Dictionary

turophile en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈtʊəɹəfaɪl/
• /ˈtjʊəɹəfaɪl/

Etymology

From Ancient Greek τυρός (turós, “cheese”) + -phile. Modern coinage; attested since 1930s. Popularized by Clifton Fadiman on American TV quiz show Information Please in 1952.

Meanings

1. A gourmet/connoisseur of cheese.
   • After all, I’ve spent 15 years following the U.S. cheese scene, first as a lone blogger and now as an author of two cheese books, so I’ve put in my time as a turophile. I don’t let anyone conflate “American cheese” with Kraft Singles—not when there is so much good craft cheese being made stateside. Cheese has come a long way in the U.S. since its production became industrialized in the 1800s, when we began pooling our milk supply to pump out cheap factory-made blocks. It took a brave band of dairy dames in the 1970s and ’80s—fondly known as “the goat ladies” in cheese circles—to kick off a full-blown artisan movement around the country. 2026 February 25, Tenaya Darlington, “American Whey: With artisan cheesemakers in every corner of the country, there’s never been a better time to be a cheese lover in the U.S.”, in Food & Wine:

Forms

Coordinates

cheesehead

Hypernyms

connoisseur · gourmet · person

Synonyms

caseophile · fromagophile

Translations (3)

el τυρόφιλος (cheese-lover) · sv ostfantast (cheese-lover) · fr fromagophile (cheese-lover)