You see them in the Supermarket, and they’re a common appearance during the holidays, and if you’re like most of us, you may wonder precisely what purpose they serve? How many occasions really call for a bit of Cheddar rolled in roasted almond slices? Cheeseball Day celebrates these odd little culinary mainstays and encourages us to explore the history behind them and how they came to pass. Who knows, Cheeseball Day may find you creating your own cheeseballs and adding them to your everyday fare!
History of Cheeseball Day
The history of Cheeseball Day starts at an unusual point in history, when the first cheeseball appeared at perhaps the most unexpected place, the White House. You see there was a farmer by the name of Elisha Brown, Jr in1801 who was seeking to present an unusual gift to then President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. So it was that an unbelievably massive ball of cheese wound up on the White House lawn. How massive? 1,235 pounds. Little wonder that it became known as “The Mammoth Cheese”.
From that point it disappeared into culinary history for nearly 150 years, surfacing in a book by Virginia Safford called Food of My Friends. In this book, a recipe was included for the Cheese Ball, and it wasn’t long after that it found itself a staple of cuisine. “Cuisine?” we hear you ask? That rather requires that there is more than one variation, doesn’t it? If you’re like most people, you’ve probably only seen the variety that’s rolled in toasted almonds. Believe it or not, there are hundreds of varieties of cheese balls available for every imaginable occasion!
Cheeseballs can be made of almost any kind of cheese, and rolled in almost anything you can imagine! Perhaps there isn’t even an “almost” to be said here! We’ve seen cheeseballs rolled in crushed Oreos, sparkly confetti topping, diced onions, peppers, and garlic. Anything that goes well with cheese (and perhaps a few things, like Oreos, we don’t normally think of as ‘good with cheese’?) can be the coating of a cheeseball.
How to celebrate Cheeseball Day
The best way to celebrate Cheeseball Day is simply to indulge in the delicious treat that is the cheeseball. Get your favorite dipping implement, whether that’s crackers, bread, or even bits of meat, and go to town! Or you can do some research and create your own culinary cheeseball creation and share it with everyone. Remember, little events like this are always popular at the office, and imagine how many types of cheeseball you’ll discover then! (Or… maybe you’ll just get a lot of almond covered ones)
