Ever heard of fortune-telling with cheese? Ask a 'cheese witch'

There's an age-old ritual where people could tell fortune by reading the cheese you pick. And it is still happening. Yes, it is for real.

Mozzarella or ricotta or cheddar? Your choice says more than just food preference. It can also tell your fortune.

Yes, your choice of cheese could be like your tarot card. And there are people who can read your future, past and present from it. And one of them doing so, in 2026, is Jennifer Billock, a self-proclaimed “cheese witch.”

It’s not some social media–invented bizarreness. Reading fortunes off cheese is an art of divination, and it’s called tyromancy.

Brie-lieve it or not, this is ancient

Tyromancy is a practice that dates back to ancient times, when people looked to everyday foods for meaning — and cheese, being both perishable and poetic, made the cut. Patterns in mould, cracks, holes, even the way a cheese melts or ages, were believed to hold clues about the future.

The pattern of the cheese is also used to seek clarity about love, life, career, health, and other aspects too — much like any other form of fortune-telling.

No one really knows exactly when or where tyromancy began. If you go by common lore, it started somewhere in Greece around the second century and eventually became popular in parts of England. However, there were several sceptics. People were not truly convinced by the idea of cheese as a means of predicting the future.

But well, it stuck around. There are people finding meaning in a slice of cheese. One of them is Billock.

The Chicago-based cheese witch

She calls herself that.

Billock is a travel writer and author. She claims to be the “world’s only professional cheese fortune-teller.”

In an interview with the New York Post, Billock shared her tryst with cheese-based witchcraft, which started sometime during the pandemic. She literally Googled “weird ways to tell fortunes with food” and found her way into this niche.

She believes the act of picking your own cheese creates a subtle connection, builds a kind of shared energy between you and the cheese you end up with.

So, how does it work?

Each session includes four pieces of cheese. The first three are read like a tarot spread — representing the past, present, and future. The fourth is more personal. It’s used to answer a specific question or help make sense of a problem you’re dealing with.

“I get different things from different cheeses. A blue cheese can be very noisy, with a lot to see and figure out. It can get distracting, while a Kraft single or a really clean piece of cheddar is more focused. I usually have less to say about those; the message is clearer,” she explained in the interview.

She conducts both online and offline sessions.

An in-person reading costs $65 (approx Rs 6,184), and she provides the cheese. But if you choose to go online, the cost drops to $55 (approx Rs 5,233), and you’ll have to source your own prophetic dairy. There are more details on her website though.

Interestingly, for Billock, it’s not limited to the rinds of cheese. Her skills go beyond that, and she can actually do readings from almost any food or soft drink. She revealed that she has read people’s futures from beer, wine, croissants, and even a bowl of curry. She also goes by the name “kitchen witch.”

How sweet, salty, and a little bit of whimsy is that!

The final crumb

Call it superstition, soft spirituality, or just a bit unhinged — either way, kind of magic is having a moment. It may be centuries old, but it fits surprisingly well into modern life.

It’s less about hardcore fortune-telling and more about small rituals that make us feel better. The 11:11 wishes, the evil eye charms, the calming crystals, or even AI astrology — in different forms, it’s all a search for meaning, comfort, or just a little guidance when things feel uncertain.

So, is your destiny really hiding in a wedge of gouda? Probably not. Like most things in this slightly strange world of modern rituals, it comes down to what you choose to believe.

The next time you say cheese... it might be just magical or magically tasty!

- Ends