Some holidays and celebrations get all the attention, but there are a few that probably deserve a little more, such as the ‘National Cheese Lovers’ celebration.
National Cheese Lover’s Day typically falls on January 20, and the name is pretty self-explanatory. Cheese makes up a huge part of our collective American diet, and there is all sorts of valuable, and useless, information about the product.
There is no real evidence as how cheese making was discovered, but legend says it was likely that the first cheese was created thousands of years ago, when milk was transported and stored in sheep stomachs. Left to sit a few days the proteins would separate into curds and whey.
From there, preserving the solids with salt may have seemed a logical next step, as salt was a highly valued preservative in ancient times.
The nutritional value of cheese varies depending on the variety, but Cottage and Mozzarella cheese are at the lower end of fat and calories per serving while Mascarpone (used to make rich, creamy desserts like tiramisu) and Cream Cheese pack it on.
For cheese lovers who think one day is just not enough to celebrate cheese, Javier’s Mexican Grill in downtown Chipley, Florida agrees with you, and has set aside the week of January 20 to invite old friends as well as new customers to try their signature cheese Queso, used alone as a dip with tortilla chips as well as a sauce and garnish to their authentic Mexican dishes.
There are also 18 other cheese-specific holidays on the calendar, from National Cheese Doodle Day (March 5) and National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day (April 12) to Cheese Souffle Day (May 18), National Cheese Day (June 4), National String Cheese Day (September 20) and Moldy Cheese Day (October 9).
National Nacho Day (November 6) just isn’t the same without the Queso and on National Sangria Day (December 20), cheese lovers will enjoy serving a variety of cheeses with all their guests!
Javier’s Mexican Grill is located at 1414 Main Street in downtown Chipley, Florida, just a mile north of I-10 at Exit 120 and they are open 7 days a week, from 11AM until 9PM. Happy National Cheese Lovers Week!
