I love cheese. I eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner. And though I can enjoy a fancy cheese purchased at a cheesemonger or cheese counter of a local gourmet shop, and though I know the basics of dairy, such as grass fed is better than confinement grain-fed or the downside of pasteurization, I really am not very educated in the world of cheese. I like to know more about the different types, how to really taste the differences, and how to branch out and try something new. Where to start?

This book is an excellent place to start. But this isn't just a survey of cheese made in America. This is much more than that. Author Liz Thorpe also weaves in her personal story of being a girl who loves cheese who eventually comes to work at Murray's Cheese in NYC. It was inspiring to read about how she ditched her office job to work at a cheese store. She also wove in stories of her travels around the US, tasting cheese, visiting farms, and reviewing cheeses with chefs.

Thorpe also does an excellent job teaching about cheese. She explains pasteurization and why it is sometimes preferred and sometimes not. She explains the history of goat cheese in the USA. She describes a washed rind cheese and how that is different from a bloomy rind, for example.

Finally, each chapter includes a section on American cheesemakers and highlights some of their cheeses. She might talk about the physical location of the farms (verdant green hills, usually), or the history of the farmer. And she describes the cheese and what makes it good. I read these descriptions, and my mouth watered. Within days, I found myself at a local cheese monger trying various cheeses from the book. And I was not disappointed. This book led me straight to some great cheeses I never would have tried before.

I highly recommend this book. Eminently readable, it is something to keep on your shelf and refer back to. I'd like to get a copy for myself and try every cheese in there. ( )