What is Considered Hard (Aged) Cheese?
Any cheese which is aged six months and leaves a fatty residue,[46] or is “wormy” is considered hard cheese in regard to this halacha and one has to wait six hours before eating meat.[47] The Shach[48] seems to say the “aging” depends on texture.[49] The Chochmas Adom[50] maintains to be stringent like both opinions. Some say that a cheese is considered aged if it is hard enough that it can not be sliced, and must be shredded with a grater.[51] The opinion of some poskim is to be stringent with all hard cheese if one can not tell how many months it is aged for,[52] while others say if one is unsure if a cheese is aged he can be lenient.[53] How is Aged Cheese Made? Cheese is aged by letting it sit under carefully controlled conditions. The aging period can be for a few days or several years. As cheese ages, microbes and enzymes transform its texture and intensify its flavor. American Cheese It should be stated that “American” cheese (which is basically cheddar cheese that is melted and
