{{Short description|Soft and spreadable cheese product}} [[File:Eru goudkuipje sambal (cropped).jpg|thumb|Eru Goudkuipje Sambal, a Dutch commercial processed cheese spread prepared using chili paste as one of its ingredients]]
'''Cheese spread''' is a soft spreadable cheese or processed cheese product.<ref name="Brown 2007 p. 215"/> Various additional ingredients are sometimes used, such as multiple cheeses, fruits, vegetables and meats, and many types of cheese spreads exist. Pasteurized process cheese spread is a type of cheese spread prepared using pasteurized processed cheese and other ingredients.
==Overview== [[File:Homemade pimento cheese spread with crackers (cropped).jpg|thumb|Homemade pimento cheese spread with crackers]] [[File:Easy Cheese 5-21-09 IMG 4155 (3557182152).jpg|thumb|Easy Cheese, a pasteurized process cheese spread product, on a pretzel<ref name="Monk 1991"/>]]
Cheese spread is prepared using one or more cheeses or processed cheese and sometimes additional ingredients such as vegetables, fruits, meats and various spices and seasonings.<ref name="Chemical Additives in Food Processing 1956"/> Cheese spread is typically spread onto foods such as bread, toast, crackers and vegetables.<ref name="Crocker 2007 p. 48"/><ref name="Dimmick 2003"/>
Cheese spread can be commercially packaged in many ways: *in plastic tubs *in small foil-wrapped triangles or squares grouped together in a cardboard container, such as Dairylea or The Laughing Cow *in a pressurized can in which the cheese product comes out in a string-like form, such as Easy Cheese *in a jar in semi-liquid form, such as Cheez Whiz *as a solid in a butter-like bar, such as Velveeta.<ref name="Monk 1991"/><ref name="Food Processing Industry 1972"/><ref name="Vaclavik Christian 2013 p. 221"/>
==Varieties== {{main|List of spreads#Cheeses and cheese spreads}} Many types of cheese spreads exist, such as almogrote, Liptauer, cervelle de canut and tirokafteri, among others.<ref name="Barrenechea Koehler Hirsheimer 2013 p. 332"/><ref name="Boulud Greenspan 1999 p. 26"/><ref name="Steves 2014 p. 28"/>
===United States=== thumb|Cheese ball, a type of cheese spread In the United States, beer cheese spread is a traditional food of the U.S. state of Kentucky.<ref name="McKinney 2015 p. 72"/><ref name="Hartis 2014 p. 306"/> Pimento cheese is a food in the cuisine of the Southern United States that has been referred to as the "pâté of the south" and "Carolina caviar".<ref name="Neal 2009 p. 105"/><ref name="Viggiano 2016"/><ref name="Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture 1916 p. 981"/><ref name="Citizen Times 2015"/><ref name="Reed 2009 p. 243"/> Port wine cheese is mass-produced in the United States under several brands.<ref name="CBS 2015"/><ref name="Barber 2013 p. 181"/> Pub cheese is a soft cheese spread that is a traditional bar snack in the United States.<ref name="Clark 2013"/> Additional U.S. cheese spreads include benedictine, cold pack cheese and cup cheese.<ref name="van Willigen 2014 p. 108"/><ref name="Hui Chandan Clark Cross 2007 p. 599"/> A cheese ball is a type of cheese spread.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Russell |first=Jennifer |date=30 January 2014 |title=Respect the cheese ball: It's the perfect party food |url=https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2014/01/30/respect-the-cheese-ball-it-s-the-perfect-party-food |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=The Splendid Table}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Emily |date=2019-02-12 |title=The Most Fun Kind of Party is a Cheese Ball Party |url=https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-throw-cheese-ball-party-article |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=Epicurious |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gross |first=Matt-Taylor |date=2018-12-21 |title=How I Learned to Love The Texas Holiday Cheese Ball |url=https://www.saveur.com/texas-holiday-cheese-ball-memories/ |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=Saveur |language=en}}</ref>
===Pasteurized process cheese spread=== Pasteurized process cheese spread is a pasteurized processed cheese product prepared using one or more cheeses, additional ingredients and sometimes food additives such as emulsifiers (e.g. potassium phosphate and tartrate) and food stabilizers to limit product separation (e.g. carrageenan and xanthan gum).<ref name="pubs.acs.org 2000"/><ref name="Hui Evranuz 2016 p. 484"/> Cream, milkfat, sweeteners, water, salt, various seasonings and artificial color are sometimes used as ingredients.<ref name="pubs.acs.org 2000"/> In the United States, the amount of cheese products used in pasteurized process cheese spread must be at least 51 percent, must contain at least 20 percent milkfat, and the moisture content must be between 44 percent to 60 percent, not exceeding 60 percent.<ref name="pubs.acs.org 2000"/><ref name="Hui Evranuz 2016 p. 484"/> Pasteurized process cheese spread is prepared by heating the ingredients and then pouring the mixture into various molds and containers to cool and become solid.<ref name="pubs.acs.org 2000"/><ref name="Hui Evranuz 2016 p. 484"/> After cooling occurs, the product is then packaged.<ref name="pubs.acs.org 2000"/><ref name="Hui Evranuz 2016 p. 484"/>
