A Ridiculous History of Processed Cheese

Summary

A Ridiculous History of Processed Cheese
Ridiculous History Podcast by iHeartPodcasts
Released on March 20, 2025

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Introduction

In the episode titled "A Ridiculous History of Processed Cheese", hosts Ben Bolan and Noel Brown delve into the intriguing and often overlooked story of processed cheese. With their characteristic blend of humor and historical insight, they explore the origins, development, and cultural impact of this beloved dairy product. The episode also touches upon the economic and governmental factors that have shaped the processed cheese industry in the United States.

The Nature of Processed Cheese

The discussion begins with the hosts examining what exactly constitutes processed cheese. Ben introduces the topic by contrasting processed cheese with natural cheese, emphasizing its unique characteristics and widespread popularity in American cuisine.

Ben Bolan [04:26]: "I'll tell you this, man. I know processed cheese is not the best thing for a human body, but I love it. I am like, I might be addicted to Velveeta at some points in my life."

Noel adds to this by highlighting the versatility of processed cheese products like Velveeta and Kraft Singles, noting their superior melting properties which make them ideal for dishes like Mac and cheese and cheesesteaks.

Noel Brown [04:38]: "It's a good Mac and cheese option, that's for sure. I think I prefer it to the Kraft powdered Mac and cheese box..."

Historical Origins

The conversation then takes a historical turn, tracing the roots of processed cheese back to ancient times. Ben cites Homer’s Iliad, dating back to around 800 BCE, which mentions mixing goat or sheep milk with wine—a precursor to modern cheese processing techniques.

Ben Bolan [16:20]: "The earliest mention of what we would call processed cheese actually comes from Homer, comes from the Iliad."

The hosts further explore the Swiss contributions to cheese processing in the 1300s, particularly in the Emmental region, where rennet was used to coagulate milk proteins, an essential step in cheese production.

Noel Brown [17:01]: "Swiss cheese is considered an early example of processed cheese because rennet is one of the main ingredients..."

Development in America

The focus shifts to the early 20th century with the pioneering efforts of James Lewis Kraft and his brother Norman. In 1911, the Kraft brothers sought to create a cheese product that could withstand long shipping times without spoiling, leading to the development of a process that extended cheese’s shelf life through the addition of sodium citrate.

Ben Bolan [19:10]: "In 1916, Canadian American immigrant James Lewis Kraft with a K, you know it, obtained his first patent for processed cheese along with his little brother Norman."

This innovation laid the foundation for what would become a multi-billion-dollar industry, with Kraft Singles alone accounting for approximately 74% of all processed cheese sales in the United States.

Noel Brown [22:21]: "In 1944, Kraft secured another patent, this time for the process that led to the delightful little Kraft singles that we know and some of us love today."

Government Involvement

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the interplay between the dairy industry and government policies. In the 1970s, facing a milk shortage, the U.S. government implemented the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 under President Richard Nixon. This act included price controls and subsidies to stabilize milk prices and support struggling farmers.

Ben Bolan [25:11]: "President Richard Nixon... passed the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973. This did have price controls, it did have subsidies..."

However, these measures led to an unintended surplus of processed cheese, prompting further government intervention. Under President Reagan in the early 1980s, the government accumulated over 500 million pounds of processed cheese to maintain dairy industry stability. Instead of disposing of the excess, Reagan’s administration established the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program, distributing $300 million worth of "government cheese" to those in need.

Ben Bolan [31:00]: "President Reagan... founded the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program. This is the government cheese."

Modern Implications

The legacy of these policies is evident today, with the U.S. government reportedly storing over a billion pounds of processed cheese in underground caverns in Missouri. This surplus reflects ongoing challenges in balancing dairy supply and demand, compounded by fluctuating public demand for dairy products.

Noel Brown [34:06]: "These are referred to as anaerobic lagoons and are a way of, I believe, storing and treating livestock manure..."

Cultural Impact and Anecdotes

Processed cheese has firmly entrenched itself in American culture, most notably through its association with the classic Philly cheesesteak. The hosts discuss the varying preferences for cheese on cheesesteaks, with some favoring Cheez Whiz for its distinctive flavor and meltability, as seen in traditional establishments like Pat's and Geno's in Philadelphia.

