Crusty bread, sticky fig jam, golden drizzles of honey—all are popular cheese accompaniments. But how about cheese with a side of music? 🧀 🎼
Handkäse mit musik—literally “hand cheese with music”—is a traditional dish from Hesse: a German state that encompasses the forested, fairytale villages of the Brothers Grimm’s youth and the financial center of Frankfurt am Main. To create the Hessian specialty, sour milk cheese, known as "Handkäse," is topped with a mixture of vinegar, oil, minced raw onions, and sometimes caraway seeds.
While the "musik" could be the fun that the marinade brings, it could also refer to the flatulence the meal may cause—or the music one should play to hide the bodily sounds that may arise. Link in bio to read the full story by @cindybrz.
What better symbol of springtime and renewal than an egg? It’s inarguably a perfect form—an austere vessel, smooth and tranquil but containing multitudes. An egg is potential personified, lying in wait to hatch—or crack—before fulfilling its intended destiny.
While fauna eggs have long been a symbol of spring, candy eggs have at least a century of history behind them—and they share the spotlight when the first verdant shoots pop into existence. But do these unconventional egg expressions also work with cheese companions? Of course they do! In springtime, everything is possible. At the link in bio, we look at cheese pairings for eggs in all their jelly, gummy, and chocolaty glory. 🥚 🧀
📸 @ninagallant_
🍽️ @madstrap
✍️ @pamelavachon_words
@cheeselandinc
🎨 Gale Galligan (@robochai)
Happy World Cheese Day! 🌍️ 🧀
In a room full of fluffy white wheels, be Golden Gate: A rebellious orange wheel from Northern California`s @marinfrenchcheese, just across the Bay from San Francisco`s iconic Golden Gate Bridge. 🌉
Conceived in 2019 and launched in 2021, Golden Gate was born out of Marin French’s desire to try something new and a little playful. No annatto is used—the cheese’s vibrant color develops naturally. The process is labor-intensive, since Golden Gate shares an aging room with bloomy rinds. Racks are moved daily, sometimes tray by tray, to manage airflow, temperature, and humidity.
Tap our #linkinbio for mouthwatering pairing suggestions and to learn more about the sole washed-rind offering from Marin French. 🧀
📸 @ninagallant_
🍽️ @madstrap
✍️ @josiekrogh
In her latest "Eat Cheese, Be Happy" blog, cheese shop owner Kimi Ceridon (@wordsbykimi) asks, "Can I just sell brie, or do I have to talk about the world outside my door?"
Learn how to gracefully navigate politics and serving a community while running a business at our link in bio. 🧀
✨️ NEW ISSUE ALERT ✨️
American cheese isn`t just a bright orange block. According to the @american_cheese_society, it`s a term that covers all cheeses made in the Americas.
"Thanks to cheese board trends and viral @tiktok videos, more food lovers are being exposed to the breadth of cheese from America, which is exciting," says culture`s Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director @malscy. "Because of this, culture decided to dedicate an issue to celebrating the cheeses, makers, retailers, and influencers who have shaped the history of American cheese."
Our cover star is Golden Gate by @marinfrenchcheese: the 160-year-old creamery`s sole washed-rind offering that`s named after an iconic American landmark. Inside our mag, you`ll also find stories spanning California to New York and Canada to Mexico.
"Cheesemaking in the Americas—and our foodways more broadly—would not be what it is today without the influence of artisans and makers from across the globe," @malscy says. "It’s what defines the American spirit: diversity, open-mindedness, and a deep passion for our craft."
Tap our #linkinbio for a closer look at Golden Gate and stay tuned for more from our "Made in America" issue. 🧀
📸 @ninagallant_
🍽️ @madstrap
Friday night plans ✨️
📸 @adamdetour
Aries season is almost upon us, plus the start of some rambunctious midnight snacking. 🐏
Swipe for an inspired take on a jalapeno popper and tap the link in bio for your @astrolocheese guide. 🧀 ♈️
Cheesemaking, historically speaking, has long been a DIY endeavor.
“Two hundred years ago, all American cheese was made in the home,” writes Ricki Carroll in Home Cheese Making, originally published in 1982 and now in its fourth edition. In 1800, when 90 percent of Americans lived on farms, making cheese was just part of a farmer’s wife’s life.
