Schleck on the Schmutz: Try Lancaster County’s Spreadable Cheese

By Clinton Martin

In 1982, the Pennsylvania General Assembly designated milk as the official State beverage of the commonwealth. Nowhere could this have been cheered more than right here in Lancaster County, where dairy, and the business of all things milk, cheese, butter, and yoghurt has been at the core of local culture for generations. Dairy farming is still considered an ideal occupation by the Amish, though most make their living doing something other than milking cows these days.

Enjoying Lancaster County’s dairy industry usually comes in the form of visiting a local creamery for a delicious ice cream treat or pouring a nice glass over your morning cereal. But, for a small, yet vocal, segment of devotees, Amish Country’s dairy industry is best spread on a cracker, scooped with a hearty pretzel, or smeared on some hearty toast.

Cup Cheese, Lancaster County’s strong in smell and flavor spreadable cheese is not hard to find if you know where to look. There is only one commercial producer (Shenk Foods) of cup cheese still in existence today, but one can find their product line on shelves at local, PA Dutchinfluenced grocery stores, such as Kauffman’s Fruit Farm & Market in Bird-in-Hand, or Stoltzfus Meats in Intercourse. Town Clock Cheese Shop (Gap) also stocks their products.

Cup Cheese is a very soft cheese, and thus is stored in a bowl or cup (hence the name.) It has a strong aroma, similar to Limburger, and has a sour flavor. It is best eaten as a spread. As a tip, leave it sit out for just a little bit so it brought to Bird-in-Hand on January 17, 1955, prior to the official opening. Today, the town of Bird-in-Hand is still small, said to have a population of only about 300 people. On any given day, there may be more visitors than inhabitants. Many are city folks who have come to enjoy the country atmosphere, history, and shopping. It is said that visitors “can still expect friendly shopkeepers, homegrown Lancaster County foods, and restful lodging for weary travelers.” isn’t “fridge-cold” when you try to eat it. The flavor is blunted when super cold, and the consistency will be too tough right out of the cooler. Amish and Mennonite farmers adapted the German cheese “Koch Kase” (meaning cook cheese) when they arrived in America. Shenk Foods was founded in 1929, and still makes the cheese 94 years later. In the early days, globs of the cheese were spooned out of a big kettle into customer’s own vessels, but today, it is a handy pick off the store shelves.