Humans have invented a variety of different racing sports to participate in, from running marathons to horse racing. However, for those of us who don't have the money for horse racing or the endurance for marathons, a new sport has been invented - cheese racing.
A History of Cheese Racing
The history of cheese racing truly begins with the making of cheese. Though no one has managed to produce documentation of the first cheese in history, it is a generally accepted fact that humans have been making cheese for thousands of years from the curdled milk of various animals, mainly cows, goats, buffalo, and sheep. Over the years, cheese has evolved into many forms, including the one that is now commonly seen in many stores and supermarkets. Known as the Kraft Single, it is an individual slice of rubbery orange cheese wrapped in plastic. The cheese community is widely divided over these - while they are convenient for making grilled cheese sandwiches, many find their flavour to be less than satisfactory. The perfect use for these slices of cheese was yet to be discovered.
But discovered it was, in 1997. Four friends at a campsite near Osmington in Dorset decided to hold an evening barbecue. Once the meal was over, 'their finely-honed analytical minds fortified by a combination of partially-cooked sausages, Stella Artois lager and Cockburn's Special Reserve Port' had an ingenious idea. If a Kraft Single was placed on a red-hot barbecue, what would the result be?
They soon discovered that the seemingly-flimsy plastic packaging was more durable than it appeared. Although the wrapping was not harmed, the cheese inside was susceptible to the heat of the barbecue. It soon began to melt, boil, and then expand, thereby inflating the plastic packaging. A new sport was born.
The Rules of Cheese Racing
Cheese racing is a quite simple sport to understand. Just follow these steps for a successful game:
1. If you are going to cook a meal on the barbecue, do this first.
2. Once you've finished eating, all players should stand around the barbecue and place their Kraft Singles on the barbecue at the same time. Be careful not to overlap the cheese. If two Singles overlap, they must be moved as quickly as possible. Other than this, do not touch the cheese or blow/fan the flames under it.
3. The winner is determined based upon whose cheese inflates first. To be fully inflated, a cheese must demonstrate all of the following characteristics:
a. All four corners of the cheese must be raised off the barbecue.
b. The plastic must be taught, meaning that there are distinctive stretch marks on the sides.
c. It must be in proper condition (no leaks or damage to the package).
Cheaters will be (or ought to be) disqualified.
Cheese Racing Tips
If you are holding a large competition, you may wish to use a disposable barbecue (unless you're the sort of person who enjoys cleaning up melted cheese and plastic, that is.)
Cooking meat on the barbecue first will help the coals to burn longer after the cooking is done.
Wait to begin cheese racing until the barbecue has cooled to a point where the coals are glowing, but there are no flames.
The best cheese slices to use are Kraft Singles - other cheeses just don't compare!
Try to pick the warmest spot to place your cheese.
Related Pages
For more information on cheese racing, visit www.cheeseracing.org; for more information on Kraft Singles, www.kraft.com is surely the spot.
Or, if you'd prefer to stay within h2g2, check out a few of these wonderful articles on cheese:
Waxing a Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Stilton Cheese
Feta Cheese
Camembert Cheese
Brunost - Norwegian Brown Cheese
Edam Cheese
Parmigiano Reggiano - aka Parmesan Cheese
Velveeta Cheese
Cheese and the Ever-shrinking Lunch Break
Mozzarella Cheese
Blue Cheeses - a Taster
And finally, many thanks to Viojen for much help with links!
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