What is a cheese curd, anyway?

Gretchen was under the mistaken impression that everyone knew what a cheese curd was--as if that's common knowledge outside of Wisconsin. In the interest of demystifying them, she found a website that answers the eternal question, "What in the world is a cheese curd?" Gretchen can answer any other questions you may have. (For what it's worth, I generally don't like them except for rare occasions when they're deep-fried, but Gretchen likes them when they're fresh and squeaky.)

But seriously, folks, cheese curds are fresh, young cheddar cheese in the natural, random shape and form before being processed into blocks and aged. (Cheddar cheese is typically aged from 60 days to 4 years before being sold.) Unlike the aged variety, curds lose their desirable qualities if refrigerated or not eaten for a few days (the squeak disappears and they turn dry and salty). This means that even if you can find them in ordinary supermarkets, IMHO they are probably a few weeks old, and inedible or at least unremarkable.