Cottage Cheese: The Deliciously Surprising History Behind the Social Food Trend

One of the most unlikely trends in the food world today has been the rise of cottage cheese. This once-humble dairy product is now enjoying a grand resurgence, with sales soaring in recent years, and social media platforms have been getting in on the fun through recipe videos that show creative uses for cottage cheese, both sweet and savory. There are even "trendy" varieties of cottage cheese, with the Good Culture brand earning high marks from foodies.

But where did it all start? How did cottage cheese become a common feature in American diets to begin with? And regardless of whether you like the taste, how does it impact your health to chomp down on cottage cheese regularly? 

The Cheese of the Ancients

It may be a surprise to learn that the history of cottage cheese begins thousands of years ago. Cheese is one of the oldest foods we have written records of, with The Odyssey featuring characters enjoying cheese. While sadly, Homer didn't include any recipes, the epic poem does include descriptions of a cyclops making cheese by storing milk in vessels made from animal stomachs. This was a clue that's helped food historians and archaeologists, who have speculated that cheesemaking began with the enzymes in animal-stomach bags curdling the milk stored inside—and creating something a bit like modern cottage cheese.

For centuries, cottage cheese has been one of the easiest cheeses to produce at home at a small scale—hence the name "cottage cheese," which comes from nineteenth-century America, where cottage cheese was especially common in rural communities, and could be easily made from fresh milk. The Industrial Revolution made homemade cheese less popular, as industrially-produced cheese was available at a large scale, but people continued to eat cottage cheese–especially during World War One, when it was promoted by the US government as a high-protein alternative to meat, which was rationed. Cottage cheese thrived and, increasingly, it came from the grocery store

Cottage Cheese With Ketchup: A Diner Diet Plate

Jump forward in time to the United States after the Second World War, and cottage cheese managed to reinvent itself once again—from country cooking, to patriotic protein for a nation at war, to popular health food. Starting in the 1950s, the "diet plate" at diners across the country became standard fare, and while its contents varied, sometimes including a hamburger patty, sometimes including jello with fruit in it, one element was consistent: a diet plate needed a serving of cottage cheese. 

Richard Nixon, who, among his other eccentricities, apparently liked no dish better than a plate of cottage cheese with ketchup for his breakfast.

However, cottage cheese is rarely eaten alone, whether on a diet plate or not. The 1950s craze for canned pineapple, which had become widely available in the postwar economic boom and turned what was once a luxury fruit into something accessible to ordinary Americans, combined with the cottage cheese boom, and cottage cheese with pineapple is popular on grocery shelves even today. Other sweet additions can include blueberries, apples, and raspberries. But the most famous (or perhaps infamous) accompaniment to cottage cheese came from none other than a US President. Specifically, Richard Nixon, who, among his other eccentricities, apparently liked no dish better than a plate of cottage cheese with ketchup for his breakfast. Somehow, unlike the fruit-filled variations, the "Nixon special" never really caught on outside the White House, though.

Trendy Treat, or Low-Carb Staple?

The funny thing is, those retro diners may have been on to something when they branded cottage cheese as a food for the health-conscious. As the US government was quick to point out during the First World War, cottage cheese is high in protein, making it a nutritious breakfast option to start your day with some energy. It's also low in carbohydrates, making it an easy addition to a lower-carb diet plan. 

Cottage cheese is high in protein, making it a nutritious breakfast option to start your day with some energy. It's also low in carbohydrates, making it an easy addition to a lower-carb diet plan. 

Moreover, cottage cheese, with its soft texture and easy blending opportunities, is not only a great healthier snack option, it's a great healthier ingredient—and that's where the trendsetters get excited. Recipes have sprung up for cottage cheese based ranch dressing, pizza crust, and even cookie dough, providing healthier ways to enjoy decadent "treat" foods in ways that fit in a lower-carb diet like those that Virta coaches help build. And remember, ketchup is always optional.

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