Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

$0.00 for first 30 days

Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Cultured: A World History of Cheese cover art

Cultured: A World History of Cheese

By: Janet Fletcher, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Janet Fletcher
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Food Explorer cover art
A Brief History of America cover art
The Awake Dreamer cover art
Vibrate Higher cover art
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry cover art
World History cover art
Tolkien and the Great War cover art
A Brief History of England cover art
Vanishing Fleece cover art
A Most Remarkable Creature cover art
Life on Earth cover art
ColdFusion Presents cover art
The Ancestor in the Mirror cover art
Dreaming the Soul Back Home cover art
Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations cover art
Mesoamerican Mythology cover art

Summary

Some of us go weak in the knees for silky, buttery Brie.  

Some of us consume stinky, washed-rind cheeses like French Muenster with great pride.  

Some of us can’t imagine a plate of pasta without a hurricane of grated Parmigiano Reggiano.  

But cheese is more than just a snack or finishing touch. It’s a world unto itself. Cheese has been a part of the human experience for thousands of years, and it has so much to teach us - about history, microbiology, cultural differences (and commonalities), and the complex workings of our senses. Not to mention, it’s just incredibly delicious. 

Think of Cultured: A World History of Cheese as a 10-episode cheese course, or a cheese plate large enough to contain a well-rounded sampling of great cheeses from around the world. Janet Fletcher, a noted food writer and publisher of the Planet Cheese blog, provides deeper (and delectable) insights into a familiar food you only think you know. Included in this Audible Original are peeks at the nine steps of cheesemaking, the 10 most important cheese families, and tips on how to taste cheese with the same refined palate as a professional cheese judge. 

(And yes, you have our permission to snack on your favorite cheeses while you listen.)

©2021 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Transform your day

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Listen everywhere

Listen everywhere

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Carry your entire Library

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Listen and learn

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Reach your reading goals

Reach your reading goals

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Find your niche

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for £0.00 £7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

What listeners say about Cultured: A World History of Cheese

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Ok very American focused

Very American based I was hoping for more of a world view. But overall it was informative on the us cheeses

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

meh

interesting enough but only for a beginner cheese enthusiast. otherwise rather average, not particularly engaging.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

very us-centric

some interesting stuff, but too many boring US cheese facts. Mentioning of leipäjuusto was a pleasant surprise tho!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Americanized history of cheese

Being the cheese lover that I am, I instantaneously hit the download button when I saw this Epic Story of Cheese, especially when I found out it was free. There are some interesting facts in this series of lectures by US food blogger Janet Fletcher. For instance, I did not know that the word "feta" means slice in Greek, Camembert is derived from Brie, the classic children's' story Heidi is about the healing power of cheese and Cornish "yarg" is the inventor's name (Gray) slept backwards.
This is some interesting analysis of the breakdown of cheese made from the milk of cows, sheep and goats too which i enjoyed.
The discussion on the cheese making traditions of various regions of the world started off promising enough taking us through European cheese varieties including the incredible Casu Marzu from Sardinia which is infested with maggots but no mention of classic English cheeses other than Cheddar. I would have thought that Stilton would have been worth at least a passing mention.
There is at least as much of this book describing American cheeses from Wisconsin, Vermont and California as there is on European cheese. I may be a little biased here but I have always considered US cheese to be mostly mass produced and highly processed coming in plastic packaging made from hydrogenated vegetable oil. This view is compounded with the final section of this book that discusses various ways to melt cheese for use on pizzas and nachos and there is a detailed discussion on which American fast food restaurant invented the cheeseburger. To be honest, I do not care. Give me an Époisses de Bourgogne any day and you can keep your square Kraft slices.

.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful