A type of mild, crumbly white cheese originally from Cheshire, England. Also associated with the Cheshire Cat character from Alice in Wonderland, known for its distinctive grin.
Named after Cheshire county in England, where this cheese has been produced since Roman times. The county name itself comes from the city Chester, from Latin 'castra' (military camp), as Chester was a major Roman fortress.
Cheshire cheese's claim to fame extends far beyond its mild flavor - it's mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, making it one of the oldest named cheeses in recorded history. Lewis Carroll's choice to make his vanishing cat a Cheshire cat wasn't random; the phrase 'to grin like a Cheshire cat' was already a common English idiom, possibly referring to the county's prosperity making its residents notably cheerful.
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