Noel Brown [35:20]: "We traveled to Philadelphia on numerous occasions and have enjoyed authentic Philly cheesesteaks... the traditional way... is with Cheez Whiz..."

They also share anecdotes about their attempts to gather opinions from locals, revealing the strong and sometimes conflicting loyalties to different cheesesteak purveyors.

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with the hosts reflecting on the ubiquitous presence of processed cheese in American life and its complex history intertwined with industrial innovation and governmental policy. They invite listeners to ponder the broader implications of food processing and its role in society, all while maintaining their trademark lightheartedness.

Noel Brown [35:15]: "We should look back on that and maybe do an update."

Ben and Noel conclude by celebrating the enduring legacy of processed cheese and its place in both the culinary and economic fabric of the United States, thanking their contributors and encouraging listeners to continue exploring the often absurd histories behind everyday items.

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Notable Quotes:

• Ben Bolan [04:26]: "I might be addicted to Velveeta at some points in my life."

• Noel Brown [04:38]: "It's a good Mac and cheese option, that's for sure."

• Ben Bolan [16:20]: "The earliest mention of what we would call processed cheese actually comes from Homer..."

• Noel Brown [22:21]: "In 1944, Kraft secured another patent... for the delightful little Kraft singles..."

• Ben Bolan [25:11]: "President Richard Nixon... passed the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973."

• Ben Bolan [31:00]: "President Reagan... founded the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program. This is the government cheese."

• Noel Brown [35:20]: "We traveled to Philadelphia on numerous occasions and have enjoyed authentic Philly cheesesteaks..."

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This comprehensive exploration sheds light on the "ridiculous" yet fascinating history of processed cheese, revealing its significant impact on both the food industry and broader societal structures.

Transcript

[Ben Bolan]

Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to the show, fellow ridiculous historians. Thank you as always, so much for tuning. Tuning in. If you can hear me cheesing on the mic, it's because I'm pleased as punch to be joined with our brain trust of. Of host of producers, starting with super producer Mr. Max Williams. Oh, hello.

[Max Williams]

I'm here and you're starting with me.

[Noel Brown]

Pleased is cheese, you might say.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes, Yes, I have cheese. Yeah, that's. That's Mr. Noel Brown.

[Noel Brown]

The condition.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Yep, that's Mr. Noel Brown. This is going to be an interesting episode for our pal Max. Due to the Condition, I am Ben Bolan. We are joined vicariously with our research associate, Ren. And recently off air, we had a brief conversation about foods that we're interested in. We did talk a little bit about haggis off air after our daring Gap episode, but I feel like it's fair to say, condition aside, in principle, we're all fans of cheese, I think.

[Noel Brown]

So. Max, can you have vegan cheese?

[Max Williams]

Yes, yes. Vegan cheese is a go to. And I can actually have soft cheese, so I can have mozzarella and stuff. It's harder cheese. I can't have a little chevre.

[Noel Brown]

You have a little chevre?

[Max Williams]

Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

Okay, Okay.

[Max Williams]

I mostly played safe and just a little ricotta, maybe. Cheese.

[Ben Bolan]

Where are you at with cottage cheese?

[Max Williams]

Oh, cottage cheese. I should be able to have cottage cheese. Honestly, I don't know.

[Noel Brown]

Too bad.

[Max Williams]

It's gross when it comes to the condition.

[Noel Brown]

It is.

[Max Williams]

Yeah, it is.

[Ben Bolan]

I mean cheese as a concept, too. We were talking about this on an episode of or on a show called Very Special Episodes about Big Parma. How cheese and dairy became a huge part of the American diet. And this is a natural palate complementer to that conversation. Where are we at with Cheez Whiz? Where are we at with Velveeta? Where are we at with Kraft Singles?

[Ren]

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[Ben Bolan]

I'll tell you this, man. I know processed cheese is not the best thing for a human body, but I love it. I am like, I might be addicted to Velveeta at some points in my life.

