Colby cheese

Colby
Colby cheese with crackers
Other names	Longhorn
Country of origin	United States
Town	Colby, Wisconsin
Source of milk	Cows
Pasteurised	Yes
Texture	Semi-hard
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Colby is a semihard orange cheese made from cow's milk. It is named after the city of Colby, Wisconsin, USA, where it was first developed in 1885 and quickly became popular.

Colby is manufactured in a similar process to cheddar cheese. Instead of the cheddaring process, the whey is partially drained after the curd is cooked, and cold water is added to decrease the temperature of the mixture. Traditionally, Colby has an open texture with irregular holes and is pressed into a cylindrical form called a longhorn. The washed-curd process results in a cheese with a mild flavor that is moister and softer than cheddar. Colby is typically used in snacks, sandwiches, and salads.

Derivatives include Colby-Jack, a marble cheese produced by mixing Colby and Monterey Jack curds, and Pinconning cheese, a style of Colby that was developed in Michigan. The city of Colby considers the cheese an important part of its history, and organizes an annual festival to promote Colby cheese. Several proposals have been made in the Wisconsin state legislature to designate Colby the official state cheese.