We don’t think we’ve met anyone who didn’t have a passing love for cheese. Sure, there are people who might be lactose intolerant and don’t eat cheese, but we’re sure even those people would love cheese if they could actually eat it.

With that being said, there’s a holiday dedicated to cheese that we feel a lot of people are going to want to celebrate. This holiday is known as National Cheese Lover’s Day—a holiday that falls on the 20th of January and encourages everyone who can eat cheese to enjoy some with friends and family members.

The History of National Cheese Lover’s Day

People have been making cheese long before they even began recording history. Scientists estimate that people started making cheese approximately 7,000+ years ago. It’s believed that humans most likely discovered cheese-making by accident.

That it happened while they were transporting milk in bladders made from the stomachs of ruminants (hooved herbivores) and that the naturally occurring rennet in these stomachs curdled the milk.

No one really knows where cheese was made for the first time, or if it was something that was discovered in several different places in the world at the same time. Some historians believe that it began in Central Asia or the Middle East, while other historians believe it may have originated in Africa or Europe. Regardless of where it started, it would become extremely popular, and humans have been creating cheese ever since.

We’re not sure who invented National Cheese Lover’s Day, but it’s our guess that it was probably invented by someone who loved cheese. Yes, we know, a way for us to narrow it down, right?

And we think that this holiday was invented sometime around 2018 or so, although we could possibly be wrong about that date. That’s all that we currently know about the origins of this holiday, but we’ll keep everyone informed if we do find something new.

Important Facts About Cheese

We’ve gathered together some fun cheese facts and arranged them with the same amount of care that we would when arranging a cheese plate. With that said, we hope that the following cheese facts are not only informative but also educational as well.

• In the United States, macaroni and cheese is the number one cheese recipe.
• It takes ten times the volume of milk to make the same amount of cheese.
• There are over 2,000 different varieties of cheese.
• Cheese is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, and protein.
• During the time of the Roman Empire, homes had kitchens dedicated solely to making cheese.
• The United States produces the most cheese in the world.
• Approximately 50% of the cheese produced in the world is Gouda cheese.
• Cheddar cheese is naturally white. Annatto seed extract is added to color it yellow.

Observing National Cheese Lover’s Day

Although there are quite a few holidays dedicated to cheese on the calendar (we estimate there are well over a dozen), we don’t think that means this holiday is any less worthy of being observed than any of the other holidays.

People can prepare their favorite cheese dishes and/or platters and show their friends and family members a good time. Cheese lovers can also spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #NationalCheeseLoversDay online.