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AMERN CHEESE Paperback – October 6, 2020

by Joe Berkowitz (Author)
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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.

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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    October 6, 2020
  4. Dimensions
    5.31 x 0.76 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0062934899
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0062934895
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“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

“An entertaining book for cheese lovers, food enthusiasts, and those looking for a fun read. Much like a good ricotta, it is light and airy with a hint of sweetness.” — Library Journal, starred review

“A delicious read… I thought it was impossible that I could be more impressed by cheese, but this book proved me wrong. Between starting and finishing this book, I signed up for a Cheese of the Month subscription. You may say, no way is it that good! Yes, whey. I am more excited by cheese than I have ever been.” — Alexandra Petri, author of Nothing is Wrong and Here is Why

“Smart and funny…Joe Berkowitz makes a brilliant guide to the strange corners of the cheese world you’d never otherwise know about.” — Dana Schwartz, author of The White Man’s Guide to White Male Writers of the Western Canon

“Ripe with fresh perspectives, this well-molded collection is a delight.” — Publishers Weekly

“Berkowitz writes with unbridled glee…The result is a thorough, fascinating and hunger-inducing (but never cheesy) examination of the culture of cheesemaking.” — BookPage

About the Author

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.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Perennial (October 6, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062934899
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062934895
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.76 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

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Joe Berkowitz

Joe Berkowitz

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Joe Berkowitz is an opinion columnist at Fast Company, and the author of 'Away With Words: An Irreverent Tour Through the World of Pun Competitions' and 'American Cheese: An Indulgent Odyssey Through the Artisan Cheese World.' He lives with his wife and two amazing cats in Brooklyn.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
103 global ratings
A fun and delicious book
4 out of 5 stars
A fun and delicious book
Author @joeberkowitz absolutely delivers an incredible book of funny anecdotes about his life and his discovery of cheese. He admits he had a pedestrian taste for cheese when he started and a Valentine’s gift of a cheese tasting at @murrayscheese shop helped expand his palette.The author also has so many facts and lots of science behind the different styles of of cheese and also the history behind many of them. I loved learning about manchego, Colby Jack, cheddar, chèvre, goat, etc.Another win for me as a New Yorker, is that he name drops so many restaurants and cheese shops I need to try. I actually made a list to visit when life returns more to normal! @beecherscheese is my personal favorite. I also love the cheese counter at @eataly!
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Top reviews from the United States

Mel Ler
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on American artisan cheese and international cheeses
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
I have always loved cheese but this book has opened my eyes to the many different varieties that I was not aware of. If you love cheese you will love this book.
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Susan
4.0 out of 5 stars A fun and delicious book
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2021
Author @joeberkowitz absolutely delivers an incredible book of funny anecdotes about his life and his discovery of cheese. He admits he had a pedestrian taste for cheese when he started and a Valentine’s gift of a cheese tasting at @murrayscheese shop helped expand his palette.

The author also has so many facts and lots of science behind the different styles of of cheese and also the history behind many of them. I loved learning about manchego, Colby Jack, cheddar, chèvre, goat, etc.

Another win for me as a New Yorker, is that he name drops so many restaurants and cheese shops I need to try. I actually made a list to visit when life returns more to normal! @beecherscheese is my personal favorite. I also love the cheese counter at @eataly!
Customer image
Susan
4.0 out of 5 stars A fun and delicious book
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2021
Author @joeberkowitz absolutely delivers an incredible book of funny anecdotes about his life and his discovery of cheese. He admits he had a pedestrian taste for cheese when he started and a Valentine’s gift of a cheese tasting at @murrayscheese shop helped expand his palette.

The author also has so many facts and lots of science behind the different styles of of cheese and also the history behind many of them. I loved learning about manchego, Colby Jack, cheddar, chèvre, goat, etc.

Another win for me as a New Yorker, is that he name drops so many restaurants and cheese shops I need to try. I actually made a list to visit when life returns more to normal! @beecherscheese is my personal favorite. I also love the cheese counter at @eataly!
Images in this review
Customer image
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One person found this helpful
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Tamara S. Sheppard
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Cheese Biz 101
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
Inside scoop on all the issues and rock stars in American Cheese
One person found this helpful
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Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars Super fun cheese odyssey
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
Love this book!
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GEM
3.0 out of 5 stars Not a technical book
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2020
Verified Purchase
The book is a pleasant read but a tad disappointing. It is a personal journey of a person who knows little about cheese on a consumer or technical level. He then goes on a journey to enhance his world view and thus visits sites, goes to event and talks to 'celebrities' of the cheese universe. The book concentrates on the personal interactions more than than what he learned. He spends time with a revelation that we enslave milk yielding animals and they ultimate die for our meat and cheese.

