Again, never hear of that. time to investigate.
It’s popular in New England and the Midwest here, origins are unclear, but some think Yorkshire.
The most recent time I heard the old saying in connection to the UK was in a British sitcom from several years ago, where someone in a cafe offered someone else some apple pie and asked if they wanted cheese with it (or something like that) and repeated the saying “…kiss without the squeeze.”
To add, this is from America’s Test Kitchen:
By no means is this pie-and-cheese pairing a modern tradition. It heralds back to the 17th century, when, in England, traditional fruit pies were first paired with dairy-based accoutrements such as custard and—later on—cheese. Cheddar is the most common variety, but there are regional preferences. In parts of Yorkshire, they prefer their regional cheese of Wensleydale. There’s a saying that comes from the area: "An apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze."
English settlers brought the culinary tradition to North America, and it caught on in places where dairy farming flourished and cheese was most accessible—namely, New England and the American Midwest. A cursory search will yield a dozen or so online forums from New Englanders and Midwesterners pondering whether this trend is uniquely theirs, but each region has a different spin on it. While New Englanders like myself are most familiar with the thick slice of extra-sharp cheddar draped over a steaming slice of apple pie, Midwestern traditions often call for baking cheddar right into the pastry to form a savory base for the sweet filling.
By no means is this pie-and-cheese pairing a modern tradition. It heralds back to the 17th century, when, in England, traditional fruit pies were first paired with dairy-based accoutrements such as custard and—later on—cheese. Cheddar is the most common variety, but there are regional preferences. In parts of Yorkshire, they prefer their regional cheese of Wensleydale. There’s a saying that comes from the area: "An apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze."
English settlers brought the culinary tradition to North America, and it caught on in places where dairy farming flourished and cheese was most accessible—namely, New England and the American Midwest. A cursory search will yield a dozen or so online forums from New Englanders and Midwesterners pondering whether this trend is uniquely theirs, but each region has a different spin on it. While New Englanders like myself are most familiar with the thick slice of extra-sharp cheddar draped over a steaming slice of apple pie, Midwestern traditions often call for baking cheddar right into the pastry to form a savory base for the sweet filling.
That sounds most likely. A quick google tells me that Yorkshiremen generally emigrated to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois; which would explain the phrase. Never hear it in Kent.
Ya learn summit new every day on here!
JAS_OH1
Forum GOD!
There are a lot of people in the south who are kissing without squeezing, LOL!