Explore Cheeses

Explore cheese varieties from around the world, categorized by texture, milk type, and region.

Raclette

Raclette is a semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk, famous for melting beautifully. It is native to parts of Switzerland and France. The cheese is typically heated, either in front of a fire or by a special machine, then scraped …

Country: Switzerland
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semisoft, smooth
Flavor: Mildly acidic

Afuega'l Pitu

Afuega'l Pitu is among the oldest Spanish cheeses, originating from Asturias. It is known for its striking red or orange rind and a spicy, tangy flavor profile. This cheese can be made from either pasteurized or unpasteurized cow's milk and …

Country: Spain
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Lactic, slightly sour, salted in fresh or hardly ripened cheeses; strong and spicy as ripening progresses

Pecorino di Filiano

Pecorino di Filiano is a PDO-certified sheep's milk cheese from Basilicata, Italy. It is aged for several months, developing a hard texture and a complex flavor profile that includes hints of toasted hazelnuts and herbs. The rind is often treated …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Sweet and delicate to strong and savoury

Queijo Terrincho

Queijo Terrincho is a traditional cheese from Portugal, specifically from the Terra Quente region. It is made from the raw milk of Churra da Terra Quente sheep. The cheese is known for its distinct flavor and aroma, which become more …

Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Close and even, slightly buttery for Queijo Terrincho; hard, well-formed for Queijo Terrincho Velho.
Flavor: Intense smell, mild and clean for Queijo Terrincho; strong, balanced mixture of different smells for Queijo Terrincho Velho.

Trnič

Trnič is a pear-shaped cheese from Slovenia, traditionally made on the Velika Planina plateau. It is a hard cheese made from curdled cow's milk, with added cream and salt. Historically, it was made by shepherds as a token of love, …

Country: Slovenia
Milk Type: Cow’s milk
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Salty and slightly acidic

Metsovone

Metsovone is a smoked, semi-hard cheese from Metsovo in the Pindus mountains of Greece. Made from cow's milk or a mix of cow and sheep or goat milk, it is one of the few Greek cheeses that is smoked, giving …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Cow's milk, Ewe's or Goat's milk
Texture: Semihard to hard
Flavor: Slightly salty and piquant

Queso de Media Flor de Guía

Queso de Media Flor de Guía is a full-fat or half-fat cheese produced in the same region as Queso de Flor de Guía, using the same milk proportions. However, its curdling process involves at least 50% vegetable rennet, with the …

Milk Type: Sheep (Canary Island breed), with up to 40% cow and 10% goat milk
Texture: Dense, compact, sometimes rubbery or creamy
Flavor: Mildly acidic with slight sharpness

Swiss

Swiss cheese in the United States refers to a group of cheeses that resemble the Emmental cheese from Switzerland, known for their medium-hard texture and distinctive holes or "eyes." American Swiss cheese is mild, nutty, and sweet, with a smooth, …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow
Texture: Firm , Semi-Firm , Smooth
Flavor: Mild, Nutty, Slightly Sweet

Toma Piemontese

Toma Piemontese is a specific type of Toma from the Piedmont region, with a PDO status. It has a more defined character, ranging from mild and creamy when young to firmer and more flavorful with age. It’s excellent for eating …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Elastic / Consistent
Flavor: Mild, sweet / Savory, salty

Gorgonzola

Gorgonzola is one of the world's oldest blue-veined cheeses, produced in Northern Italy. It's rich and creamy with a sharp, piquant flavor that varies depending on its age. Gorgonzola can be spicy (Piccante) or sweet (Dolce), with the latter being …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Soft to crumbly
Flavor: Sweet to savory

Torta del Casar

Torta del Casar is a rich, creamy cheese from Extremadura in Spain, named after the town of Casar de Cáceres. It is made from sheep's milk and has a very creamy, almost liquid interior, with a strong, slightly bitter taste. …

Country: Spain
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Very soft and spreadable
Flavor: Rich, slightly bitter

Boursin

Boursin is a soft, creamy cheese from France, famous for its smooth texture and herb-infused flavors. It is often made with garlic and fine herbs, but other varieties might include pepper or shallot and chive. Boursin is a spreadable cheese, …

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Soft and creamy
Flavor: Garlic and herbs, pepper, or shallots and chive

Urdă

Urdă, also found in Romania and other Balkan countries, is a fresh cheese made from whey, with the addition of milk and cream. It has a soft, crumbly texture and a mild, sweet flavor. Urdă is often used in desserts …

