It should come as no surprise that the United States is the world’s largest cheese producer. What might be eye-opening is just how dominant America is in this category.
According to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, the USA accounts for 29% of global cheese production in 2023-24, at 6.5 million metric tons. The entire European Union combines for about 10.5 million metric tons, but that’s with 27 nations contributing to the total.
Jan. 20 is National Cheese Lovers Day in the United States. BetKansas.com, where we cover everyday topics as well as offering real money Kansas sports betting promos, turned to Google Trends to discover which cheese-based foods are most popular in Kansas. Our search period was from Jan. 8, 2005, to Jan. 8, 2025. States are ranked based on search interest score.
Rank | Product | Search Interest Score |
1 | Cheesecake | 52 |
2 | Mac and Cheese | 25 |
3 | Cheeseburger | 16 |
4 | Grilled Cheese | 8 |
5 | Nachos | 7 |
Lots of restaurants nationwide, and in the home of Kansas sportsbooks, offer items on our list above. But only one entrant on our list has an entire chain of restaurants named specifically for that one item.
That would be cheesecake, which had a search interest score of 52 during the span that we studied. That’s well ahead of macaroni and cheese, which is second with a 25 search interest score.
The Cheesecake Factory and its related restaurant concepts (such as North Italia and Flower Child) combine for 348 locations across North America, according to the company website. Cheesecake Factory menus offer much more than just cheesecake, but the namesake dessert is the focal point. The website lists one Cheesecake Factory location in the state that has Kansas sportsbook apps – it’s in Overland Park.
The official Kansas tourism website, travelks.com, has a page devoted to cheese that’s locally produced. In “Seven Kansas cheesemakers to sample,” the site touts the Holy Goat Creamery at Arch Angel Farm in Manhattan, among others. Holy Goat Creamery has a wide range of hard and soft cheeses, ranging from chevre to double cream brie.
Manhattan is more noted for being the home of Kansas State University. Check out our Kansas vs. Kansas State basketball odds page as the rivals get the Big 12 portion of the season cranked up. KSU visits the Jayhawks in Lawrence in Jan. 18, then the Wildcats host the rematch in Manhattan on Feb. 8.
Author
Jim Tomlin edits and writes about sports, gambling and the intersection of those two industries. He has 30 years of experience with companies such as the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition. He now lends his expertise to BetKansas.com, among other sites.
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