"This is fake"... Bright Yellow Cheese Mocked as 'Plastic' [Delicious Stories]

③ The Birth of American Cheese
A Processed Dairy Product Made by Boiling 'Real Cheese'
Long Shelf Life Thanks to Low-Temperature Sterilization, Distributed Across North America
Also Carries the Negative Label of 'Plastic'
Became a Global Icon Thanks to Its Excellent Melting Properties

Editor's NoteThe first snack is said to have been discovered in the ancient Mesopotamian civilization. Snacks have accompanied every moment of human history. From biscuits and chocolate to ice cream, we bring you delicious stories behind the snacks we have loved.

The yellow cheese sandwiched between hamburger patties is actually not natural cheese. The yellow cheese called 'American cheese' is a dairy product made by further processing natural cheese made from aged milk. American cheese, developed by an American food inventor, helped popularize affordable dairy products not only across the North American continent but also in Europe and Asia. However, it also had to fight the stigma of being a 'processed food.' There is even a painful history of it being mocked as 'plastic' at one time in its country of origin, the United States.

Grating, boiling, and sterilizing real cheese... The birth story of 'American cheese'

American cheese on a hamburger patty. Pixabay

American cheese is a processed dairy product patented in 1916 by the American food giant Kraft Foods. It has been continuously produced since then and has become so famous that the product name is now treated as a generic term. American cheese can be consumed as cheese itself, but it is more commonly used in sandwiches or hamburgers. The 'American cheese' listed in the ingredient labels of famous fast-food franchises mostly refers to Kraft Foods' American cheese.

Now a global brand representing a country, American cheese actually started as something close to an 'imitation product.' Its roots can be traced back to Cheddar, a natural cheese from England. British adventurers who pioneered the North American continent in the 19th century made Cheddar on American soil, making Cheddar the most commonly consumed cheese in the United States even in the early 20th century.

In 1906, James L. Kraft, the founder of Kraft Foods, started a wholesale business distributing such natural cheese in Chicago, USA. As the business expanded, Kraft invented a 'processed dairy product' method using cheese. This involved grating Cheddar, mixing it with emulsifiers and other ingredients, boiling it until it became liquid, then re-solidifying it into cheese form through a low-temperature sterilization process. During this process, coloring was added to give it a brighter yellow hue. This 'processed dairy product' is what we now call American cheese.

American cheese, sterilized at low temperatures, had a much longer shelf life than Cheddar. It was perfect for distribution across the vast American continent and especially suitable as combat rations for soldiers. Kraft's American cheese was mass-produced through an official military supply contract with the U.S. Army during World War I and was exported to Europe, the homeland of cheese, during World War II.

A beloved dairy product among soldiers... but also stigmatized as 'plastic'

Types of Cheese. Pixabay, Asia Economy DB

American cheese was a major source of fats for soldiers during the war, but it had to carry the label of 'processed dairy product' because it was not real cheese made by aging milk. In fact, in the United States, the country of origin for American cheese, it was nicknamed 'plastic.' Calling American cheese on sandwiches or hamburgers "yellow plastic" is a common joke.

Processed cheeses like American cheese are sometimes mocked as "plastic" by some cheese enthusiasts. Photo by Facebook capture

Why plastic? This is due to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations regarding American cheese. The FDA defines American cheese (officially called pasteurized processed cheese) as "a homogeneous plastic mass made from selected dairy ingredients." However, the term 'plastic' here does not refer to the industrial material we commonly think of but simply means "a substance that can be easily reshaped or melted."

Moreover, it was because American cheese was 'plastic' that it could rise to its current status. Natural cheese often is not suitable for heating. It may not melt properly due to lack of moisture or may separate into layers of moisture and fat. In contrast, American cheese, which undergoes grinding, heating, and low-temperature sterilization, melts into a perfect sauce-like consistency with ideal moisture and viscosity. Thanks to this, American cheese pairs wonderfully with foods like hamburgers, sandwiches, barbecue, and mac and cheese.

"Cheese is originally artificial... American cheese is also excellent cheese"

Experts explain that there is no need to be overly sensitive to the label 'processed food.' J. Kenji L?pez-Alt, an American food consultant and author of the science-based cooking book 'The Food Lab,' wrote in the recipe media 'Serious Eats' that "processed cheese is often criticized for not being real cheese, but American cheese is definitely excellent cheese." He added, "Moreover, natural cheese is not completely unprocessed. All cheese undergoes processes like aging, sterilization, fermentation, and kneading. Cheese as a food does not exist naturally; it is an artificial product."

Early Kraft American cheese packaging estimated to be manufactured in 1923. Chicago Museum Archive

He continued, "Just because processed cheese contains chemical additives does not necessarily mean it is harmful to the human body. Some chemicals can be harmful in small amounts, while others require large quantities to be harmful. All foods we eat have potential benefits and drawbacks, and balancing these is important." He emphasized, "American cheese contains saturated fat, but so do other dairy products and meats. Occasionally enjoying cheese in a hamburger is not bad."