When the Moon Hits Your Eye

The fable that the moon is made of cheese permeates Western culture. From Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out to Cocomelon, children’s media and literature often perpetuate the fanciful notion of a cheese moon. Despite this, no historical evidence exists that anyone truly believed that the moon consisted of cheese. The earliest written reference appears in Richard Heywood’s 1546 Proverbs, which includes the line “The moone is made of a greene cheese” (Shoenburger, Elisa. “Moon as Cheese: The Myth and Science.” Cheese Professor, 6 May 2025). 

In this context, “greene” refers to young or un-ripened cheese, such as cream cheese or queso fresco, rather than an aged variety like cheddar or parmesan. The idea quickly became shorthand for gullibility. In 1638, English philosopher and bishop John Wilkins wrote, “[Y]ou may […] soon persuade some country peasants that the moon is made of greene cheese (as we say),” using the phrase to illustrate ignorance and the ease of deceiving the uneducated (Mancini, Mark. “Why Do People Say the Moon Is Made of Cheese?” Mental Floss, 21 Sept. 2023).

However, the association between the moon and cheese stretches back even further.