The Definitive Guide to Canadian Artisanal and Fine Cheese

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

In 1893, a 22,000-pound block of cheese from Ingersoll, Ontario, broke
through the floorboards while on display in Chicago. In 1917, the
American government ordered 6,000,000 pounds of Canadian cheese to feed
its Doughboys in France. Before World War II, most British working
people were sustained on Canadian, not English, cheddar. Let’s face
it, Canada used to be one cheesy place to live until the 1950s, when
hundreds of Canadian cheese factories closed down because they could no
longer compete with the bland, cheap cheese products churned out by huge
multinational corporations. But a new day is dawning in Canadian cheese
history. Waves of immigrants have arrived in Canada, bringing with them
a taste for sharp, tangy cheese like the ones they enjoyed in the old
country. Across Canada, hundreds of Canadian farmers have responded to
this demand by reviving artisan cheese production.

This book, by chef Gurth Pretty, is a celebration of the rebirth of the
Canadian cheese industry. More than 1,700 of the finest cheeses from
Prince Edward Island to Vancouver Island are featured. The text starts
off with a short, droll overview of the history of Canadian cheese; this
is followed by “A Cheese Primer” section, which covers milk
terminology, cheese types, tips on buying and storing cheese, and some
suggestions on how to lay out a cheese platter.

The bulk of the book is an in-depth look at artisan cheeses produced in
Canada. From the depth of his knowledge about cheese taste and nuances,
one gets the impression that chef Pretty is on a first-name basis with
every milk-producing sheep, cow, and goat in Canada. Hundreds of colour
photographs support the text and 30 cheese-oriented recipes are
included.