==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed" caption="Cheese spreads"> File:Almogrote2.jpg|Almogrote File:Beer cheese dip.jpg|A commercial beer cheese spread File:Benedictine (condiment).JPG|Benedictine used as a dip File:Dutch cheese spread.jpg|A Dutch commercial cheese spread on bread File:Handi-Snacks - open.jpg|Handi-Snacks is a snack food product consisting of crackers and a cheese spread. File:Liptauer.jpg|Liptauer File:Quark liptauer cheese.jpg|Liptauer prepared with quark cheese File:Tirokafteri.jpg|Tirokafteri is a cheese spread from Greece and surrounding Balkan countries. </gallery>
==See also== {{portal|Food}} * Cream cheese * List of cheese dishes * List of spreads * Neufchâtel cheese * Velveeta – a brand name processed cheese product
==References== {{reflist|30em|refs= <ref name="Brown 2007 p. 215">{{cite book | last=Brown | first=A. | title=Understanding Food: Principles and Preparation | publisher=Cengage Learning | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-495-10745-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=edPzm5KSMmYC&pg=PA215 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=215}}</ref> <ref name="Chemical Additives in Food Processing 1956">{{cite book | title=The Use of Chemical Additives in Food Processing | publisher=National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council | series=National Research Council (U.S.) Publication 398 | year=1956 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zIwrAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA42 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=42}}</ref> <ref name="Hui Evranuz 2016 p. 484">{{cite book | last1=Hui | first1=Y.H. | last2=Evranuz | first2=E.A–. | title=Handbook of Animal-Based Fermented Food and Beverage Technology, Second Edition | publisher=CRC Press | series=CRCNET books | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-4398-5023-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X3jRBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA484 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=484}}</ref> <ref name="pubs.acs.org 2000">{{cite web | title=WHAT'S THAT STUFF? – Process Cheese | website=Chemical & Engineering News | url=https://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7806sci2.html | access-date=June 1, 2017|date=2000}}</ref> <ref name="Food Processing Industry 1972">{{cite book | title=Food Processing Industry | publisher=IPC Consumer Industries Press | issue=v. 41 | year=1972 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EkdWAAAAMAAJ | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=75}}</ref> <ref name="Vaclavik Christian 2013 p. 221">{{cite book | last1=Vaclavik | first1=V.A. | last2=Christian | first2=E.W. | title=Essentials of Food Science | publisher=Springer New York | series=Food Science Text Series | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-4614-9138-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ABa4BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA221 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=221}}</ref> <ref name="Monk 1991">{{cite book | last=Monk | first=A. | title=Convenience food facts: help for planning quick, healthy, and convenient meals | publisher=DCI/Chronimed Pub. | series=Wellness & nutrition library | year=1991 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S49KAAAAYAAJ | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=98| isbn=9780937721773 }}</ref> <ref name="Crocker 2007 p. 48">{{cite book | last=Crocker | first=Betty | title=Betty Crocker Cookbook | publisher=Wiley | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-470-17163-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WlWVBIZTYfQC&pg=PA48 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=48}}</ref> <ref name="Dimmick 2003">{{cite book | last=Dimmick | first=T. | title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to 5-Minute Appetizers | publisher=Alpha Books | year=2003 | isbn=978-1-59257-134-5 | url=https://archive.org/details/completeidiotsgu0000dimm_q2o0 | url-access=registration | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=[https://archive.org/details/completeidiotsgu0000dimm_q2o0/page/46 46]}}</ref> <ref name="Barrenechea Koehler Hirsheimer 2013 p. 332">{{cite book | last1=Barrenechea | first1=T. | last2=Koehler | first2=J. | last3=Hirsheimer | first3=C. | title=The Cuisines of Spain: Exploring Regional Home Cooking | publisher=Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-60774-615-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iwMRyheXOWoC&pg=PT332 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=332}}</ref> <ref name="Hartis 2014 p. 306">{{cite book | last=Hartis | first=D. | title=Beer Lover's the Carolinas: Best Breweries, Brewpubs & Beer Bars | publisher=Globe Pequot Press | series=Beer Lovers Series | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-4930-0876-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RxJxBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA306 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=306}}</ref> <ref name="van Willigen 2014 p. 108">{{cite book | last=van Willigen | first=J. | title=Kentucky's Cookbook Heritage: Two Hundred Years of Southern Cuisine and Culture | publisher=University Press of Kentucky | year=2014 | isbn=978-0-8131-4690-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sqoMBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT108 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=108}}</ref> <ref name="Barber 2013 p. 181">{{cite book | last=Barber | first=C. | title=Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-name Treats | publisher=Ulysses Press | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-61243-121-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wxH1AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA181 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=181}}</ref> <ref name="Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture 1916 p. 981">{{cite book | title=Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture for the Year Ending 1915 | issue=v. 2, pt. 1 | year=1916 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KytLAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA981 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=981}}</ref> <ref name="Neal 2009 p. 105">{{cite book | last=Neal | first=M. | title=Remembering Bill Neal: Favorite Recipes from a Life in Cooking | publisher=University of North Carolina Press | year=2009 | isbn=978-0-8078-8960-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cmSVAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA105 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=105}}</ref> <ref name="Viggiano 2016">{{cite web | last=Viggiano | first=Brooke | title=Dish of the Week: Pimento Cheese (Perfect for Super Bowl Sunday) | website=Houston Press | date=January 1, 2016 | url=http://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/dish-of-the-week-pimento-cheese-perfect-for-super-bowl-sunday-8112831 | access-date=June 1, 2017}}</ref> <ref name="McKinney 2015 p. 72">{{cite book | last=McKinney | first=A. | title=The Outdoor Table: The Ultimate Cookbook for Your Next Backyard BBQ, Front-Porch Meal, Tailgate, or Picnic | publisher=Thomas Nelson | year=2015 | isbn=978-0-7180-2220-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XxiMBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA72 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=72}}</ref> <ref name="CBS 2015">{{cite web | title=Phantom Gourmet: Port Wine Cheese Taste Test | website=CBS Boston | date=September 27, 2015 | url=http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/09/27/best-port-wine-cheese-phantom-gourmet/ | access-date=June 26, 2017}}</ref> <ref name="Hui Chandan Clark Cross 2007 p. 599">{{cite book | last1=Hui | first1=Y.H. | last2=Chandan | first2=R.C. | last3=Clark | first3=S. | last4=Cross | first4=N.A. | last5=Dobbs | first5=J.C. | last6=Hurst | first6=W.J. | last7=Nollet | first7=L.M.L. | last8=Shimoni | first8=E. | last9=Sinha | first9=N. | last10=Smith | first10=E.B. | title=Handbook of Food Products Manufacturing, 2 Volume Set | publisher=John Wiley & Sons | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-470-04964-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mnh6aoI8iF8C&pg=PA599 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=599}}</ref> <ref name="Boulud Greenspan 1999 p. 26">{{cite book | last1=Boulud | first1=D. | last2=Greenspan | first2=D. | title=Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook | publisher=Scribner | year=1999 | isbn=978-0-684-86343-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NPvDkqXecdMC&pg=PA26 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=26}}</ref> <ref name="Steves 2014 p. 28">{{cite book | last=Steves | first=R. | title=Rick Steves' Greece: Athens & the Peloponnese | publisher=Avalon Travel Publishing | series=Rick Steves Series | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-61238-060-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1zNtIHutGTwC&pg=PA28 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=28 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> <ref name="Citizen Times 2015">{{cite web | title=Asheville's pimento cheese hunger grows: Where to get it | website=Citizen Times | date=July 28, 2015 | url=http://www.citizen-times.com/story/entertainment/2015/07/28/ashevilles-pimento-cheese-hunger-grows-get/30774473/ | access-date=June 1, 2017}}</ref> <ref name="Reed 2009 p. 243">{{cite book | last=Reed | first=J. | title=Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialties: An Entertaining Life (with Recipes) | publisher=St. Martin's Press | year=2009 | isbn=978-1-4668-2853-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fJYaRHDdEmMC&pg=PA243 | access-date=June 1, 2017 | page=243}}</ref> <ref name="Clark 2013">{{cite web | last=Clark | first=Melissa | title=A Tangy Pub Cheese With Potato Bread Chips | website=The New York Times | date=October 22, 2013 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/dining/a-tangy-pub-cheese-with-potato-bread-chips.html | access-date=July 2, 2017}}</ref> }}
{{Cheese dishes}} {{Processed cheese}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheese Spread}} Category:Spreads (food) Category:Processed cheese Category:Cheese dishes Category:Cheese spreads