The 49 Best American Cheeses

American cheese can finally be a point of pride. As the fifth largest exporter of cheese in the world, it’s no secret — our country loves cheese. In fact, over 208 billion pounds of milk were produced here in 2015, and there’s an estimated 60,000 dairy farms and counting. We have the quantity, but thanks to small dairy farms practicing traditional techniques, a resurgence in taking notes from Europe, and forward-thinking fromageries pairing up with local makers, the quality has risen to among the best in the world. Here, we conferred with experts and reviewed recent awards in the food world to round up 49 of our favorite cheeses in the nation — one for almost every state — brace yourself for one hell of a tasty road trip.