Evening star., 1941-05-12
Imported Cheeses
Replaced by Similar
Kinds Made in u. ).
Processes on Market
Had Difficult Struggle
For Recognition
The Star Special News Service.

Inc star special news ceTVltes
AMES, Iowa, May 12.-Epicures
who wax ecstatically over the de-
lights of Rocquefort and other fine
favored fancy cheeses are finding
they are victims of the war--the
sources of supply of their delicacies
largely cut off.
But in their place they are finding
list of cheeses-made in the
United States-and with the same
familiar flavors. Some say the
American products are even better
than those which came from the
mountains of Switzerland, the caves
of France or the plains of Italy.
These fancy foreign-type cheeses
made in the United States with ma
tive processes have been on the mar
ket for some time, but they have had
arhard struggle for recognition.
1t was no happenstance that they
we're ready to fill the demand.
About 20 years ago DR.. M. Nor
tensen, member of the dairy hus-
bandry department at Iowa State
College and then its head. began
developing fancy cheese processes
here.
Cheeses Developed.
He thought Americans could be
educated to eat American made
cheeses patterned after favorite Eu-
ropean brands rather than rely on
expensive imports. He developed the
cheeses, but he wasn't so successful
In appealing to American tastes.
But developments continued.
Then the war came along.
Production of American-made
fancy cheeses Is bound to increase"
says Prof. C. A. Iverson, present
head of the department. And when
the war ends European manufac-
ttirers will find that the American
market no longer exists. To be sure
some cheese will be imported. but
never on the large pre-war scale.
by that time our plants will be
operating efficiently and competi-
ton will have scaled prices down,
creating an effective tariff against
heavy future importations.
I'VE are carrying on as we have
in former years, but the foresight
of DR.. Mertensen now makes the
departments work lend itself to a
Nation wide demand for cheese
processes"
Rush for Processes.
With imports cut off there has
been a wholesale rush from all over
the country by enterprising persons
who want to know processes for
making fancy cheeses and from
commission houses which are search
ing for a new source of supply.
Most important cheeses developed
are Iowa blue, Rocquefort type,
Swiss cheese and Edam cheese. The
department claims these processes
are not only adaptable to this coun-
try, but are Improvements over Eu-
ropean processes.
Science has been called to the
front to take the place of the nat
ural aging process, such as in the
caves at Rocquefort, France. -
Secret of the manufacture of
Iowa blue, for example, lies in the
sprinkling of an edible mold called
pendulum roqueforti on the green
cheese before curing. It is grown
on sterilized bread, then dried and
powdered. The cheeses then are
pierced in so places with an awl-
like instrument to allow air to enter
and the mold to grow.
Patent rights for the Iowa blue
are held by Iowa State College and
before the war the process had been
released to only few manufac-
turers. With the current demand so
great. however, the process now is
being released generally, as are the
processes for the other two types.