Caerphilly

Caerphilly is a raw cow's milk cheese, whose name comes from the town of Caerphilly, in Wales, near where it is produced. The cheese is also made in South West England. It is rumoured that Caerphilly was created in the 1830's for the coal miners of Wales in order to provide them with a salty food which offset their losses of salt after long days spent underground. The cheese is cylinder-shaped with a 25 cm diameter and weighs 3.6 kg. Very close to Cheddar, it is yellow, almost white with a crumbly texture. The taste evolves with time; young, Caerphilly is mild, slightly sour and salty, and with maturity, it gets creamier. Each year, the town of Caerphilly celebrates the festival called The Big Cheese which lasts for three days.