'Know the jacks': Americans share how to enjoy original American cheeses

MANILA, Philippines — Cream cheese is arguably one of the most recognizable cheeses for most Filipinos, and perhaps unknown to most, it is an American original cheese. 

American originals are generally the kinds and varieties that are made in the United States. 

The United States is the largest cheese producer in the world, with over 1,000 types ranging from European style to American Originals, soft, fresh options to hard, aged varieties, to smoked and even flavored ones.

The USA Cheese Guild held the Think USA Cheese Seminar last September 27 in Conrad Manila. The guild works on behalf of the US Dairy Export Council (USDEC), a non-profit, independent organization representing the US dairy industry in international markets. It is based in Arlington, Virginia. 

Cream cheese, invented in the 1870s by William Lawrence in New York, is just one of the American originals. 

Those who have regularly gone to their groceries and checked the cheese selection, they may have chanced upon cheeses with "jack" in their names. The jack cheeses, such as Colby-Jack, Pepper Jack and Monterey Jack, are all American originals. 

Some of the guild's executives gamely shared how American cheeses and other types of cheese can be enjoyed. 

Monterey Jack

The Monterey Jack is a California-made semi-hard cheese made using cow's milk. It has a mild flavor with slight sweetness. 

"It is a really nice mild creamy, smooth cheese that melts beautifully," described Amy Foor, Vice President of Global Foodservice Programs of the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

"Any time you want to make a dish that has a really nice creamy melty aspect to it, Monterey Jack is the best way to go," she added. 

The Monterey Jack can also be eaten as is, grated or sliced. 

"It performs very well. You can manipulate it many different ways. Its mild creamy flavor lends itself well to a variety of different flavors that you may add to the dish," she added. 

Pepper Jack

The Pepper Jack is for those who like a spicy kick to their cheese. It is a variety of Monterey Jack flavored with jalapenos or chili peppers and herbs. 

"This one's really fun because they've just added jalapenos to it and it gives it that additional level of spice or heat to the dish... If I want to add some spice to a dish but also add that creamy mouth feel and get that kind of indulgence from the cheese, the Pepper Jack can give you both of those," Foor said. 

It is also popularly incorporated in dishes such as Nachos, Burritos and Enchiladas, which are Hispanic dishes that have become popular in the country. 

The Pepper Jack can also be topped with the Filipinos' beloved Lechon. 

Dali Ghazalay, Regional Director of the U.S. Dairy Export Council for Southeast Asia, discovered a way on how the American original cheese adds another layer of flavor to the beloved lechon by topping Pepper Jack on it and elevating the flavor. 

This trick also works with bangus or milkfish. Grilled or baked bangus can be topped with Pepper Jack to give that elevated umami flavor to the fish. 

Merle McNeil, Senior Vice President for Global Retail Programs, U.S. Dairy Export Council, said that even a simple sandwich can taste good with just a slice of a Pepper Jack. 

BellaVitano 

BelleVitano is a cow's milk cheese made by the Sartori Company in Wisconsin. It is described as a hard cheese with a nutty and fruity flavor. 

"You'll notice it does kind of have a little bit of the body and flavor of Parmigiano. And they're very well known for Parmesan cheese as well that they produce. But it's also a little more rich and creamy kind of like a cheddar. They've kind of taken the styles of cheddar and Parmesan and kind of marry those together in one cheese and then they've taken it a step further where its their base cheese and they call it BellaVitano," Foor said. 

Among their varieties is the Merlot, soaked in Merlot wine for weeks. They also have an Espresso-flavored cheese. 

Blue cheese

While it is not American in origin, the United States' companies also produce it. 

One of the companies that offers its variety is Point Reyes with its Original Blue, a California classic-style blue cheese. 

Foor said that some might not immediately like blue cheese in general because of its strong flavor profile but she still said to give it a try. 

For starters, the blue cheese has risen in popularity as among the cheeses often laid out on cheese boards. It is typically enjoyed with dried fruits. 

"Something sweet is always a nice kind of counterpart to the blue cheese. A lot of times, we'll serve it drizzled with some honey on top again, a little bit of sweetness to kind of offset the strongness of the blue cheese as well," she added. 

It can also be added to a dish to provide another layer of flavor, even steak. 

"You sprinkle a little bit of blue cheese on top of a steak. It becomes this huge umami bomb," Foor said. 

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