Longhorn Colby is a mild, semi-soft cheese from Wisconsin, pressed in a long cylinder and sold as a half-round.

• Milk: cow’s
• Origin: Colby, Wisconsin (developed in 1885)
• Style: semi-soft, washed curd
• Shape: the “longhorn,” a long cylinder

How Colby is made

Colby was developed in 1885 near Colby, Wisconsin, and is usually credited to Joseph Steinwand, whose father ran a cheese factory there. It’s related to cheddar, but it skips the “cheddaring” step. Instead, the curds are rinsed with cold water, a process called washing the curd. That leaves the cheese moister, softer and milder than cheddar.

Why “Longhorn”

Traditionally the cheese is pressed into a cylinder called a longhorn, and that’s the shape you see sold as a half-round. A close cousin is Colby-Jack, a marbled cheese made by mixing Colby and Monterey Jack curds.

Wrapping up

A gentle, easygoing cheese for snacks, sandwiches and salads. (Background on its history: Wikipedia.)