[Noel Brown]

It's a good Mac and cheese option, that's for sure. I think I prefer it to the Kraft powdered Mac and cheese box. I think that's right. And you can also buy it in like these bricks, these soft bricks of Velveeta. And then you can mix it with whatever noodles you choose, you know, so that's a lot of fun. I'm a big fan of the Kraft singles, I gotta say cheese product because of the way that it doesn't split when you put it on a burger. It gets you that perfect even melt. And if anyone's seen the movie the menu starring Ralph Fiennes as a maniacal. What do you like? Michelin Y type chef, even he sings the praises of Kraft Singles. And I think even when you go to like fancier burger type places or smash burger joints that are really popular right now, you're gonna see that cheese product cause of its melting proper.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, that's true. And we'll get to the melty science behind this. There is a reason that people have, at least in the west, held processed cheese in its own rarefied air. It's a familiar ingredient in American cuisine. If you travel to other countries and you are eating a burger somewhere, the American burger is probably gonna have processed cheese on it because it became synonymous with the United States.

[Noel Brown]

100%. The question then becomes, Ben, as you have alluded to, what the heck is in this stuff? This cheese product processed has a real negative connotation in general when we're talking about nutrition. Is this stuff as plastic as the thin plastic coating that it comes in?

[Ben Bolan]

That is the question for the court today. Mr. Brown, I believe we can begin with good news. A lot of us will be relieved hopefully to learn that the main ingredient in all processed cheese is still to this day, actual cheese.

[Noel Brown]

That's right. They just can't call it cheese because it's. The percentage isn't enough for it to be considered pure cheese. It is, in fact, cheese product you'll see often listed on those packages. According to food author Alex Delaney in a 2018 article for Bon Appetit, this is what they have to say about it. Processed cheese isn't 100% cheese of the time. It hovers around 50% cheese, sometimes more and sometimes less. But at a base level, processed cheese is real cheese cut with other non cheese ingredients. Okay, wait, wait, wait. Stepped on a little bit.

[Ben Bolan]

They stepped on the product. Yes. Shout out to the wire and all the hip hop that I love. But there's good news still, because these non cheese ingredients are a mission critical factor in the meltiness that we all adore. Right. The word process, as you mentioned, has a negative connotation. Kind of like saying scheme in US English. Hey, look, callback, callback. But really, it's unfair to immediately condemn something just because the word processed is used to describe it. Butter is processed milk. Grape juice is. Wine too, I guess is just processed from grapes. You have to have some sort of intervention to create the end thing.

[Noel Brown]

Well, sure. I mean, you could even go so far as to say the process of fermentation could fall into this category. So the buzziness and the negative connotation of the term processed causes quite a bit of hullabaloo. And I think maybe something ado about nothing.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah, I think that's a very fair point. Because, you know, depending on the kind of processed cheese food product, that's one for the Americans, depending on the type of thing you're looking at, it could be made entirely of ingredients that the ordinary consumer would consider natural. If we're talking processed cheese, it could usually does begin with a shredded, as our pal Lauren would say, actual facts. Cheese. Colby York cheddar.

[Noel Brown]

Right. It's then melted and mixed with water, milk and oil. This is added to the Hot cheese.

[Ben Bolan]

Hot cheese. I love that phrase. Hot cheese.

[Noel Brown]

That's good. You should use it in regular conversation to refer to something that's awesome. At this stage, the ingredients start to separate from one another because dairy and oil have different properties. Sort of the way olive oil sits on top of the rest of the liquid inside salad dressing. You have to shake it up. Or like the way the blobbies and lava lamps can exist inside the same container but never actually combine. It's sort of a. Is it a suspension? Is that the term?

