Cheddaring is a cheesemaking process, named for the village of Cheddar in Somerset, in South West England. The technique has spread broadly and is now applied worldwide to produce Cheddar cheese.
Cheddaring is a step in the cheesemaking process applied after the curds are formed and whey is drained. In this step, the curds are cut into slabs and stacked in a specific way to encourage the expulsion of additional whey and promote acidity development through fermentation. The slabs are periodically turned and restacked over several hours, allowing the curds to knit together and achieve the desired consistency. This labor-intensive step aligns the protein structure, creating the firm, crumbly texture associated with cheddar. Once the cheddaring is complete, the slabs are milled into smaller pieces, salted, and pressed into molds for aging. The process is fundamental to producing a cheese with tangy, sharp flavor and dense texture.