HistoryExtra podcast Cheese history: everything you wanted to know
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May 24, 2025 
Ned Palmer, a cheesemonger and author of A Cheesemonger's History of the British, dives into the fascinating evolution of cheese. He discusses how cheese-making dates back to ancient societies and the vital role women played in its early production. Listeners learn about cheese's transformation from a luxury during the Tudor period to a staple in modern diets. The conversation also touches on regional cheese name protections and the cultural significance of cheese across various civilizations throughout history.
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Family Tradition in Cheesemaking
- Cheese-making traditionally passed through families, mostly by women in smallholdings, taught instinctively without written recipes.
- The Enlightenment shifted cheese towards commodification, emphasizing recipe standardization over craft secrecy.
Monastic Cheesemaking Industry
- Monasteries practiced large-scale cheese production as farms and industries to support religious orders economically.
- They used extensive flocks for wool and milk, producing significant cheese quantities to pay rents and tithes.
Cheddar's Global Name Usage
- Regional cheese names like Edam are protected geographically, but Cheddar is a name and method widely used globally.
- Cheddar's broad use is due to historical spread from Britain to colonies before naming protections existed.
