King of cheeses explained

Various cheeses have been called the king of cheeses.^[1] The title is informal, and there is no standard definition, but a few are more consistently called that than others, especially in their countries of origin:

• Parmigiano Reggiano in Italy^[2]
• Brie de Meaux: at the Congress of Vienna (1814). In fact, it was declared ('Prince of cheeses, and first among desserts'), which only later became "king of cheeses, cheese of kings".^{[3] [4] [5]}
• Roquefort in France: Frédéric Leblanc du Vernet, 1869^{[6] [7] [8]}
• Époisses: Brillat-Savarin, early 19th century^[6]
• Stilton in England (1912)^[9]
• Cheddar in England^[10]

Cheeses are idiosyncratically named "kings" of particular types of cheese by individual writers: Maroilles, the king of strong cheeses;^[11] Halloumi, the "king of cooking cheeses";^[12] Västerbotten, the king of Swedish cheeses.^{[13] [14]}

Sometimes lower ranks of nobility are used for other cheeses, e.g., Camembert, the "prince" of cheeses.^[15]

Notes and References

1. Web site: David . Clark . The King of Cheese: 3 French Cheeses Vying for the Crown . Mental Floss . January 8, 2009 .
2. Web site: Most Parmesan Cheeses In America Are Fake, Here's Why. Olmsted. Larry. Forbes. en. 2020-03-23. November 19, 2012 . ... that it has earned the nickname in the dairy industry, 'The King of Cheeses'..
3. Pierre Androuët, Yves Chabot, Le brie, 1985. . p. 48.
4. Juliet Harbutt, World Cheese Book, 2015. . p. 46.
5. Book: The King of Cheeses . Stéphane . Henaut . Jeni . Mitchell . A Bite-Sized History of France: Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War, and Enlightenment . 2018 . The New Press . 978-1620972526 .
6. Book: du Vernet, Frédéric Leblanc . Les Merveilles du Grand Central . 321 . 1869 .
7. Book: Catherine . Donnelly . The Oxford Companion to Cheese . 2016 . Oxford University Press . 978-0199330898 .
8. Book: Jeanette . Hurt . Steve . Ehlers . The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cheeses of the World . 2008 . 9781440636189 . 54 . Penguin .
9. C.F. . Austin . A Ballade of Stilton Cheese . . 36 . 362 . 1912 .
10. Cynthia Martin, 101 Recipes for Making Cheese, 2011. . p. 141.
11. Histoire et géographie des fromages: actes du Colloque de géographie historique, Caen, 1985, 1987. . p. 80.
12. News: Susan . Smillie . Which is the true king of cheeses? . . September 26, 2011 .
13. Book: Aurell . Bronte . The ScandiKitchen Cookbook: Simple, delicious dishes for any occasion . 9781788796330 . 14 May 2024 . Ryland Peters & Small . 130 .
14. Book: DK Eyewitness Top 10 Stockholm. 2020. 0744025907. n.p.
15. W.K.H. Bode, M.J. Leto, The Larder Chef, 4th ed, 2012. . "Soft Cheeses".