The world of cheese is as diverse in naming as it is in flavor. From the sacred halls of ancient monasteries to modern artisanal creameries, cheesemakers have displayed remarkable creativity—and occasionally, questionable judgment—when naming their cheese creations.
Humor and shock value have become powerful marketing tools in the competitive cheese market. A memorable name can make the difference between a cheese that lingers in obscurity and one that flies off the shelf. Whether drawing from religious references, anatomical comparisons, pop culture, or deliberately provocative language, these names tell stories, evoke images, and sometimes make us both laugh and cringe simultaneously.
Prepare your palate (and your funny bone) as we explore cheeses named after body parts, crude jokes, bizarre puns, and concepts so strange they defy categorization.
Types of Funny and Weird Cheese Names
The LOL-Worthy: Puns, Pop Culture & Wordplay
Sgt. Pepper – This peppercorn-studded cheese pays homage to the Beatles’ iconic album while delivering a spicy punch. It’s the perfect example of how pop culture infiltrates even the oldest culinary traditions.
In Your Face Cheddar – Not subtle in name or flavor, this bold, aggressive cheddar practically dares you to handle its intensity. It’s the cheese equivalent of a challenge.
Sweet Dreams are Made of Cheese – This cheddar parody plays on the Eurythmics hit. Who are we to dis a brie?
Fat Bottom Girl – Named after the Queen anthem, this cheese has a robust, wide base and a flavor profile that will indeed “make the rockin’ world go ’round.”
Barely Buzzed – A coffee and lavender-rubbed cheese that delivers just enough of a flavor kick to justify its playfully intoxicating name.
Vampire Slayer – Loaded with enough garlic to ward off the undead, this cheese embraces dramatic naming for dramatic flavor.
Dirt Lover – Evoking childhood memories of mud pies, this ash-covered cheese embraces earthy flavors in both name and taste.
Little Dragon/Dragon’s Breath – These fantastical names suggest fiery, bold flavors that might just have you breathing flames.
Acapella/Pianoforte/Fromage à Trois – Musical references meet cheese in these melodious names, with the last one adding a cheeky French innuendo.
Body Humor & Innuendo
Tetilla (Spain) – This Spanish cheese translates literally to “small breast” or “nipple,” named for its distinctive cone shape with a rounded point.
Saint-Agathe’s Tit/Teton de St. Agathe – The French don’t shy away from anatomical references, naming this nipple-shaped cheese after Saint Agatha, whose breasts were cut off during martyrdom. Dark humor meets religious history.
Bouton de Culotte – Translating to “pants button” but carrying connotations of “panties’ button,” this tiny French cheese showcases the culture’s comfort with body-related terminology.
La Boule des Moines – “Monk’s Balls” continues the tradition of religious-meets-anatomical naming that seems particularly popular in European cheese circles.
Gross-Out Gags
Casu Marzu – Perhaps the most infamous cheese on our list, this Sardinian specialty is deliberately infested with live maggots that break down the fats, creating a soft texture and intense flavor. The name politely translates to “rotten cheese.”
Milbenkase – This German oddity is aged in mite excrement, with the cheese mites actually living on the rind and contributing to its distinctive flavor development. “Mite cheese” is both descriptive and understated.
Crottin de Chavignol – While this is a respected French goat cheese, its name translates roughly to “horse dung from Chavignol,” reflecting its small, round shape rather than any scatological flavor notes.
Trou du Cru – This French cheese’s name sounds disconcertingly like a crude anatomical reference to a “raw hole” or “butthole,” showcasing the French talent for making the vulgar sound sophisticated.
Le Vieux Puant – “The Old Stinky” doesn’t attempt to dress up its pungent nature, embracing the funk with proud honesty.
Cacouyard – Bluntly translating to “shit balls” in regional French, this name doesn’t pull punches about the cheese’s appearance.
Absurd & Random
Timberdoodle – Named after the colloquial term for the American woodcock bird, this cheese pairs particularly well with the whiskey of the same name, creating a delightful nonsense phrase when ordered.
Shabby Shoe – Evoking images of worn footwear, this name’s relationship to its cheese remains a delightful mystery.
Mutton Button – The rhyming nature makes this fun to say, though the connection to sheep might hint at its milk source.
HOW-duh – This phonetic spelling of Gouda pokes fun at American mispronunciation of the Dutch classic.
Quark – Sharing its name with both a subatomic particle and a Star Trek character, this fresh cheese’s name sounds decidedly sci-fi despite its ancient origins.
Beeemster – The elongated vowel in this Dutch cheese’s name makes it inherently amusing to pronounce.
Mythical & Mysterious
Intergalactic – Taking cheese naming into the cosmos, this otherworldly moniker promises flavors from beyond our planet.
Melinda Mae – Inspired by the Shel Silverstein poem about a girl who eats a whale, this cheese suggests persistence and impressive feats.
