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Explore Cheeses

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

Afuega'l Pitu

Afuega'l pitu is an unpasteurized cow's milk cheese from Asturias in northern Spain, sold plain white or paprika red. Its name translates as "strangle the chicken," and it holds Protected Designation of Origin status from Spain and the EU.

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

Slovenská parenica

Slovenská parenica is a traditional cheese from Slovakia, known for its unique 'S' shape and fibrous texture. It is a steamed, lightly smoked cheese made primarily from sheep's milk, though it can also include cow's milk. The cheese is formed …

Milk Type: Sheep's milk, can include cow's milk
Texture: Elastic, fibrous structure
Flavor: Mild, pleasantly salty

Vastedda della Valle del Belice

Vastedda della Valle del Belice is a traditional Sicilian cheese that takes its name from vastedda, a Sicilian word also used for a Palermo bread. The Italian agriculture ministry lists it as a prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale.

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Raw whole sheep’s milk
Flavor: Lightly sourish but not spicy

Charolais

Charolais is a raw goat's milk cheese from the Charolais and Brionnais hills of Burgundy, France. It is one of the largest goat cheeses, sold as a tall barrel-shaped round of 250 to 310 grams, and has carried PDO status …

Country: France
Milk Type: Goat's milk
Texture: Semi-soft
Flavor: Acidic, salty, sweet

Abbaye de Tamié

Abbaye de Tamié is a soft cheese made from unpasteurised cow's milk by the monks of Tamié Abbey in Savoie, in the French Alps. It is close in style to Reblochon, with a saffron crust dusted in white down and …

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Nutty, milky, delicate to strong with age

American

American cheese is a processed cheese made from cheddar, Colby, or similar cheeses with sodium citrate added so it pasteurizes without separating. It is mild, salty, and medium-firm, and it melts at a low temperature, which is why it lands …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semi-soft, processed
Flavor: Mild, salty

Époisses

Époisses is a pungent soft-paste cow's milk cheese from the village of Époisses in Burgundy, France. Washed in brine and Marc de Bourgogne as it ripens, it has a soft red-orange rind that is edible and a strong smell.

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow's Milk
Texture: Soft and creamy
Flavor: Subtle, fruity, distinctive, balanced

Reblochon

Reblochon is a soft, washed-rind cheese made from raw cow's milk in the Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps. It tastes nutty, holds an AOC designation, and is the cheese that makes tartiflette work.

Country: France
Milk Type: Raw whole cow’s milk
Texture: Ivory-colored, creamy and supple
Flavor: Creamy, nutty

Queijo mestiço de Tolosa

Queijo Mestiço de Tolosa is a ripened, semi-soft cheese from Portugal. It is made from a mixture of ewe's milk and goat's milk in varying proportions. The cheese has a yellowish color with a few small holes and a slightly …

Milk Type: Ewe's milk and goat's milk
Texture: Malleable to hard, consistent, not very tight, with a few small holes
Flavor: Slightly vigorous, clean, and piquant

Cotija

Cotija is an aged Mexican cheese from the town of Cotija in Michoacán, made by hand from cow's milk. It is white, firm and salty, and it is used crumbled or grated over tacos, soups, salads and elote.

Country: Mexico
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Hard, artisan
Flavor: Salty, strong

Provolone

Provolone is an Italian semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk with a stretched curd. It runs from the very sharp piccante, aged at least four months, to the mild dolce.

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semi-Hard
Flavor: Tangy

Rocamadour

Rocamadour is a very small raw goat's milk cheese from southwest France, named after the village of Rocamadour in the Lot. It is soft, creamy and white, weighs about 35 grams, and has carried AOC status since 1996.

Country: France
Milk Type: Goat's milk
Texture: Soft and creamy; becomes drier (matured)
Flavor: Mild; becomes stronger

Pérail

Pérail is a soft sheep's milk cheese from Aveyron in southern France, sold in small rounds with an ivory, wrinkly rind. Older wheels taste distinctly sheepy.

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Distinctly sheepy in older cheeses

Boursin

Boursin is a French brand of soft, fresh Gournay-style cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk and cream with herbs mixed in. It spreads easily, crumbles a little, and is best known for its original garlic and fine herbs flavour.

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

Brie

Brie is a soft cow's milk cheese named after the French region it comes from, pale under a white mould rind. It runs 60 to 75 percent butterfat and tastes creamy, nutty and mushroom-like, with a faint acidity. The rind …

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Buttery , Creamy , Smooth , Soft
Flavor: Nutty, Mushroom

Swiss

Swiss cheese is the North American name for any cheese made in the style of Emmental, the yellow, medium-hard cheese from the Emmental region of Switzerland. Most versions carry the round holes called eyes and a nutty, slightly sweet flavor.

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

Romano

Romano is the North American name for a class of hard, salty cheese made mainly for grating, from cow, goat and/or sheep's milk. It imitates Italian pecorino romano and must hold at least 38% milkfat and under 34% water.

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's, goat's or sheep's milk
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Mild, sharp, tangy

Oscypek

Oscypek is a smoked cheese of salted sheep's milk made only in the Tatra Mountains of Poland, pressed in carved spindle-shaped wooden forms. It holds EU protected designation of origin status and is often pan-fried and served with cranberry jam.

Country: Poland
Milk Type: Cow's, goat's and sheep's milk
Texture: Compact and firm
Flavor: Gently smoky, milk, chestnuts

Parmesan

Parmesan, or Parmigiano Reggiano, is a hard granular cow's milk cheese from northern Italy, aged at least 12 months. It is known for its sharp, salty, savory taste, which comes from an unusually high level of glutamate.

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Hard, artisan
Flavor: Salty, savory

Tilsit

Tilsit, also spelled Tilsiter, is a pale yellow semihard smear-ripened cow's milk cheese created in the mid-19th century by Prussian-Swiss settlers in the East Prussian town of Tilsit. It is medium firm with irregular holes, and often flavoured with caraway …

Country: Germany
Milk Type: Cow’s milk
Texture: Semi-Hard
Flavor: Pungent, balanced

Mascarpone

Mascarpone is a soft Italian dairy product made by coagulating cream with acid and heat, without rennet and without aging. Milky white and easy to spread, it is best known as the base of tiramisu.

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Buttery to slightly tangy

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.

Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop

Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop is a hard cheese made in the parish of Dunlop, Scotland, using milk from Ayrshire cows. It has a natural pale yellow color and a smooth, close surface that feels moist when cut. The cheese develops a …

Milk Type: Cow
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Mild and nutty when young, develops creamier, stronger nutty flavors with age

Muenster

Muenster is a semi-soft cheese from the United States, made with pasteurized cow's milk and easy to spot by its annatto-colored orange rind. It is usually very mild and soft, and it melts well enough for grilled cheese, quesadillas, and …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Creamy , Semi-Soft , Smooth
Flavor: Mild, Buttery, Slightly Tangy

Graviera Naxou

Graviera Naxou is a yellow hard cheese from the Greek island of Naxos, made with pasteurized cow's milk and up to 20 percent sheep's milk. It is known for its delicate, slightly sharp aroma and its PDO status, held since …

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Predominantly cow's milk, sheep’s or goat’s milk (up to 20%)
Texture: Elastic