| Dunlop | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country of origin | Scotland |
| Region | Ayrshire |
| Town | Dunlop |
| Source of milk | Cows |
| Pasteurised | Yes |
| Texture | Hard |
| Certification | PGI (as Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop)[1] |
| Named after | Dunlop |
Dunlop is a mild cheese or 'sweet-milk cheese' from Dunlop, East Ayrshire, Scotland.[2] It resembles a soft Cheddar cheese in texture. Though it fell out of popularity some time after the end of the Second World War, it is now appreciated for its value in various recipes and for eating on its own or with a dram of whisky.
A strong link exists with Robert Burns as related by his family's friend Jessie Lewars who related that "When he chanced to come home and find no dinner ready, he was never in the least irritated, but would address himself with the greatest cheerfulness to any makeshift set before him. They generally had abundance of good Dunlop cheese, sent them by their Ayrshire friends. The poet would sit down to bread and cheese, with his book by his side and seem to the casual visitor as happy as a courtier at the feast of Kings."[3]
A traditional creation method has been registered as a Protected Geographical Indication since 2015 in the EU and (after Brexit) in the UK under the name Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop.[1]
- ^ a b "SPECIFICATION COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006 on protected geographical indications and protected designations of origin "Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop"" (PDF). UK Government. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ MacIntosh, John (1894). Ayrshire Nights Entertainments: A Descriptive Guide to the History, Traditions, Antiquities, etc. of the County of Ayr. Pub. Kilmarnock. P. 265.
- ^ McQueen, Colin (2009). Hunter's Illustrated History of the Family, Friends and Contemporaries of Robert Burns. Messrs Hunter McQueen & Hunter. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-9559732-0-8.