A cheese ball is an American hors d'oeuvre that is a type of cheese spread. It first appeared in the 1940s, fell out of fashion, and then had a resurgence in popularity in the 21st century.
Ingredients, preparation and serving
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The cheese ball is typically made from grated hard cheese and softened cream cheese, sometimes with some sort of binder such as mayonnaise; the mixture is shaped, chilled to resolidify, and often rolled in nuts, seeds, or herbs to provide a decorative finish.[1][2] It is often served with crackers or crudites at holiday parties in the United States.[3][4][5]
Cheese balls are sometimes formed into wheels or logs rather than balls or shaped and decorated to represent a variety of items such as owls or pineapples.[1][6][7]
Origins
editThe dish is representative of mid-20th century US cuisine.[8] According to Splendid Table the first recipe appeared in a 1944 cookbook by Virginia Safford, a "wildly popular columnist" for the Minneapolis Star Journal.[8][9]
Popularity
editThe dish fell out of fashion for a period; by the late 1980s the term "cheeseball" was synonymous with "lacking style, taste, or originality".[10] According to Amanda Hesser, writing for the New York Times in 2003, it "tend[s] to be associated with shag rugs and tinsel, symbols of the middle-class middlebrow".[2] Kim Severson, writing for The New York Times in 2016, said it was "the culinary equivalent of a Rorschach test".[7]
Amy Sedaris and her brother David wrote a play, The Book of Liz, that focussed on cheese balls as a metaphor for "the cliches we all live by", according to Ben Brantley.[7][11] She included a recipe in her 2006 cookbook, Hosting a Party Under the Influence, and in 2007 made a version on the Martha Stewart Show, which according to Severson, "elevated cheese ball kitsch to an art form".[12][7][13] According to Splendid Table's Jennifer Russell, writing in 2014, "Sedaris may be singlehandedly responsible for the cheese ball's revival."[8] In 2014 Culture, an industry magazine, said "cheese balls are making their comeback".[12] MplsStPaul Magazine called 2016 "the year of the cheese ball", calling the dish "the North’s answer to Southern pimento cheese".[7][9]
References
edit- ^ a b Buffardi, Michelle (2013). Great Balls of Cheese. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-1-118-49720-3.
- ^ a b Hesser, Amanda (24 December 2003). "If You Want It Delicious, Make It Yourself". The New York Times.
- ^ Johnson, Emily (12 February 2019). "The Most Fun Kind of Party is a Cheese Ball Party". Epicurious. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Gross, Matt-Taylor (21 December 2018). "How I Learned to Love The Texas Holiday Cheese Ball". Saveur. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Blomgren, April (2 September 2017). Cheese Balls Cookbook: The Top 50 Quick, Easy and Delicious Cheese Ball Recipes to Make at Home. ISBN 978-1-9760-6059-5.
- ^ Rayess, Dena (2 October 2018). Cheese Balls. Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-1-4521-7140-1.
- ^ a b c d e Severson, Kim (5 December 2016). "To Find Out Who You Are, Peer Into the Cheese Ball". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Russell, Jennifer (30 January 2014). "Respect the cheese ball: It's the perfect party food". The Splendid Table. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ a b Grumdahl, Dara Moskowitz (13 January 2016). "The Year of the Cheese Balls!". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ "Definition of CHEESEBALL". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (28 March 2001). "THEATER REVIEW; The Courage To Accept That Life Is a Cheese Ball". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Mackey, Dakota (19 November 2014). "Cheese Ball History". Culture (cheese magazine). Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Reimer, Susan (14 November 2006). "Hosting a party under influence of Amy Sedaris". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 23 March 2024.