There's An Actual Term For Someone Who Can't Get Enough Cheese

Cheese, glorious cheese! The flavorful, fragrant, forever iconic dairy product made from milk proteins has been consumed around the world for millennia — and for good reason. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, it is believed that humans began making and eating cheese around 4,000 years ago. Since then, cheese has become an integral part of many diets, appearing in recipes for savory dishes like burgers, pizzas, pastas, salads, soups, and charcuterie boards. It can also be an element of sweet desserts like cheesecake, apple pie, and tiramisu. Cheese comes in nearly 2,000 shapes, sizes, and colors, per Wisconsin Cheese, which begs the question: is there truly a more perfect food on the planet?

If your mouth is watering while reading this, or if you frequently catch yourself daydreaming about your next cheesy meal, there is a certain word with ancient Greek roots you should know — one that accurately describes your passion, in fact.

Bookworms are also known as bibliophiles. Dog and cat enthusiasts are cynophiles and ailurophiles, respectively. But what are people who constantly crave cheese called?

Whether you have dubbed yourself a cheesehead, a curd connoisseur, a fromage fanatic, or a turophile, all of these titles boil down to the same tasty meaning: You absolutely adore cheese. The etymology of the words turophile (to describe a person) and turophilia (to describe the concept) can be broken out into two distinct parts: "tyros," which is Greek for cheese, and "phile" or "philia," suffixes that denote fondness, according to Merriam-Webster. (Their antonyms, "phobic" and "phobia," imply repulsion or fear.)

So, why did the nouns "turophile" and "turophilia" never become widely used? According to Wisconsin Cheese, the terms were believed to have originated nearly a century ago in the 1930s. Cook's Info explains that, in the '50s, a radio game show host by the name of Clifton Fadiman used the term "turophile" on-air. Why the words never caught on is beyond anyone's knowledge, but there is, of course, always the opportunity to revive them.

Luckily, there's an entire holiday to celebrate the delectable ingredient. Every January 20, National Cheese Lover's Day, turophiles across the country are encouraged to indulge in all the cheddar, Gouda, feta, Swiss, Brie, blue, provolone, and mozzarella their heart desires.