While turnkey home cheesemaking kits delivered to one`s door wasn`t the norm back then, home cheesemaking`s popularity soared during the pandemic. Some folks ordered those aforementioned kits; others joined online groups such as Learn to Make Cheese, a Facebook group with more than 50,000 members moderated by Tracey Johnson (@cheeseneeds).
Tap our #linkinbio for a deep dive on the rise of home cheesemaking, from its cultural roots as women`s work to the people shaping the movement today. 🧀
✍️ @christine.rudalevige
Happy St. Patrick`s Day! Today, we`re craving @cashelfarmhousecheese: Ireland`s first farmhouse blue that pairs beautifully with a pint of @guinness. 🇮🇪
Swipe for a closer look at this rich Irish delicacy and the lush landscape of Tipperary, Ireland, where the cheese is made. Link in bio for the full origin story. 🍀 🧀
📸 @denis_vahey_photography_
✍️ Chris Allsop (@ocez)
At the 2025 @american_cheese_society Annual Judging & Competition, a hush fell over the ballroom full of cheese professionals. Who would win Best of Show? It turned out that Quebec-based @fromagerie_la_station’s raw-milk farmstead cheese won First—for the second year in a row—with Vermont’s @jasperhillfarm placing Second Best of Show, and Ontario’s @stonetowncheese taking Third. The results mirrored those from 2024, when the top three winners hailed from two Canadian makers and one American maker. So the new question on everyone’s mind is: What’s up with Canadian cheese?
Canadians have a good 20 years of cheesemaking practice on Americans. Plus, the country was settled by the French, who brought their ancestral techniques across the pond.
Tap the link in bio to keep reading about Canada`s history of cheesemaking. 🇨🇦
✍️ @alana_ped
The vibes were ✨️ immaculate ✨️ at Counter Culture LA, all thanks to the wonderful cheese community. 🧡
The next stop on our Counter Culture tour is Miami on March 31. Get your ticket while you still can at our link in bio! 🎟 🌴
This spring, we’re gathering some of our favorite new food books, from snack-forward entertaining and buttery indulgences to plant-forward island flavors and global cheese adventures. Recipes, stories, and stunning photography make these titles as fun to flip through as they are to cook from—perfect for your kitchen or coffee table.
Swipe for a few of our recommendations & browse the full list at our link in bio. 📖
✍️ @josiekrogh
Queso Oaxaca is a widely adored fresh Mexican cheese known for its mild and buttery flavor, stringy texture, and excellent melting properties.
A stretched-curd cheese made from fresh cow’s milk, queso Oaxaca is crafted by kneading and stretching curds in hot water to form long, rope-like strands. Each strand is then wrapped around itself to form queso Oaxaca’s signature ball-of-yarn shape.
The cheese’s mildly acidic and milky notes make it perfect for melting in quesadillas or enchiladas, shredded on top of soups or refried beans, or sliced for a simple snack during cocktail hour. Tap the link in bio for five recipes that`ll carry you through the workweek and weekend. 🍳
🧀 @quesosnavarro
✍️ & 🍽 @andreajbartholomew
📸 @paul.s.bartholomew
This is who makes your favorite cheese magazine 🧀
The hot honey trend isn’t showing signs of slowing, if you ask @traderjoes—the supermarket chain has placed Hot Honey Goat Milk Cheese on its refrigerated shelves.
Tap our link in bio for everything you need to know about this swicy offering before your next shopping trip. 🌶️🍯🧀
📸 @traderjoes
The 2026 World Championship @cheese_contest crowned its first place winner: @beemstercheese Royaal Grand Cru made by CONO Kaasmakers in Westbeemster, Netherlands. 🏆️
Tap the link in bio to learn what made this cheese stand out to the judges, plus the Contest`s 20 finalists. 🧀
If your child`s after school snack turns into a guided pairing, you may be raising a cheesemonger. 🧀🧃
🎨 Gail Galligan (@robochai)
Trevor Warmedahl, a cheesemaker and culture contributor known as the @milk_trekker, trots the globe visiting pastoral communities. His purpose? Investigating how milk is treated and transformed by indigenous microbes and the human touch. His new book, "Cheese Trekking (@chelseagreenbooks)," is as much a travelogue as it is a reflection on the links between terroir, cheesemaking, slow-food pathways, and heritage.
We were lucky enough to catch up with Warmedahl, who was staying at a yurt in between his travels. Tap the link in bio to learn about the experiences that shaped his writing, plus his views on the role of old-world food systems in a modern climate with high demand for all things quick and processed.
✍️ @alana_ped
