[cheese_goddess]

Cheese is still sold in wheels, or slices off wheels. You just have to go to a cheesemongers, rather than the supermarket aisle :)

In fact, that's how most cheese is made in the first place: in wheels. They can be smaller, like a camembert (about 250 grams), or larger like a gruyere (that's about 40kg) but a cylinder is still the most convenient shape for any cheese harder than a cream cheese. There are some decent quality, usually semi-hard, cheeses made and sold in various kinds of oblongs though. And of course there's processed cheese which usually comes in slices, I guess.

[dunham]

The other day our supermarket broke down half a wheel of Gruyère, wrapped the pieces, and rearranged them back into the original configuration in the display case.