I first encountered this species of cheese at Trader Joe’s, but I have seen variations—“Irish Cheddar,” “Dubliner Cheddar”—around town, so I am, in fact, documenting a trend here. This cheese is cheddar-flavored, but more like soft romano in texture. When grated, it melts like regular cheddar, however. Eaten cold, Celtic Cheddar has a satisfying, salty crunch, like myzithra, with the classic cheddar zippiness. Superb on toast.
That said, I'd like to know who thought up this marketing gimmick, for that is what "Irish Cheddar" is. A google search proved nothing but the cheese's popularity, so I'm left to do some deconstruction on my own:
"Cheddar" is an English cheese, from the English town of Cheddar. Ireland is the second largest island of the British Isles, and has been under the imperialist thumb of England for centuries. I am not Irish, nay, even Irish-American, so I don't know the exact political implications of a food commodity called "Irish Cheddar," but frankly, it strikes me as wrong. I mean, with all the Irish pride out there (and I've lived in Boston and New York, so I know from Irish pride), can't they come up with their own cheeses to market to American yuppies? I know there are indigenous Irish cheeses out there--Dunbarra springs to mind--so why must the Irish co-opt the name "Cheddar" from their oppressors?
Maybe I shouldn't be too harsh. Perhaps "Irish Cheddar" is just another example of globalization and multiculturalism, like Earl Grey tea or Japanese Christmas. Maybe, in a plan to make the quintessential cheese of the European Union, the Irish Cheddar makers got an early jump on the trend. But I'm still not sure. The green, celtic knotwork on the Trader Joe's label seems like it's trying too hard to convince me of something I don't want to believe. Also, a study of the official Cheddar cheese website convinces me that the product I am nibbling on may or may not be Irish, but is indisputably not "cheddar."
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