The AnyCheese Holiday Gift Guide

Explore Cheeses

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

Paški Sir

Paški sir is a hard sheep milk cheese from the Croatian island of Pag, where salt-laden wind shapes the plants the sheep eat. It carries Protected Designation of Origin status and has won gold and Super Gold at the World …

Country: Croatia
Milk Type: Sheep’s milk
Texture: Slightly elastic, granular
Flavor: Salty, savory, tangy

Alpine-Style

Alpine-style cheese is inspired by the traditional cheeses produced in the mountainous regions of Switzerland, France, and Austria. These cheeses are typically made using cow's milk and are known for their firm texture and nutty, buttery flavors. They often have …

Queso de Valdeón

Queso de Valdeón is a Spanish blue cheese made in Posada de Valdeón, in the northeast of León province. It holds PGI status and is known for a very intense blue flavor that stays less biting than that of its …

Country: Spain
Milk Type: Cow’s, or a mix of cow’s, sheep’s, and goat’s milk
Texture: Low elasticity, crumbly, melts in the mouth
Flavor: Intense, salty, piquant, lightly ardent

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

Castelo Branco

Castelo Branco is a soft Portuguese cheese made from goat or sheep milk and named after the city of Castelo Branco. It has carried a Protected Designation of Origin since 1996 and runs about 45% fat.

Country: Portugal
Milk Type: Goat's and sheep's milk
Texture: Semisoft to hard
Flavor: Sour, spicy, tangy

Mont d'Or

Mont d'Or is a seasonal soft cow's milk cheese from the Jura region of France and Switzerland, wrapped in a band of spruce that gives it its flavor. It sells from September 10 to May 10 and is usually warmed …

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Resinous, mild to pungent

Svecia

Svecia is a Swedish semi-hard cow's milk cheese with a creamy consistency, light yellow colour, small irregular holes and a mildly acidic taste. It is sold in wax-covered cylinders weighing 12 to 15 kg (26 to 33 lb) and aged …

Milk Type: Cow
Texture: Semi-hard, creamy soft, firm, somewhat resilient, small irregular holes
Flavor: Mildly acidic, full-bodied

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

Paneer

Paneer is a fresh, non-aged cheese from South Asia, made by curdling cow or buffalo milk with acid instead of rennet. It does not melt, so it holds its shape in curries, fritters and skewered dishes like paneer tikka.

Country: Bangladesh and India
Milk Type: Cow's or water buffalo's milk
Texture: Semisoft, crumbly
Flavor: Mild, slightly milky

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

Mahón-Menorca

Mahón-Menorca is a white cow's milk cheese from the island of Menorca, named after the town and port of Mahón. It runs soft to hard depending on age, with an orange rind rubbed with butter or oil and paprika and …

Country: Spain
Milk Type: Friesian, Menorcan, Brown Alpine cow’s milk, some ewe’s milk (max 5%)
Texture: Firm
Flavor: Salty and spicy

Swaledale

Swaledale is a full fat hard cheese from Richmond in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, made with unpasteurised cow, sheep or goat milk. It is known for its moist medium firm texture and a rind of grey-blue mould or natural wax.

Country: England
Milk Type: Cow, sheep, goat
Texture: Moist, medium firm

Cream Cheese

Cream cheese is a soft, mild fresh cheese made from milk and cream, sold unripened rather than aged. It began in Chester, New York in the 1870s and is best known as the spread on a bagel.

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Fresh soft, processed
Flavor: Creamy, mild, sweet

Selles-sur-Cher

Selles-sur-Cher is a goat milk cheese from Centre-Val de Loire, France, first made in the 19th century in the commune it is named for. It comes as a small charcoal-dusted cylinder of about 150 g, known for its grey-blue mould …

Country: France
Milk Type: Whole goat’s milk
Texture: Fine and firm
Flavor: Fresh, hazelnut

Roquefort

Roquefort is a blue cheese made from raw Lacaune sheep's milk in southern France. Only cheese ripened in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may carry the name. It is tangy and creamy, with no rind and a sharp bite …

Country: France
Milk Type: Sheep's milk
Texture: Moist, very creamy
Flavor: Mild to strong

Taleggio

Taleggio is a semisoft Italian cheese with a washed, smear-ripened rind and a strong smell. The taste is milder than the aroma suggests, creamy and pale yellow inside, with an unusual fruity tang.

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Sweet, delicate, slightly sour

Red Leicester

Red Leicester is an English cow's milk cheese from Leicestershire, close to Cheddar but crumblier. Annatto gives it its orange colour, and four to nine months of ageing takes it from mild and mellow to tangy and slightly nutty.

Country: United Kingdom
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Hard, similar to Cheddar but more moist, crumbly
Flavor: Caramel, sweet

Laguiole

Laguiole is a pressed, uncooked cheese from the Aubrac plateau in southern France, made only from raw Simmental or Aubrac cow's milk. Protected by AOC since 1961, it is the main cheese in aligot, the regional dish of mashed potatoes …

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Firm and supple
Flavor: Medium to intense

Ricotta

Ricotta is an Italian whey cheese made from the leftover whey of sheep, cow, goat, or water buffalo milk cheesemaking. The fresh curds are creamy white and slightly sweet, and they turn up in cannoli and cheesecakes as readily as …

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow's, goat's, sheep's or water buffalo's milk
Texture: Soft, moist
Flavor: Sweet, slightly creamy

Cancoillotte

Cancoillotte is a runny French cheese made by melting metton cheese with water or milk, salt and often butter. It comes from Franche-Comte and is eaten cold or hot, plain or flavored with garlic, wine or cumin.

Country: France
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Smooth, creamy
Flavor: Varies

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

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

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

Cacioricotta

Cacioricotta is a southern Italian cheese from Basilicata, Apulia and Calabria, usually made with sheep or goat milk. Its name comes from the hybrid method behind it, which borrows steps from both ricotta and hard cheese making.

Country: Italy
Milk Type: Goat's, occasionally Sheep's and Cow's mix
Flavor: Sweet to salty, spicy

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

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