National Cheese Curd Day Date in the current year: October 15, 2024

Cheese curds are small, moist pieces of curdled milk. They are made by adding cheese culture and rennet to fresh pasteurized milk. Once the milk curdles, it is cut into cubes to get a mixture of curd and whey. Finally, the mixture is cooked and pressed to get rid of excess whey. The resulting product is cheese curds. They usually have a mild flavor and a springy texture.

Cheese curds are especially popular in northern United States and Canada. They can be eaten alone or used in various prepared dishes. When eaten as a snack or an appetizer, cheese curds can be served with additional flavorings (garlic, jalapeño peppers, various herbs and spices) or other foods.

In Minnesota and Wisconsin, cheese curds can be deep-fried. In Minnesota, cheese curds are usually fried in batter, whereas in Wisconsin, breading us typically used instead of batter. Deep-fried cheese curds can be found at fast-food restaurants, regular restaurants and bars, and at carnivals and fairs. They are often served with a dipping sauce such as ranch dressing, marinara sauce, or ketchup. In many areas where deep-fried cheese curds are common, they are referred to as simply cheese curds, whereas non-fried fresh curds are called plain or raw cheese curds.

As we’ve already mentioned, cheese curds can also be used in prepared dishes. For example, in Canada fresh cheese curds are one of three main ingredients of poutine, a Québécois dish consisting of french fries topped with cheese curds and a brown gravy.

National Cheese Curd Day was launched in 2015 by the American restaurant chain Culver’s. The chain is based in Wisconsin, known as “America’s Dairyland” due to being one of the country’s leading produces of dairy products, especially cheeses, so it is not surprising that its menu includes deep-fried cheese curds made from famous Wisconsin cheese.

In 2021, Culvers started a fun National Cheese Curd Day tradition of selling the CurderBurger, a limited-time burger with a large deep-fried cheese curd patty placed on top of a burger patty. The CurderBurger originated as an April Fools’ joke on social media, but a change.org petition to make it a reality that gathered over 600 signatures convinced Culver’s to give the idea a try.

During the 2021 National Cheese Curd Day, Culver’s sold 136,000 CurderBurgers nationwide. Each restaurant had a limited number of cheese curd patties, and some locations sold out within two hours after opening. The burger was such a hit that it made a return a year later; in 2022, the CurderBurger was available for three weeks in October, and so an annual tradition was born.

If there is a Culver’s location near you, getting the famous burger is probably the best way to observe National Cheese Curd Day. Other ways to celebrate include snacking on deep-fried or fresh cheese curds, having poutine for lunch or dinner, and posting about the holiday on social media with the hashtag #NationalCheeseCurdDay.