Astrology tells us who we are; cheese tells us what we crave. For this edible horoscope, we’re bringing the two together, matching each astrological sign with its Wisconsin Cheese personality—with a little dairy-backed divination for the season ahead. Grab a wedge of something you love and see what the stars (and curds) have in store.

Aries (March 21–April 19)

Brunkow Cheese Jalapeño Brun-uusto

Like mellow and toasty Finnish juustoleipä, Aries is firm and resolute. Add in jalapeños, and this one mirrors Aries’ signature spiciness. Warmer weather sees you and new friends starting a project together. A bite of this cheese makes your focus sharper than ever.

Taurus (April 20–May 20)

Sartori Cheese SarVecchio Parmesan

Parmesan and Taurus both exude familiarity. You’re persistent, like the fantastic umami that lingers after a parm-finished dish. But add too much and it can change the flavor profile completely—a good reminder to watch your stubbornness this season!

Gemini (May 21–June 20)

Roelli Cheese Haus Red Rock

Its duality of styles makes cheddar-blue Red Rock an ideal selection for Gemini, the twins. Join an unexpected sports league this season, like darts or bowling. You’ll enjoy making new friends and getting out of your comfort zone.

Cancer (June 21–July 22)

Chalet Cheese Haus Butterkäse

The open texture of butterkäse mirrors your emotional receptivity, Cancer. You melt well into every situation, effortlessly forming close bonds (just like butterkäse, so very silky in a grilled cheese). Expect at least one friendly relationship to substantially deepen this season.

Leo (July 23–August 22)

Uplands Cheese Rush Creek Reserve

Indulgent, coveted, and rare—we could be describing creamy limited-edition Rush Creek Reserve or spunky Leo. You are the star, feasting on all the attention. Take care not to overdo it, lest you hurt a friend or loved one’s pride.

Virgo (August 23–September 22)

Roth Cheese Grand Cru

Alpine-style Grand Cru is the Virgo of the cheese world, demanding award-winning perfection and setting a standard with flawless execution. Stand tall and proud, Virgo. Whatever project you’re about to complete, bask in your well-earned praise.

Libra (September 23–October 22)

Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese Classic Mascarpone

This adaptable Italian-style beauty works well in both savory and sweet dishes, evening the playing field for anyone who uses it—much like Libra’s focus on justice and symmetry. This season will move you forward financially. Use good sense and invest wisely.

Scorpio (October 23–November 21)

Henning Cheese Dragon’s Breath Cheddar

Both habanero-laced cheddar and Scorpio are the picture of controlled passion. With a tendency for boldness and hot takes, you evoke powerful feelings. Remember that growing intensity as you start a new relationship this season. Stay slow and steady.

Sagittarius (November 22–December 21)

Deer Creek Cheese The Blue Jay

Blues tend to be love-it-or-leave-it, but this juniper-infused wheel lends the sometimes polarizing style a sumptuous and lovable new layer. Like The Blue Jay, you’ll look for ways to broaden yourself this season, Sagittarius. Strike out on a new journey.

Capricorn (December 22–January 19)

Widmer’s Cheese Cellars Aged Brick

Capricorn, you thrive under pressure—just like the curds of this potent cheese, which are literally pressed by bricks during production. You’ll spend the first part of this season working hard, perhaps too hard. Ease up on the pressure and give yourself a chance to breathe.

Aquarius (January 20–February 18)

BelGioioso Cheese Burrata

An Aquarian craves ­revolution and change—something burrata achieves when its mozzarella shell breaks open, releasing the lush stracciatella within. This season is all about innovation and reinvention. Reach into your most creative self and build ­something philanthropic to help others.

Pisces (February 19–March 20)

Decatur Dairy Cheese Curds

Before cheese curds are pressed into wheels or blocks, they’re something special all their own. That’s you, Pisces, when you shirk limitations and explore your soul. Like a handful of squeaky curds, you’ll build a base this season for long-term goals.

