What does "cup" mean in "cup of cheese"? [closed]

I was reading a recipe of macaroni-and-cheese. In Brazil (Portuguese) cheese is sold only by weight.

I understand the concept of cups to measure volume or weight of liquids and powders, but as far as cheese goes, I have no idea what a cup could mean.

• Is a cup a unit?
• Can a conceptual cup as unit of measurement be used to measure the volume or weight of a big solid object that would never fit in a cup?
• What else could cup mean in that sentence?

It is a measure of volume. One cup equals eight fluid ounces or about 240 milliliters.

How much cheese that is by weight depends on the density of the cheese. Usually cup would be used to measure either a cheese that was soft like a paste, or shredded cheese. For solid cheese American recipes usually use weight too.

By the way if you google for "one cup in ml" it will give you the conversion.

Is a cup a unit?

Yes. In a US recipe, it means the customary cup. The US customary system of measurement includes a unit of liquid volume, the US gallon. One gallon is 231 cubic inches. There are sixteen customary cups per gallon, making a a customary cup 14 ⁷⁄₁₆ cubic inches. Cups of this size can be found in any US supermarket for use in following cooking directions.

Can a conceptual cup as unit of measurement be used to measure the volume or weight of a big solid object that would never fit in a cup?

Yes, theoretically. But when measuring cheese by the cup, you would measure it in the form called for by the recipe, such as cubed, shredded, finely shredded, or grated. So you are actually measuring not the volume of the cheese but the volume of the cheese plus the interstitial air.

What else could cup mean in [cup of cheese]?

In the context of a contemporary US mac-and-cheese box, nothing else. In other contexts, there are many possibilities. For example:

Cup Type            Volume (mL)  Comments
--------------      -----------  --------------------------------------
Imperial            284

metric              250

US legal            240          nutrition labels
US customary        237
US coffee           118–177      not standardized even on coffeemakers,
                                 but generally 4–6 customary fl. oz.

Turkish water       200–250      “su bardağı”, water glass/tumbler
Turkish tea         100–125      “çay bardağı”, tea glass
Turkish coffee      75–90        “kahve fincanı”, coffee cup

Japanese            200
Japanese gō         180

32A                 241          brassiere measurement, US system

In older recipes from many countries, you will find volume given in common household units such as coffee cups, teacups, and tumblers. Sizes vary. For example, a cup in a Turkish recipe is not equivalent to a US cup. The same is true for teaspoon and for other measuring devices. These words refer to different size objects according to locale and even time period.

Sources

Wikipedia, cooking sites found with Google, and personal experience.