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Explore Cheeses

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

Quark

Quark is a fresh acid-set cheese made by souring milk with lactic acid bacteria and straining the curd. Soft, white, unaged and usually unsalted, it anchors German, Austrian and Slavic cooking, where the drier version goes by tvorog.

Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Soft, nonaged, unsalted
Flavor: Mild, slightly milky

Limburger

Limburger is a washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Herve area of the old Duchy of Limburg, now part of Belgium. It is known for the powerful smell it develops after about three months of ripening.

Country: Belgium
Milk Type: Cow’s milk
Texture: Firm to spreadable
Flavor: Meaty, farmyard

Queijo São Jorge

Queijo São Jorge is a semi-hard to hard cow's milk cheese made only on the island of São Jorge in the Azores. It is known for its firm, brittle yellowish paste, small irregular holes, and a strong, slightly spicy flavor …

Country: Portugal
Milk Type: Cow
Texture: Firm consistency, hard or semi-hard
Flavor: Peppery, grassy

Dovedale cheese

Dovedale, sold as Dovedale Blue, is a soft blue cheese made from full fat cow's milk near the Dovedale valley in the Peak District. It holds PDO status and is dipped in brine instead of dry-salted, which is rare for …

Milk Type: Cow
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Mild blue

Noord-Hollandse Edammer

Noord-Hollandse Edammer is a traditional Edam cheese made in the Province of Noord-Holland, Netherlands. It is known for its spherical shape with a flat top and bottom, weighing between

Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Malleable
Flavor: Distinctive taste

Fontina-Style

Fontina-Style cheese is a semi-soft cheese known for its creamy texture and mild, nutty flavor. It draws inspiration from traditional Italian Fontina but is often made in various regions outside Italy. The cheese has a pale yellow interior with a …

Kasseri

Kasseri is a pale yellow, medium-hard to hard Greek cheese made from sheep milk with at most 20% goat's milk. It belongs to the pasta filata family and is best known as the cheese in saganaki and kasseropita.

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

Brie-Style

Brie-style cheese is a soft cheese with a creamy, pale interior and a white, edible rind. It has a mild, buttery flavor with a hint of earthiness, making it a popular choice for cheese boards and appetizers. The texture is …

Queijo de Cabra Transmontano

Queijo de Cabra Transmontano is a Portuguese protected designation of origin cheese made from raw milk of Serrana goats in Trás-os-Montes. It has a firm white paste, a strong aroma and a slightly piquant taste, and ages at least 60 …

Milk Type: Goat's milk
Texture: Closed, semi-hard to extra-hard, not buttery
Flavor: Clean taste, usually with a slight tang

Allgäuer Emmentaler

Allgäuer Emmentaler is a raw-milk Emmental from the Allgäu region of Germany, protected as a designation of origin since January 1997. It ripens for at least three months and tastes clearly of hazelnut, milder than Swiss Emmentaler.

Country: Germany
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Nutty

Maiorchino

Maiorchino is a hard sheep's milk cheese from the province of Messina in Sicily, sold in wheels of about 10 to 12 kg (22 to 26 lb). It is a listed Italian traditional food, known for a delicate flavor that …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Raw whole sheep's milk, goat's milk (max 25%)
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Spicy with age

Quesucos de Liébana

Quesucos de Liébana are small cheeses from the Liébana valley in Cantabria, Spain, made from cow, sheep or goat milk or a mix of the three. They come smoked and unsmoked, with a firm semi-hard paste and a mild, slightly …

Milk Type: Cow’s, ewe’s, goat’s milk
Texture: Firm, compact
Flavor: Mild and milky, with a smoked variant offering a distinct smoky taste

Ricotta Salata

Ricotta Salata is a pressed, salted, dried, and aged version of ricotta, which turns it into a firm, crumbly cheese with a mild, milky flavor and a slightly salty bite. It's frequently grated over pasta, salads, or used in cooked …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Semi-hard, whey

Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard, granular Italian cheese made from unpasteurised cow's milk and aged at least 12 months. Protected as a PDO across Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and parts of Bologna and Mantua, it is known for its sharp, …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Grainy, flaky
Flavor: Umami

Queijo Rabaçal

Queijo Rabaçal is a Portuguese cheese from the village of Rabaçal in the Coimbra district, made by hand from sheep's and goat's milk. It has held protected designation of origin status since 1996, and its taste sharpens as the cheese …

Milk Type: Sheep's and goat's milk
Texture: Semi-hard to hard
Flavor: Not Specified

Brocciu

Brocciu is a Corsican cheese made from a mix of whey and ewe's milk. It is eaten fresh or ripened for a few weeks, and it holds less lactose than Italian ricotta, which it often replaces.

Country: France
Milk Type: Goat's or sheep's milk
Texture: Soft, creamy
Flavor: Meltingly creamy, saltier when matured

Graviera Kritis

Graviera Kritis is the Cretan version of graviera, a hard Greek sheep's milk cheese with protected designation of origin status. It ripens for at least five months and tastes slightly sweet, with a burnt caramel note.

Country: Greece
Milk Type: Sheep's milk, Goat's milk (up to 20%)
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Nutty, Sweet

Crème Fraîche

Crème fraîche is a French soured cream made from cream and a bacterial culture, with 10 to 45% butterfat and a pH near 4.5. It is less sour than sour cream, and its fat content keeps it from curdling in …

Country: France
Texture: Thick, highly viscous
Flavor: Mildly sour

Gruyère

Gruyère is a hard Swiss cheese from the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura and Bern. It is sweet with a salty edge, creamy and nutty when young, sharper and earthier with age, and it melts well enough to carry …

Country: Switzerland
Milk Type: Cow’s milk
Texture: Dense, moister
Flavor: Nutty, complex

Bryndza Podhalańska

Bryndza Podhalańska is a soft brined sheep's milk cheese from the Podhale region on the northern side of the Tatras in Poland. In 2007 it became the first Polish product registered in the EU scheme for protected designations of origin.

Milk Type: Ewes' milk (Polish Mountain Sheep), Cows' milk (Polish Red)
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Strong, salty or slightly salty, sometimes slightly sour

Trnič

Trnič is a hard Slovenian cheese made for centuries by shepherds on Velika planina, Mala planina and Gojška planina from sour skimmed milk curd, cream and salt. Shaped by hand and stamped with carved wooden patterns, it was given in …

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

Murazzano

Murazzano is a PDO cheese from the Alta Langa hills in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont. It is made mostly from the milk of a native Langhe sheep breed, with up to 40 percent cow's milk, and can be eaten …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Ewe’s (up to 60%) and Cow’s (up to 40%)
Texture: Fresh
Flavor: Sweet to savory

Nostrano Valtrompia

Nostrano Valtrompia is an extra-hard, half-fat cow's milk PDO cheese from the Val Trompia in Brescia, Lombardy. It is made from partly skimmed raw milk with a little saffron, ripened at least twelve months, and produced by only six certified …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's milk (90% Brown Swiss), up to 10% other breeds or hybrids
Texture: Very hard
Flavor: Full and intense

Camembert-Style

Camembert-style cheese is a soft, creamy cheese with a white, bloomy rind. Originating from France, it is made from cow’s milk and is known for its smooth, buttery texture. The flavor is rich and earthy, with a mild, slightly tangy …

Queso de Acehúche

Queso de Acehúche is a pressed uncooked cheese from the province of Cáceres in Extremadura, Spain, made with whole raw goat's milk. It has held a European PDO since 2022 and is known for its soft elastic paste and yellow …

Milk Type: Goat
Texture: Semi-hard, elastic, slightly moist
Flavor: Low saltiness, moderate acidity, low bitterness, low pungency, more pronounced in aged cheeses