cheese, customarily white, made using cow's milk. It is commonly sold by itself or mixed with Colby cheese to make a marbled cheese known as Colby-Jack (or Co-Jack). Cheddar-Jack (with a yellow cheddar) and Pepper Jack (with chili peppers) varieties are also available. An aged variety is known as Dry Jack.
In its earliest form, Monterey Jack was made by the Mexican Franciscan friars of Monterey, California, during the 18th century. California businessman David Jack sold the cheese commercially. He produced a mild white cheese that came to be known eponymously as "Jack's Cheese", and eventually "Monterey Jack".
A common misspelling is Monterrey Jack, presumably in confusion with the Mexican city of Monterrey.
Video Monterey Jack
Aging
Most of the softer types found in American supermarkets are aged for only one month. An aged variety known as Dry Jack is aged for up to six months.
Maps Monterey Jack
Variants
An aged version of this cheese known as Dry Monterey Jack, or Dry Jack, can be grated and used much like Parmesan cheese. Dry Jack was originally created by accident in 1915 when a San Francisco cheese wholesaler stored and forgot a number of wheels of fresh Jack cheese. When shipments of hard cheese from Europe were subsequently interrupted as World War I intensified, he rediscovered the stored Jack, which had become a well-aged hard cheese his customers found to be a good substitute for classic, aged hard cheeses, such as Parmesan.
Pepper Jack cheese is a derivative of Monterey Jack that is flavored with spicy chili peppers, as well as various peppers and herbs. Pepper Jack is often used as an alternative to regular Jack cheese in dishes such as quesadillas, but can be eaten with bread or crackers as a snack or as part of an hors deuvre. There are some other versions that are flavored with garlic or pesto, although they are less common than Pepper Jack.
Headaches
Because of its low content of tyramine, an organic compound thought to be associated with headaches, it is frequently recommended as one of the few cheeses that is safe to eat for migraine sufferers.
See also
- Mallorca cheese
- Mahón cheese
References
External links
- Monterey County Historical Society: Monterey Jack Cheese
- Dairy Research & Information Center (ed.). "The Legend of Monterey Jack Cheese". U.C. Davis. *Dairy Research & Information Center (ed.). "The True Story of Monterey Jack Cheese". U.C. Davis.
- Bibliography of Dairying in California 1770 to 1945
- Archival Materials - Dairying In California 1770 to 1945
Source of article : Wikipedia
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