Country: Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine
Milk Type: Cow's, goat's or sheep's milk
Texture: Creamy, delicate
Flavor: High quality

Abbaye de Citeaux

Abbaye de Citeaux is a semi-soft cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the Burgundy region of France. It is crafted by monks at the Abbaye de Cîteaux, giving it a traditional and artisanal touch. The cheese has a smooth …

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semi-soft, artisan, brined
Flavor: Acidic, milky, smooth

Kasseri

Kasseri is a semi-hard cheese made predominantly from sheep's milk, with up to 20% goat's milk allowed. Originating in Greece, it is smooth and pale yellow, known for its elastic texture and mild, buttery flavor with a slight tang. Kasseri …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Goat's and sheep's milk
Texture: Firm to hard
Flavor: Rich

Tête de Moine

Tête de Moine, meaning "monk’s head," is a Swiss cheese made from cow's milk. It is traditionally shaved into rosette-shaped slices using a <a href="https://anycheese.com/glossary/girolle/" title="Learn All About The Girolle (Cheese Curler)">girolle</a>. The cheese has a firm texture and a …

Country: Switzerland
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semi-hard
Flavor: Nutty

Appenzeller

Appenzeller cheese hails from northeastern Switzerland and is famed for its rich, nutty flavor that intensifies with age. Treated with a secret blend of herbal brine, this cheese develops a smooth yet firm texture. Aged for a minimum of three …

Country: Switzerland
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Piquant, tangy

Ezine Peyniri

Ezine Peyniri is a brined cheese made from a blend of sheep, goat, and cow’s milk, produced in Çanakkale Province, Türkiye. The cheese has a semi-hard to firm texture with small holes and no rind, and it ranges in color …

Milk Type: Sheep, goat, and cow
Texture: Semi-hard to firm
Flavor: Mild-sweet, salty, and sour

Ladotyri Mytilinis

Ladotyri Mytilinis, also known as oil cheese of Mytilene, comes from the island of Lesvos in Greece. It is made from sheep's milk, or a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk, and is aged in olive oil, which imparts a …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Ewe’s milk or mixtures with up to 30% goat’s milk
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Strong, salty

Queso Fresco

Queso Fresco is a Mexican cheese made from cow's milk or a combination of cow and goat milk. It is soft, moist, and crumbly with a mild, slightly tangy flavor. Commonly used in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines, it is great …

Country: Mexico
Milk Type: Cow
Texture: Soft, crumbly
Flavor: Mild, Tangy

Dovedale cheese

Dovedale Cheese is a full-fat soft blue-veined cheese made exclusively within fifty miles of Dovedale, England. It has a cylindrical shape and is crafted using milk sourced from local farms. The production process includes pasteurization, the addition of starter cultures, …

Milk Type: Cow
Texture: Soft

Maasdam

Maasdam cheese is the Dutch answer to Swiss cheeses, recognizable by its large holes and sweet, nutty flavor. It is made from cow's milk and has a semi-soft texture. Maasdam matures faster than other holey cheeses like Emmental, developing its …

Country: Netherlands
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semi-hard
Flavor: Nutty, sweet

Halloumi

Halloumi is a semi-hard, unripened brined cheese from Cyprus, made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk, and sometimes also cow’s milk. Renowned for its high melting point, Halloumi can be grilled or fried to a crispy exterior with …

Country: Cyprus
Milk Type: Cow's, goat's and sheep's milk
Texture: Semihard
Flavor: Mild, salty

Queijo Serra da Estrela

Queijo Serra da Estrela is a traditional cheese from Portugal, specifically protected under the designation of origin (PDO). It is made from raw ewe's milk from the Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira breeds. The cheese uses the cardoon …

Country: Portugal
Milk Type: Sheep
Texture: Closed, slightly buttery, creamy and smooth (standard); closed or with some eyes, slightly dry crumbly body (Velho)
Flavor: Smooth, clean, and slightly acidic (standard); pleasant, lingering, clean, strong to slightly strong and slightly spicy/salty (Velho)

Livarot

Livarot is a strong-smelling, washed-rind cheese from Normandy. It is nicknamed "The Colonel" because of the five strips of raffia that encircle the cheese, similar to the stripes on a French army colonel's uniform. This cheese has a spicy, pungent …

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Chewy, Melts in the mouth
Flavor: Pungent

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