Slack-ma-Girdle – Named after a variety of British apple, this medieval-sounding name could easily belong in a fantasy novel rather than on a cheese plate.
Animal & Creature Curiosities
Lamb Chopper – This peaceful goat cheese bears a surprisingly violent name that conjures images of slaughtered lambs rather than its actual mild, sweet flavor profile.
Drunken Hooligan – Wine-washed and rowdy in flavor, this cheese lives up to its reputation as a troublemaker on the cheese board.
Drunken Goat – Literally describing the wine-soaking process of this Spanish goat cheese (Cabra al Vino), the name creates a comical image of intoxicated farm animals.
Cowboy Coffee – Evoking rough-and-ready Western imagery, this coffee-rubbed cheese brings campfire simplicity to sophisticated cheese crafting.
Names Lost in Translation
Ubriacone – “Big Drunk” in Italian accurately describes this wine-soaked cheese that absorbs both flavor and alcohol during aging.
Puzzone di Moena – “Big Stinker from Moena” doesn’t attempt to disguise the aromatic quality of this Italian cheese.
Yak Cheese – Technically a misnomer, as most “yak cheese” comes from the female nak, not the male yak, creating confusion through imprecise translation.
Airag Cheese – Made from fermented horse milk, the translation doesn’t capture the cultural significance or unique production method of this Central Asian specialty.
Monastic Cheeses – Names like Tête de Moine (“Monk’s Head”), Munster (from “monastery”), and Sainte-Nitouche (“Holy Untouchable” or hypocrite) connect to religious orders while sometimes incorporating sly humor.
Made-up or Misunderstood
American Cheese – Perhaps the greatest cheese misnomer, as this processed product doesn’t meet the technical definition of cheese in many countries.
Quark – Often confused with the publishing software or physics term, this fresh cheese suffers from its homonym status.
Maytag Blue – Frequently misassociated with washing machines rather than the family who makes this iconic American blue cheese.
Chedarski – This Polish creation combines cheddar techniques with Polish dairy traditions, resulting in a playful linguistic hybrid.
Neil’s Squeaky Cheese – Named for the actual squeak it produces when bitten, this cheese delivers exactly what its literal name promises.
A Note on Cheese Naming Traditions
Cheese naming follows traditions across cultures. European cheeses often carry Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, legally binding them to specific regions and production methods. This contrasts sharply with the creative freedom exercised by American artisanal cheesemakers, who often embrace whimsy and marketing savvy in their naming.
Place-based naming (Cheddar, Brie, Gouda) represents the oldest tradition, while descriptive naming focuses on production methods or characteristics. Poetic naming, particularly popular among modern craft producers, prioritizes imagery over literal description.
The French tradition incorporates surprising amounts of vulgarity and anatomical reference, reflecting a culture comfortable with bodily functions and sexual innuendo. British cheese names often display characteristic dry wit and understated humor, while American names frequently incorporate pop culture references and deliberately provocative language.
Why Do These Names Matter?
These creative, bizarre, and occasionally offensive cheese names serve multiple purposes beyond mere identification. In today’s crowded marketplace, memorability drives sales. A cheese with a shocking or humorous name creates instant recognition and conversation—valuable currency in food marketing.
Cheese names also tell stories, connecting consumers to tradition, place, and maker. Whether referencing ancient monasteries or modern music, these names contextualize the eating experience within broader cultural narratives.
Finally, cheese naming practices reflect cultural attitudes toward food, humor, religion, and the body. The contrast between European comfort with anatomical references and American preference for pop culture nods reveals deeper cultural differences in approaching food and language.
Honorable Mentions
- Laughing Cow – This processed cheese’s mascot of a cow wearing earrings made from wheels of itself creates a disturbing recursive image.
- Yarg – Simply “Gray” spelled backward, named after the Gray family who developed it.
- Pantysgawn – This Welsh goat cheese name sounds potentially off-color to English speakers but derives innocently from “hollow in the valley.”
- Caerphilly – Pronounced in certain accents, this Welsh cheese sounds like “carefully,” creating unintentional wordplay.
- Shakerag Blue – Named after a Tennessee community where moonshiners signaled customers by shaking a rag, connecting cheese to illicit booze culture.
- Bermuda Triangle – This Cypress Grove creation’s name references both its shape and the mysterious flavor depths you might get lost in.
Conclusion
Cheese naming, ranging from the traditional to the provocative, demonstrates how cheese can represent more than just food, but culture, art, and entertainment. These funny, weird, and occasionally disgusting names enhance our appreciation by adding layers of meaning to our tasting experience.
Next time you’re at the cheese counter, consider selecting something with a name that makes you smile, cringe, or raise an eyebrow. The story behind that name might enhance your enjoyment as much as the flavor itself—though perhaps avoid Casu Marzu unless you’re particularly adventurous. Some cheese experiences should remain purely verbal.