[Ben Bolan]

It's. It means that they. They're segregated, basically. They're not mixing into one. One homogenous substance. And the. The reason that you have processed cheese at all, folks, is due to emulsifying agents. An emulsion is a mixture. More liquids that would ordinarily be in that lava lamp situation, and you are able to include some intervening factor or substance that brings them together. In the case of processed cheese, we're thinking stuff like sodium citrate. That would be one of the most famous examples that I can conjure up. Also, bonus points, sodium is a preservative. So this makes processed cheese last longer than, you know, the fresh cheese you would get at the farmer's market.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, think of the way naval rations are preserved in, like, salt barrels, you know, and salted meats and all of that stuff. It's very much the same situation. The final consistency of the cheese is ultimately determined by the amount of emulsifier that's used, the temperature, the moisture content, and the degree of blending that takes place throughout this process.

[Ben Bolan]

Okay, this is already sounding a little complicated for some of us in the crowd. But also remember, folks, if you introduced or described natural cheese to anyone who had never encountered it before, it would sound pretty crazy, right? You would say, you know, we got milk, right? We get milk from these other animals, and then we do this weird process to it, right? As you said, Noel, all cheese is processed milk, right? And then sometimes we just let certain bacteria go hog wild on it.

[Noel Brown]

When you really unpack it like that, Ben, it is kind of gross if it weren't so delicious. And crack like that is the thing. There have been studies that say that cheese can be as addictive as crack cocaine.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, wow. Well, good thing I tried cheese first.

[Noel Brown]

100%, Ben.

[Ben Bolan]

I'll be addicted to that one. I think we both will. We also have to, as Ren points out, address something called easy cheese. Easy cheese is different from cheese whiz, which we're gonna spend some time on. Easy cheese does come in an aerosol can, but apparently it's not a true aerosol.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, that's right. And that's because a thin layer of plastic at the bottom of the can prevents the propellant that is included from mixing with the cheese. So it does have that separate component. This separation allows the cheese to emerge from the can in a nice ropey strand rather than a fine mist like a traditional aerosol spray. Like a ropey strand. A ropey strand, Ben. A ropey strand. I said what I said.

[Ben Bolan]

You said what you said. And I've got your back. I got your.

[Noel Brown]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Ben Bolan]

So easy cheese is interesting because there is natural cheese in it, but it is not the protagonist. It's not the main character of the ingredient list. Instead, you're gonna see stuff like whey protein concentrate, and, of course, canola oil. It also gets its fluorescent orange color from naturally derived sources. So we're already seeing that processed cheese has its own panoply of very distinct entities. If we want to talk about the current state of cheese, I guess we have to do a little ridiculous history about cheese in general.

[Noel Brown]

Yes. Cheese101.

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[Noel Brown]

Yep.

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There you go.

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[Noel Brown]

So let us venture together to the Swiss Alps.

[Ben Bolan]

Mm. Yes. Yeah. The earliest mention of what we would call processed cheese actually comes from Homer, comes from the Iliad. And this is written in around like 800 BCE and it talks about how you could mix goat or sheep milk with wine and flourish. Kind of a precedent for fondue. And that's where we get to, as you were saying, Switzerland, the 1300s. This is where we see the real versions of cheese exist everywhere. But this is where you see the real fancy cheese, guys, right?

[Noel Brown]

100%. And this was created in the Emmental region of Switzerland in the 1300s. And you may have heard of Emmental cheese, which. Which I believe is the. Well, there's raclette, of course, but pivental cheese is another kind that is used and melted down, if I'm not mistaken, for a fondue situation. So Swiss cheese is considered an early example of processed cheese because rennet is one of the main ingredients, which is itself a preservative. Traditionally found in the stomach lining of livestock. It is an enzyme that causes the protein in milk to coagulate. So, I'm sorry, I may have been off base and calling It a preservative. It is however, a chemical additive in the same way that preservatives are.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah. And because of that rennet, because of those enzymes added to the original product, Swiss cheese is considered processed. Now let's stick with fondue. I almost said I have some rennet. I've got some emmental in the fridge right now. So we're interested in learning more about this. If you go a little bit forward in time to the 1800s, you'll see the next iteration of fondue. It arrives to us from the Swiss Alps. And at the time, just like we were talking about off air with haggis at the time, this was not considered a fancy special occasion thing like going to the melting pot or another fondue restaurant. Instead, this was what we would call a struggle meal. Like people ate it because they had.

[Noel Brown]

To work with what they possessed, 100%. Winter in the Swiss Alps was rough, long, harsh and freezing. So the peasants had to use this aged cheese and bread because the fresh produce just wasn't on the table, literally and figuratively. By combining their cheese with flour, wine and some herbs, like you mentioned earlier, Ben, over an open flame, these peasants were able to create a, you know, very tasty and, and long lasting food item that would take the edge off winter's chill. According to the Dairy farmers of Wisconsin website@wisconsin cheese.com.

[Ben Bolan]

Mm, yeah. And the method that people use to make American cheese today largely was also created by a couple of Swedes, Swedish guys named Walter Gerber and Franz Stettler. In 1911 they said, all right, let's make something that we can ship off to warmer areas of the world and our super move will be to ship this without it spoiling. And they added sodium citrate to this melted emmental to this hot cheese. And they did, you know, their experiment was successful. They made a product that could last longer on the shelf. But there was someone else in the game, someone who was living across the pond, as we say, who grew his own kind of hot cheese. Science experiment.

[Noel Brown]

Hot cheese.

[Ben Bolan]

Hot cheese. Resulting in a business empire that is worth over US$37 billion as we record today. It's time to meet him, Noel.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, big cheese. In 1916, Canadian American immigrant James Lewis Kraft with a K, you know it, obtained his first patent for processed cheese along with his little brother Norman. The Krafts would transform the landscape of the supermarket. In its very first iteration, Kraft cheese was slightly different from the line of products that we know today. How was it different?

[Ben Bolan]

You know, first off, it's Sold in jars or cans because it doesn't have emulsifying salts. Noel, before we continue, I have a pitch for the Ridiculous History Cinematic Universe.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, my gosh, please.

[Ben Bolan]

Okay, dude, what if we make a film, a movie about James and Norman Kraft and how they created this processed cheese empire and we just call it the Kraft with a K. Light as.

[Noel Brown]

A feather, stiff is a board.

[Ben Bolan]

Throw in some occult references.

[Noel Brown]

Why not? You know, we could make them like vampire hunters too or something.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, that's the craft.

[Max Williams]

Only if it's special. Sequel to the episode we're going to do about the Kellogg brothers.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, have we not done the Kellogg brothers episode yet?

[Max Williams]

Oh, well, movie correction.

[Noel Brown]

We'll make.

[Max Williams]

We gotta make the movie also.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, okay.

[Max Williams]

And there are also vampire hunters.

[Ben Bolan]

Great.

[Noel Brown]

Rival vampire hunters. Yes.

[Max Williams]

The way they kill vampires is by.

[Noel Brown]

You can't say that. You can't say that.

[Ben Bolan]

All right. I like the idea though, that they're both using derry to fight vampires. I will say this is a very anti vampire we're taking and there's a reason. Because vampires can't eat cheese.

[Noel Brown]

Is that true?

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. They can't eat cheese.

[Noel Brown]

Okay. They're lactose intolerant then.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. Yes. That's the real problem with vampires. You heard it here first, folks. In 1921, we know that the Kraft Company did patent or a patent applications for emulsifying.

[Noel Brown]

In 1944, however, Kraft secured another patent, this time for the process that led to the delightful little Kraft singles that we know and some of us love today. This was a major improvement to the former loaf situation. These little slices account today for roughly 74% of all processed cheese sales in the entirety of the United States.

[Ben Bolan]

Wild, right? Wild. This goes into some of our other explorations about how the US Government in particular got so deep in bed with Big dairy. Big Parma.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, man. Check out that episode, by the way. What was it called? Very Special Episodes.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, Big How Cheese Got In. Everything right?

[Noel Brown]

Yep. Featuring Ben Bolan and his buddy Alex French.

[Ben Bolan]

Thank you so much, man. It's a weird one for sure. It is a true story. And craft does occur within that story. We also learned something we mentioned on previous episodes of Stuff they don't want you to know, Noel, which is that the US government, as we record, is currently storing £1.4 billion of processed cheese in this underground cave system in Missouri.

[Noel Brown]

A bunker situation.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes.

[Noel Brown]

Bro. Bro, I've got a pitch for you. What if when Elon Musk blows the doors off of Fort Knox, it's not full of gold bricks at all but just bricks of Velveeta.

[Ben Bolan]

I love it. Oh, because they would look like gold. Oh, you thought about that? Smart.

[Noel Brown]

Liquid gold is what we call.

[Ben Bolan]

This is. This is weird. We have to dive into this. Why does Uncle Sam have over a billion pounds of cheese hidden away in caves? That is true. We know it sounds weird, but it is true. It's because in the 1970s, the US had a milk shortage, but the demand for dairy did not decrease. And as a result, dairy products, everything that falls under the category of dairy, the prices for Those spiked by 30%. It's kind of similar to what we're seeing with eggs in the US today.

[Noel Brown]

Is this the government cheese everyone's always talking about?

[Ben Bolan]

This is. This gets to it.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah. Okay, great. So, as we're currently seeing with eggs, like you said, when inflation impacts the cost of an important staple food, A, people get irritated because they can't afford one of these common items that are relied upon for sustenance, and B, they buy less of that product because they just don't have any other choice. But then enter our hero in this situation, I guess. Our buddy, President Richard. Not a crook, Nixon, who did have a bit of a plan here.

[Ben Bolan]

Old Tricky, he says, look, we're going to pass the Agriculture and Consumer Protection act of 1973. This did have price controls, it did have subsidies. It said milk should only be at this reasonable price. And if you're a farmer and you're struggling, we're going to give you a little cash on the side to help you make it to the next year. We're also getting rid of all these crazy import quotas we had from the Great Depression. This band aided the discrepancy between supply and demand. But you know, Nixon probably had some backroom smoky deals.

[Noel Brown]

You think that was kind of his thing, I guess, wasn't it?

[Ben Bolan]

It's something in the eyes.

[Noel Brown]

I think you're right. Very shifty, Tricky. But if you know anything about tricky, Dick Nixon probably isn't cheese related or dairy related. A bit more of that old. That hotel.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. Yeah. A gate, some water. So, President Jimmy Carter. Classic Georgia boy. He takes rip.

[Noel Brown]

Only just recently thought he was going to live forever.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, we had all hoped. He took office in 1977 and it looked like the Nixon administration had overcorrected with dairy products and supply and demand. Because now dairy products are so cheap that farmers are losing money by running their businesses.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Ren]

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[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Ren]

Okay, kid, give it a try.

[Alex Williams]

Nice.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Ren]

Knees, too. Okay.

[Noel Brown]

Yep.

[Ren]

There you go.

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[Alex Williams]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It's stock up savings time now through March 25th. Spring in for storewide deals and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible household items like Ziploc freezer bags and dinner essentials like Hunt's diced tomatoes and Tillamook shredded cheese, plus many more. Then clip the offer in our app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more restrictions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.

[Ben Bolan]

Picture this. You're in the garage, hands covered in grease, just finished tuning up your engine with a part you found on ebay. And you realize, you know what? I could also use new brakes.

[Noel Brown]

So where do you go next? Back to ebay.

[Ben Bolan]

You can find anything there. It's unreal.

[Noel Brown]

Wipers, headlights, even cold air intakes. It's all there.

[Ben Bolan]

And you've got ebay guaranteed fit.

[Noel Brown]

You order a part and if it doesn't fit, send it back. Simple as that.

[Ben Bolan]

Look, DIY fixes can be major. Doesn't matter if it's just maintenance or a major model, you got it.

[Noel Brown]

Especially when things are guaranteed to fit.

[Ben Bolan]

So when you dive into your next car project, start with ebay.

[Noel Brown]

All the parts you need at prices you'll love. Guaranteed to fit every time.

[Ben Bolan]

Ebay Things people love.

[Unknown]

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[Ben Bolan]

You can't move the milk fast enough. The economics no longer make sense. So production is still continuing at the same rate because they already have all these cows, right? They already have all these dairy cows and they're going to keep making milk. Congress and President Carter, they get incredibly concerned that if they allow these farmers to go into other businesses, they're just going to create another dairy shortage. So now we see another Big government act, the Food and Agriculture act of 1977, right.

[Noel Brown]

Supplied More subsidies to dairy. And with the government buying all of that excess product, farmers are able to continue on as usual. But the government did now find itself with a bit of a cheese glut. Hot cheese.

[Ben Bolan]

Hot cheese. They got that hot cheese. They had so much stuff. First off, I would point out, they had so much milk. And milk is cartoonishly perishable, right? So they had to transform it into something that would last a little longer, which means their next move are gonna be things like butter and cheese. And by the time Ronald Reagan comes after President Carter in the early 1980s, the government has bought up over 500 million pounds of processed cheese just to keep the dairy industry going.

[Noel Brown]

That's wild. That does not seem like the best arrangement. What on earth did they do with all of this cheese? According to a USDA official in 1981 in an article in the Washington Post, probably the cheapest and most practical thing to do would be to dump it in the ocean. But Reagan was a frugal man. He did not believe he was a waste not, want not type fellow. He wanted that hot cheese to trickle down.

[Ben Bolan]

He wanted that hot cheese to trickle down in Ruby stray.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, yeah. Thank you, man. Thank you.

[Ben Bolan]

So it's 1981, then. President Reagan is coming to the public in December, and he says, at a time when American families are under increasing financial pressure, their government cannot sit by and watch millions of pounds of food turn to waste. This is where his administration founds the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program. This is the government cheese. They took all the cheese they had made in this deal with the dairy industry, and they distributed £300 million of it to populations that they saw as in need. At the same time, by the way, they're putting cheese in every kind of military. Like everything the army eats is getting cheese.

[Noel Brown]

If you look at images of this stuff, it looks like a brick of plastique, you know, some sort of, like, explosive putty. It says pasteurized process. Process, not processed. By the way, cheddar cheese keep under refrigeration. And then there's a little sign off. Purchased and distributed by the United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. and I mean, D.C. cheese. The idea of, you know, maybe it's. It's certainly antiquated now, but I remember growing up, it was sort of like a joke kind of thing. Talk about people being on government cheese. Sort of a crass way of referring to maybe people that were less fortunate than others.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, 100%. There was some Insensitivity in those days and in the present day because the government has once again begun buying up a lot of cheese. And it's entirely because they have to prop up and assist the domestic dairy industry. Public demand for dairy products has declined.

[Noel Brown]

Ben, where do you think the use of the word cheese referring to money, came from? Do you think it has anything to do with this whole, like, we've got way too much cheese situation, I wonder.

[Ben Bolan]

That is a good question. Let's see if we're looking at cheese as money slang. Maybe it does go back to welfare and assistance. Maybe that's when people started talking about having the cheddar, having the cheese.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, 100%. Yep. If you look at Urban Dictionary, one of the entries refers to it as slang for money, referring to a form of welfare where people would get government cheese handed out to people in what were referred to as poverty lines. And I think that's a bit of a. Of an antiquated term as well. But cheese comes from the term government cheese. But in slang, it's referring to money because that's where you get your welfare checks as well as that government cheddar makes sense, right?

[Ben Bolan]

Beautiful cheese has cash money you can eat. Right now, US Farmers have so much extra milk that they're reportedly dumping it into fields, into lagoons.

[Noel Brown]

Not in the ocean at least, right? No. Oh, and Ben, just doubling back to what you mentioned about the excess milk being dumped into lagoons. These are referred to as anaerobic lagoons and are a way of, I believe, storing and treating livestock manure because of the anaerobic ability for it to be broken down by that product.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, you absolutely nailed it. It's a way to sort of mitigate the waste or the potential for, you know, other nasty things to happen when you throw a bunch of animal junk and milk into the environment. So right now, the US Government has more cheese in its caves than it did when Ronald Reagan was doing his best to give it all away. Big Parma is real. Processed cheese is real, is awesome. We have to thank everybody who's listening to this in the dairy industry. Thanks for tuning in, folks.

