Though there is a town called Cheddar in England, the cheese is named for one of the steps involved in the cheese-making process conceived in the county of Somerset in southwestern England. After cow's-milk curd is twice scalded, it is "cheddared" by repeatedly being cut and piled in order to remove the whey or liquid and to break the curd until it's smooth and silky. The curd is salted and, in the case of traditional cheddar, transferred to a drum as high as 16 inches, weighing up to 66 pounds.

 In some areas where the cheese is made by hand in small batches it is  wrapped in cloth so it can "breathe" while aging and ripening. Most other cheddars are wrapped in plastic or wax, which prevents the cheese from aging further. After aging 12 to 24 months, the cheese emerges like a beautifully rustic cylinder with a tight brown, gray, and black speckled cloth rind. (Sometimes cheddars age as long as 3 years, or more. These cheeses are usually past their prime though they might offer interesting nuances like a good wine beyond its peak.)

There are no government regulations in the United States for farmhouse cheddar.

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