The post This Is Your Cheese Horoscope for 2026 appeared first on Saveur.

A few months ago, I told a chef in Vancouver that he would soon experience major growth in his career and take on much more responsibility, and that the letter B would somehow be involved. How did I know? Some cheese told me. He’d been standing next to a particularly veiny piece of blue cheese, and asked me to read his fortune from it. Predicting the future using cheese is something I do as a side business, and from what I can tell, there aren’t very many of us doing this anymore.

This isn’t some cheesy divination method I just made up. Tyromancy, or the practice of telling fortunes with cheese, was first officially mentioned in the second century in the writings of Greek historian and professional diviner Artemidorus of Daldis (also known as Artimedorus of Ephesus) on dream interpretation. He apparently didn’t think cheese was a great invention: he noted at the time that the food signifies “trickery and ambushes” and that tyromancers sullied the work of true diviners like sacrificers and liver examiners. Tyromancers, he argued, were more in league with those who practiced evil types of divination, including dice diviners and necromancers. It feels like a bit of a leap to go from cheese to death, but Artimedorus had some opinions, I guess. 

Tyromancy reached peak popularity in England during the Middle Ages and early modern period (1500–1800). The country was primarily an agrarian society at the time, with most families having some sort of livestock that produced milk for cheese—and people loved to dabble in the paranormal. Christianity was ingrained in most people, so looking for insight into one’s predestined future, or trying to find a way to gain control over it, led to widespread interest in divination. One used whatever tools were on hand to achieve that, and at that particular point in history, that meant cheese. It was a much more convenient choice than previous divination methods, which included dumping a ladle of molten lead into a bucket of water to see what shapes it made.

People used cheese to divine all sorts of things: who committed a crime, whether the year would bring a fruitful harvest, and how a child’s life would turn out. Those who practiced it generally used farmer’s cheese, though some tried it with runnier options, like fondue.

Back then, a typical use for tyromancy was to determine who you would marry. You’d simply carve the names of all potential suitors into some pieces of cheese, then wait to see which one molded first. And there it was—your life partner! People also analyzed the number and size of holes in a block of cheese, the patterns of the mold and veins, and the shapes that curds made as they coagulated. The process is similar to that of reading tea leaves or coffee grounds—you tell a story through the shapes you see. A heart shape, for example, signifies love and happiness, while an odd number of holes predicts that something negative might happen. 

During the early modern years, tyromancy’s popularity began to wane. After the 1920s, cheese fortune-telling essentially disappeared—perhaps in part due to the swift rise of tarot after the invention of the well-known Rider-Waite deck in 1909. Save for occasional pop-culture references, like in the video game series “The Witcher” and “Baldur’s Gate”, tyromancy became largely unknown.

Today, tyromancy still lingers in the realm of obscurity, though I’m trying to change that by leading workshops and one-on-one sessions to teach people how to read their own cheese. Since launching these classes during the pandemic, they’ve been selling out, which I attribute in part to the popularity of WitchTok and the general feelings of uncertainty created by COVID-19.

In the years I’ve been tyromancing, I’ve figured out ways to read just about any type of cheese. Those with patterns on the surface are best, but you can always break a chunk in half and analyze the variations along the break. You can also use crumbles by dumping them out on a plate. I’ve even read a fortune from a Kraft Singles slice—but the person for whom I was reading had to tear it up and drop it onto a plate first. Vegan cheese? No problem. 

That’s probably the biggest way tyromancy has changed between the second century and the present: our world of cheese is so vast now, and every piece of it can tell a story. 

After I finished my divination session with that chef in Vancouver, he came around the table to hug me and take a photo. Apparently he had been planning a career move: opening his own eponymous restaurant. Unbeknownst to me, his last name starts with a B, just as the cheese foretold.

The post The Un-Brie-Lievable History of Tyromancy appeared first on Saveur.