American Cheese: An Indulgent Odyssey Through the Artisan Cheese World
Written by Joe Berkowitz
Narrated by Charlie Thurston
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
From the author of Away with Words, a deeply hilarious and unexpectedly insightful deep-dive into a cultural and culinary phenomenon: cheese.
“Who knew it was possible to enjoy reading about cheese as much as eating it? Remarkably entertaining, deeply insightful, and downright hilarious, American Cheese goes far beyond the plastic yellow slices we all know, and some love, revealing a community as quirky, passionate, and creative as the cheese they put into the world.”
— Jim Gaffigan, comedian/actor and New York Times bestselling author of Food: A Love Story
Joe Berkowitz loves cheese. Or at least he thought he did. After stumbling upon an artisinal tasting at an upscale cheese shop one Valentine’s Day, he realized he’d hardly even scratched the surface. These cheeses were like nothing he had ever tasted—a visceral drug-punch that reverberated deliciousness—and they were from America. He felt like he was being let in a great cosmic secret, and instantly he was in love.
This discovery inspired Joe to embark on the cheese adventure of a lifetime, spending a year exploring the subculture around cheese, from its trenches to its command centers. He dove headfirst into the world of artisan cheese; of premiere makers and mongers, cave-dwelling affineurs, dairy scientists, and restauranteurs. The journey would take him around the world, from the underground cheese caves in Paris to the mountains of Gruyere, leaving no curd unturned, all the while cultivating an appreciation for cheese and its place in society.
Joe’s journey from amateur to aficionado eventually comes to mirror the rise of American cheese on the world stage. As he embeds with Team USA at an international mongering competition and makes cheese in the experimental vats at the Dairy Research Center in Wisconsin, one of the makers he meets along the way gears up to make America’s biggest splash ever at the World Cheese Awards. Through this odyssey of cheese, an unexpected culture of passionate cheesemakers is revealed, along with the extraordinary impact of one delicious dairy product.
Joe Berkowitz
Joe Berkowitz is an editor and staff writer at Fast Company, covering entertainment and pop culture. He is the author of Away with Words: An Irreverent Tour Through the World of Pun Competitions and the coauthor, along with Josh Gondelman, of You Blew It. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two amazing cats.
Related to American Cheese
Related audiobooks
All About the Burger: A History of America's Favorite Sandwich Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Book of Eating: Adventures in Professional Gluttony Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hotbox: Inside Catering, the Food World's Riskiest Business Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Search of the Perfect Loaf: A Home Baker's Odyssey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCandyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Glorious Beef: The LaFrieda Family and the Evolution of the American Meat Industry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne More Croissant for the Road Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Greedy Man in a Hungry World: How (almost) everything you thought you knew about food is wrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Steak: One Man's Search for the World's Tastiest Piece of Beef Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Girl on the Block: A True Story of Coming of Age Behind the Counter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Grape, Olive, Pig: Deep Travels Through Spain's Food Culture Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/599 Bottles: A Black Sheep's Guide to Life-Changing Wines Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Somebody Feed Phil the Book: Untold Stories, Behind-the-Scenes Photos and Favorite Recipes: A Cookbook Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Best American Food Writing 2022 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 24-Hour Soup Kitchen: Soul-Stirring Lessons in Gastrophilanthropy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat's the Difference?: Recreational Culinary Reference for the Curious and Confused Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFed, White, and Blue: Finding America with My Fork Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Food Americana: The Remarkable People and Incredible Stories behind America's Favorite Dishes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Missing Ingredient: The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cheese, Wine, and Bread: Discovering the Magic of Fermentation in England, Italy, and France Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5American Cuisine: And How It Got This Way Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEgg: A Dozen Ovatures Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hidden Kitchens: Stories, Recipes, and More from NPR's The Kitchen Sisters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe United States of Beer: A Freewheeling History of the All-American Drink Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Spice: Advice, Wisdom, and History with a Grain of Saltiness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Food Essays & Narratives For You
Flavor: The Science of Our Most Neglected Sense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cheese, Wine, and Bread: Discovering the Magic of Fermentation in England, Italy, and France Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why You Eat What You Eat: The Science Behind Our Relationship with Food Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Culinary Reactions: The Everyday Chemistry of Cooking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unvarnished: A Gimlet-eyed Look at Life Behind the Bar Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taste and See: Discovering God among Butchers, Bakers, and Fresh Food Makers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Butter Toast: Rhymes in a book that help you to cook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFor the Culture: Phenomenal Black Women and Femmes in Food: Interviews, Inspiration, and Recipes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gumbo Life: Tales from the Roux Bayou Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eat More Better: How to Make Every Bite More Delicious Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Call Me Chef, Dammit!: A Veteran’s Journey from the Rural South to the White House Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/599 Bottles: A Black Sheep's Guide to Life-Changing Wines Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef's Journey to Discover America's New Melting-Pot Cuisine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Spice: From Anice to Zedoary Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Curry: Eating, Reading, and Race Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Women in the Kitchen: Twelve Essential Cookbook Writers Who Defined the Way We Eat, from 1661 to Today Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ingredienti: Marcella's Guide to the Market Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Copper, Iron, and Clay: A Smith's Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Flavor of Wood: In Search of the Wild Taste of Trees, from Smoke and Sap to Root and Bark Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cider Revival: Dispatches from the Orchard Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for American Cheese
15 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I received an advance galley through NetGalley.American Cheese is my kind of book. Author Joe Berkowitz had a near-religious experience with artisan cheese that awoke him to the diverse flavors and textures of the world's cheese, resulting in a country and world-spanning odyssey to understand the joys of modern cheese and the industry as a whole. It's enlightening. It's laugh-out-loud funny through. Perhaps most of all, I felt as if I had connected with a friend who gets it. I love cheese. I chronicle every cheese that I try and constantly seek out new experiences. It has become one of my prime (and most expensive) hobbies. I've had many of the cheeses he viscerally describes in this book, and discovered many more to add to my wish list (and yes, there is an actual wish list). Even more, he gets to experience and describe incredible things I never will, like volunteering at Murray's Cheese in NYC, attending and eating his way through the Cheesemonger Invitational, hanging out with cheese influencers like Cheese Sex Death (one of my favorites online), traveling the California Cheese Trail (totally a goal of mine, though as a native Californian, I was appalled that the author didn't know California made cheese), and attending world-class cheese events in France and Italy. Through his words, I was vicariously there, and left desperately craving the cheeses he describes.Throughout everything, he is easy to relate to, modest, and hilarious. Some choice quotes include:"I wanted to run outside doing full Kermit-arms and scream for everybody to try this cheese right now, which probably wouldn't be the weirdest thing anyone overheard on Bleecker Street that day.""Cheese is literally heaven. It's what happens after milk sheds this mortal coil and ascends to a higher plain of existence."Seriously, if you love cheese, get this book.