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Cheese Trekking: How Microbes, Landscapes, Livestock, and Human Cultures Shape Terroir
Exploring the intersection between traditional and modern, this is a no-holds-barred guide to natural cheesemaking, dairying, and pastoralism—and one man’s global quest to make milk Sacred again.
In Cheese Trekking, nomadic cheesemaker, fermentation educator, and popular Substack writer Trevor Warmedahl recounts his experiences visiting pastoral communities and cheesemakers in overlooked border regions around the world, traveling on a shoestring budget with little more than a rucksack and sleeping bag. With every step, he explains how cheeses can be exquisite manifestations of locale and exposes the destructive methods and bland homogeneity of modern industrial production. In clear, propulsive language, Trevor describes a range of milk foods that utilize all byproducts of cheesemaking and are the lifeblood of the communities from which they spring.
There is a growing international movement to return to the roots of natural cheesemaking, at the core of which is a philosophy of working with—rather than against—microbes and nature; the sacredness of motherhood, milk, and life itself; and the ethics involved in dairying. Trevor’s central premise is that milk has a terroir, born from the plants and ecology of a landscape, that is concentrated via ruminant digestion and lactation and develops through the barns and milk sheds—steered by human hands and cultural practices into foods.
Throughout Cheese Trekking, Trevor offers firsthand evidence that humans can be stewards of landscapes, shepherds of microbes, and keepers of genetic wealth in the form of heritage livestock breeds, while crafting delicious, safe, nutrient-dense milk foods.
In Cheese Trekking, nomadic cheesemaker, fermentation educator, and popular Substack writer Trevor Warmedahl recounts his experiences visiting pastoral communities and cheesemakers in overlooked border regions around the world, traveling on a shoestring budget with little more than a rucksack and sleeping bag. With every step, he explains how cheeses can be exquisite manifestations of locale and exposes the destructive methods and bland homogeneity of modern industrial production. In clear, propulsive language, Trevor describes a range of milk foods that utilize all byproducts of cheesemaking and are the lifeblood of the communities from which they spring.
There is a growing international movement to return to the roots of natural cheesemaking, at the core of which is a philosophy of working with—rather than against—microbes and nature; the sacredness of motherhood, milk, and life itself; and the ethics involved in dairying. Trevor’s central premise is that milk has a terroir, born from the plants and ecology of a landscape, that is concentrated via ruminant digestion and lactation and develops through the barns and milk sheds—steered by human hands and cultural practices into foods.
Throughout Cheese Trekking, Trevor offers firsthand evidence that humans can be stewards of landscapes, shepherds of microbes, and keepers of genetic wealth in the form of heritage livestock breeds, while crafting delicious, safe, nutrient-dense milk foods.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published March 3, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 27, 2026
I can't rate something that is clearly someone's life work and passion project anything less than 5 stars.
But as a book, it was disappointing, and would have gotten 3 stars from me. I had hoped this would be a book written not about cheese making people, but with them, so to say. But it's a lot of I, I, I, and me, me, me from the author. The language is extremely flourished, with a whole lot of meaningless, quasi-spiritual, very American, filler around the source material which was originally in the form of Warmedahl's blog posts on his blog Milktrekker. I think half if not more of the book's content consists out of filler material. Warmedahl repeats his point ad nauseam. The photographs are great but they're small and there are so much more of them on his blog. There are some great parts in there, especially the first chapter on Mongolia and the ones on Romania and Georgia. I wholeheartedly agree with Warmedahl's message and applaud his battle against ultra-processed, sterile "lab" cheese. I do wonder how feasible it is considering food health regulations are there for a reason.
Buy the book to support the author, and then go read the blog. It's awesome!
But as a book, it was disappointing, and would have gotten 3 stars from me. I had hoped this would be a book written not about cheese making people, but with them, so to say. But it's a lot of I, I, I, and me, me, me from the author. The language is extremely flourished, with a whole lot of meaningless, quasi-spiritual, very American, filler around the source material which was originally in the form of Warmedahl's blog posts on his blog Milktrekker. I think half if not more of the book's content consists out of filler material. Warmedahl repeats his point ad nauseam. The photographs are great but they're small and there are so much more of them on his blog. There are some great parts in there, especially the first chapter on Mongolia and the ones on Romania and Georgia. I wholeheartedly agree with Warmedahl's message and applaud his battle against ultra-processed, sterile "lab" cheese. I do wonder how feasible it is considering food health regulations are there for a reason.
Buy the book to support the author, and then go read the blog. It's awesome!
April 10, 2026
The author explores cheese making cultures in various overlooked rural regions of the world and argues how modern industrial cheese making is destructive to natural processes and bland. The author is clearly very passionate and knowledgeable on this subject but it often feels repetitive throughout the book.
August 2, 2026
Entertaining: 6/10
Transformational: 9/10
If you already ferment food, drink raw milk, and have an inkling of the brokenness of our food system in the US, this book will expand your mind. It hit at just the right time in my life as I ponder the kind of knowledge and land-place legacy we get to leave in our children and community. I don't think the author is a Christ follower, but he sees the interconnectedness of creation and the mandate to steward and have dominion in such a healthy way.
Transformational: 9/10
If you already ferment food, drink raw milk, and have an inkling of the brokenness of our food system in the US, this book will expand your mind. It hit at just the right time in my life as I ponder the kind of knowledge and land-place legacy we get to leave in our children and community. I don't think the author is a Christ follower, but he sees the interconnectedness of creation and the mandate to steward and have dominion in such a healthy way.
March 18, 2026
this book was very interesting and inspired me to keep trying cheesemaking. I have The Art of Natural Cheesemaking by David Asher, and Cheese Trekking is the perfect companion to that book especially for novices like myself.
May 2, 2026
A lovely read, well done!
July 26, 2026
It's the best! Very educational and also feels like you're on an exciting adventure
August 22, 2026
It's a nice mix of travel, educational and food stories. This book isn't just for cheese enthusiasts. If you enjoy reading real life stories this book is worth to look up. If you have traveled to some of the places mentioned in book or tried any of the cheeses I think it will make the reading pretty exciting.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews