The Snack Social: Simple Slices for Happy People
The Samhain Wheel
By Patricia Racine
October 2026
Modern Halloween festivities generally focus on candy and costumes, but the roots of this mid-autumn holiday are actually ancient Celtic, specifically the festival of Samhain. This festival marked the end of the harvest season and a time when cattle were brought down to town from their summer pastures; so, the culinary traditions are closely tied to dairy, or what the Celts referred to as “white meats.”
In historic-pastoral communities this was the time of year for the final pressing, when the last of the rich, fragrant summer milk was turned into wheels of cheese to sustain the family through the winter. Celtic traditions also called for leaving a piece of cheese on the doorstep to appease wandering spirits; this was done in the hopes that the mischievous fae would leave their farm free of their tricks throughout the winter.
If you thought that cheese was only for eating, the Middle Ages would like a word with you. Tyromancy, from the Greek Tyro–cheese and Manteia–divination, is the slightly wacky practice of fortune telling by observing the physical characteristics of the cheese as it sweats, curdles, or molds, looking for any patterns in the paste or rind. In the eras before weather apps and stock market tickers, a wheel of cheese was basically an edible crystal ball.
Some of the most popular methods of divination are:
Rodent Divination – in the Middle Ages practitioners would write down different answers to a question on pieces of cheese and place them in a cage with a hungry mouse; the first piece eaten was the answer to the petitioner’s question.
Matchmaking – Young people would write the names of different suitors on separate pieces of cheese and the first one to mold was the name of their beloved.
Hole Analysis – Practitioners would study the number and sizes of holes in cheese. Large holes signified major life events and even numbers were usually good luck.
Artwork: Designed with AI by Patricia Racine
We can do a little modern Tyromancy by looking for symbols in the rind or veins of mold, pretty much the same as reading tea leaves. This is a practice anyone can do, just pick up your cheese and look for patterns; imagination plays a huge part here. It’s weird, I know, but it’s also a cute parlor game during the spooky season.
When you really think about it, cheese is the closest thing we have to magic in the form of transmutation. The cheesemaking process is a slow-motion magic trick where grass transforms into milk, which then transforms into cheese–with a little chemistry and patience.
Every piece of cheese starts out the same way with milk, salt, and microbes; the magic of it all lies in the minute things in the individual processes. By introducing a specific strain of mold, you can make a gallon of milk into a mozzarella or a Roquefort. It is like those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books we had as kids.
The magic continues in the aging room where the cheese proteins break down into amino acids and the flavors begin developing. How else do you explain the development of Tyrosine crystals in your Parmigiano Reggiano, it’s magic. Finally, there is the dopamine hit that you get just from eating cheese: the magic of the cheese’s chemistry interacting with your human chemistry.
One of the most magical combinations in the culinary world is a good old fashioned grilled cheese and tomato soup, nothing tastes better on a chilly, blustery day. And there are a million ways to enjoy this nostalgic meal; my favorite is a twist on a cocktail, Bloody Mary style Tomato Soup and a grilled cheese made with provolone, Gruyere, and Cooper Sharp American cheese toasted in garlic butter.
Whether you are reading your future in a piece of Swiss or watching to see which marked piece of cheese your kid’s hamster goes for first, cheese remains a delicious magical creation. This living food bridges the gap between medieval harvest traditions and our modern superstitions. So as the nights grow longer and the air crisper, grab a wedge and indulge in a little magic. After all, a well-aged cheese is proof that even in the dark and cold something beautiful is always waiting to be transformed.
