It origins are not clear as to if it was developed by Spanish monks in 18th-century California, as a farm cheese by Spanish-speaking pioneers, or by David Jacks, a Scottish immigrant and dairy farmer in Monterey in the 1890s, all stories point to a beginning somewhere in California.

Jack cheese, or Monterey Jack cheese is a cooked, semi-soft whole milk or skim milk cheese. When aged or dry it resembles Cheddar, but when soft and unaged it is similar to Muenster in flavor. Aged varieties are found only locally in California, but the softer variety and a soft version with jalapeno peppers (Pepper Jack or Jalapeno Jack) are widely available throughout the U.S.

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