Thus, if you want insight into more than a surface introduction to some of the folks in the industry, that's fine. It's pleasant but if you already know the area you won't really learn much new things. I don't regret buying it and I hope it does well but this is my honest take as compared to the usually useless 5 five star reviews.
16 people found this helpful
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Book Lady
4.0 out of 5 stars More about cheese people and cheese society than cheese itself
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2021
Make no mistake - this is a highly entertaining book. However, it's really a book about one man's journey through cheese society than cheese itself. There is theory here and some name dropping of specific cheeses. But in may ways it's more about the places and people of cheese - and they are a fascinating bunch. Definitely a good read.
One person found this helpful
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Jill Nicely
5.0 out of 5 stars cheese-vana
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2021
Joe Berkowitz is a nerd. He’s the kind of nerd who will get interested in a subject, say artisan cheese, and he will do what he can to learn about from every angle. He will meet cheesemongers, cheese influencers, cheesemakers, cheese scientists, and cheese award winners. He will travel across the country to attend cheese festivals, cheese awards, cheese parties, and even a cheese burlesque show. And then he will take all those cheese adventures and write about them, creating a goofy love letter to American artisan cheeses, cheese producers, and cheese lovers.

Berkowitz starts out a complete novice in the world of cheese, but he comes at the cheese world with an open mind and empty stomach. And the more he learns, the more he understands how little he knows. He starts where most of us would probably start, at the local cheese shop. He’s in New York, so he’s not too far from the mecca of cheese in America, Murray’s. He got reservations for his wife and himself for a Valentine’s Day tasting, and he learned of a world of artisan cheese that went far beyond plastic-covered slices and boxed macaroni and cheese.

From there, it’s a series of tasty adventures as Berkowitz visits farms and meets the people (and cows, sheep, and goats) responsible for creating cheese. He meets Mr. Moo, Adam Moskowitz, who throws the Cheesemonger International every year, a giant cheese rave that Berkowitz calls “Wrestlemania for curd nerds.” He gets himself invited to one of the monthly Cheese Day lunches for a group of cheese-loving scientists at the Natural History Museum. He meets the Instagram influencers Madame Fromage and Cheese Sex Death, and he and his wife get confused and show up at a huge cheese party dressed in lederhosen and dirndl.

HIs expedition continues, to more farms, more cheese festivals, more competitions, and to meet more cheese lovers whose craft is celebrated and devoured all over the world. The more people he meets, the more he learns, and the more he learns, the more he teaches us. Be prepared before you read this book. Before you’re even halfway through, you’ll be following at least a dozen cheese lovers and/or makers on social media and have a list of cheese you want to look for the next time you wander into your local cheese shop. You’ll think about starting a monthly tasting club for your friends, or you daydream about possible pairings. Which cheese will go with your favorite wine? Your favorite pasta? Your favorite M&Ms? (Berkowitz says he likes Gruyere with his).

American Cheese is an odyssey, a fun and fascinating, emotional and enticing, punny and pop-culture filled extravaganza of cheese knowledge and celebration. If you want to know a little more about cheese, this will take you down a rabbit hole into a whole different world, and you will never want to return to the same old cheese you were eating before.

For me, I am so thrilled to have gone on this pilgrimage with Berkowitz. I had so much fun, and I learned far more than I expected. I feel like I can talk cheese like a journeyman, and I can definitely up my cheese board game from this. But more than learning a bunch of facts about bacteria or farming or what it takes to pass a CCP exam (that’s Certified Cheese Professional), I feel like I was brought into the American artisan cheese family, and that feels like a very special place to be. I recommend American Cheese to anyone who loves to read about food, or really, to anyone who loves to eat cheese. You will love it even more story by story.

A copy of American Cheese was provided by Harper Perennial, with many thanks.
5 people found this helpful
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