Cowboys Made Cheese Last As Long As Possible In The Old West — Here's How

If you ever find yourself worrying about common storage mistakes that could be ruining your cheese, know that you aren't that far from the cowboys of the Old West. Spending as much time on the dusty trail as they did, cowboys needed foods like cheese to last a long time. In fact, most of the staples real cowboys ate in the Old West were only staples because of how well they kept and the essential nutrients they provided. Cowboys were able to keep cheese in their diets by carrying only hard cheese coated in paraffin wax. Hard cheese has very little moisture and is very dense. The addition of paraffin wax on the outside ensures the cheese will last as long as possible. 

Paraffin wax is a preservative made with vegetable oil and palm oil derivatives, and when coated over foods like fruits or cheese, it slows down the process of spoiling. The process of making hard cheese can take months and even years, but the harder the cheese, the longer it lasts, and extremely hard cheeses could last for months on the trail. Cowboys would add the cheese to other foods like beans and biscuits. Not only would this add flavor, but it provided fat, protein, and other necessary nutrients for the road. Making cheese last as long as possible isn't a priority for everyone now, but hard cheese has remained a staple ingredient for many households.

There's a reason so many of us love a good cowboy-inspired meal to feel like we're in the Old West: good food. Okay, so a modern take on a cowboy classic likely tastes very different, but hard cheese is a beloved part of nearly any meal. A perfect example of hard cheese is gouda. While not considered a hard cheese in its early stages, aged gouda becomes hard and is often given a wax coating of its own. Other examples of hard cheese include Pecorino Romano and, of course, aged cheddar.

Hard cheese is ideal for adding a gooey texture and cheesy flavor to a dish. Thin slices or shavings, either added as a topping or baked directly into a dish, are a perfect way to use hard cheese. If you want to feel like a true cowboy, prep a dish of chili beans and add some thin slices of aged cheddar to melt. Hard cheese may last longer than soft cheese, but always make sure you haven't waited too long before using and eating it. If it smells off or looks moldy, better to be safe than sorry and toss it. If you can't tell through smell or appearance, try a nibble of the cheese. If the taste is odd or off-putting, it's best to get yourself a new block of hard cheese, cowboy.