World Championship Cheese Contest is taking place March 21 – 23 at the Monona Terrace Convention Center, Madison, Wisconsin. This competition is supposed to be the largest cheese and butter competition in the world. John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association announces:
We’re thrilled to report that we’ve smashed all records this year, with 1,787 entries from 18 countries.
The countries who are competing for the big cheese title are Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States, with producers in 25 states. There are different categories in which the cheese will be judged by a group of 18 judges who will sample the cheese by taste and technicality. As per John Umhoefer:
Every entry starts with a perfect 100-point score. The judges then subtract points for any flaws they detect. The cheeses with the highest average scores earn gold, silver and bronze medals.
All the gold medal cheese will be re-evaluated to pick the World Champion Cheese.
The championship is not only tough but also competitive especially with so many talented cheese-makers all over the world. The championship is sure to witness creative blends of cheese and ethnic creations too.