[Noel Brown]

Ben, before we wrap up, it being, I believe, as this publishes National Cheesesteak.

[Ben Bolan]

Month, national cheesesteak day is March 24th. Okay.

[Noel Brown]

We, Ben, you and I, have traveled to Philadelphia on numerous occasions and have enjoyed authentic Philly cheesesteaks. If you're in Philly, you just call it a steak. But the traditional way of eating a Philly steak is with Cheez Whiz, not with. I mean, we love a sharp provolone. Excellent addition as well. But the classic style is with grilled onions and Cheez Whiz. Ben, you found a great article that explains the origin of that.

[Ben Bolan]

Ah yes, the oral history of the Philly cheesesteak with Big big Thanks to our pal Victor Fiorillo. You can find this on phillymag.com It's a fascinating story that might be an episode all its own.

[Noel Brown]

We did something about Philly cheesesteaks. Was it on ridiculous history? I think it was. Maybe it just was part of another larger, broader topic. But I swear we talked about the history of Philly cheesesteaks at some point or another because I know, I know way too much about it. We should look back on that and maybe do an update.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. I've got to ask you, inquiring minds want to know, Noel, Max, again, condition aside, what's your take? What's the right cheese for a Philly cheesesteak?

[Noel Brown]

I don't think I've ever had it with Wiz. I really like it with sharp provolone. I just think it's a superior cheese. I'm not a huge canned cheese kind of guy though I do like a Kraft single melted gently over a delicious Smash burger. How about you, Max?

[Max Williams]

With especially if it's been.

[Ben Bolan]

You're going to keep going with that, huh?

[Max Williams]

I'm going to beep them both out now. You're going to know what I said.

[Ben Bolan]

Other than you two. So folks, we would love to hear your opinions on cheesesteaks. I did mess up one time. Noel and our pal Matt Frederick and I were doing a live show in Philadelphia and at the very end I asked people, people to recommend which Philly cheesesteak shop we should go to. And they were very. There were very strident and contradicting opinions.

[Noel Brown]

Right. There's the two kind of, you know, classic ones. There's Pat's and then the other one that's right across the street from it. But those are almost like locals think those are sort of like played out and everyone's gonna have some kind of off the beaten path steak joint that they will recommend. I think Dalessandro's is a, is a popular one if I'm not mistaken.

[Ben Bolan]

It's the good ones are always some person's name.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, 100%.

[Ben Bolan]

That's the rule of thumb there.

[Noel Brown]

D'Alessandro Steaks and Hoagies, Philly, Pennsylvania. I have heard really great things about that. But then if you go to Reddit, someone says here dalessandro sucks go to Angelo's or John's Roast Pork.

[Ben Bolan]

That's exactly what happened, dude. When I asked people in Philadelphia, you know, I thought they wanted to talk to us about the show, but they were just going, nah man. Beat me or Max. They were not, man. You Knicks. Nah. Dalesandro.

[Noel Brown]

We like Nick's. We went to Knicks. It was good.

[Ben Bolan]

Did end up going to Nick's. Yeah. So with that, folks, thank you as always so much for tuning in. Thanks to our research associate, Ren. Thanks to our super producer, Mr. Max Williams. Who else? Who else?

[Noel Brown]

Oh geez. Alex Williams, who composed our three Christopher, Odis, Neves Jeffcoats here in Spirit, the.

[Ben Bolan]

Rude dudes at Ridiculous Crime. Tune in if you like our show. You'll love theirs. And thanks also, of course, to everybody with an opinion of a cheesesteak. This episode has made me so hungry. I think we're trending toward lunchtime big time.

[Noel Brown]

It is proper lunchtime as we wrap this episode up. Ben, thanks for for cheesing it up with me, man, and also with you. We'll see you next time, folks. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Alex Williams]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It's Stock up Savings time now through March 25th. Spring in for storewide deals and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible household items like Ziploc freezer bags and dinner essentials like Hunt's diced tomatoes and Tillamook shredded cheese, plus many more. Then clip the offer in our app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more restrictions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.

[Unknown]

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