Cheese

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Everyone loves one form of cheese or another, and there are so many varieties and textures to choose from. From hard Pecorino Romano  to the soft, silky feel of perfectly aged brie,  from mild, fresh-tasting goat cheese  to the aptly-named stinking bishop,  the selection of cheeses on the market is truly astonishing. And for vegans  or lactose-intolerant  cheese-lovers, there are a growing number of soy  and other non-dairy cheeses  available.

Below are some popular cheeses, categorized by texture. There are actually multiple ways to categorize cheese, however, many believe categorizing by age is the best and most accurate method. For a longer list of cheese by country, check out this Wikipedia article.

Fresh Unripened Cheeses

  • Cottage Cheese : Unlike other cheeses, cottage cheese curds are never pressed. Instead, the curds are stirred, which gives it a soft, creamy texture and milky and mild taste.
  • Cream Cheese : An acid curd cheese that requires a starter culture of bacteria. It is generally mild and velvety.
  • Quark : Soft, spreadable, German-style cream cheese.
  • Mascarpone : Rich Italian-style cream cheese with a buttery flavor.
  • Neufchâtel : Found in the dairy case right next to cream cheese, Neufchâtel can be used in many of the same ways. Soft and smooth, it has rich, nutty and slightly sweet flavor.
  • Ricotta : Moist and smooth, mild and lightly-sweet, ricotta is a staple of Italian kitchens.
  • Fromage Blanc : A white cheese that is very soft and spreadable.

Soft Cheeses

  • Brie : Mildly tangy and fruity.
  • Camembert : Similar to Brie, it has mild, salty, butter flavor that also has notes of nuts. Originated in Normandy in 1789 by Marie Harel who was christened by Napoleon himself.
  • Teleme : Encased in an edible, white rind this tangy, nutty cheese gets stronger as it ripens. Teleme is soft and creamy - yet solid - and gets runnier with age.

Semi-Soft Cheeses

  • Asiago : Named after a village in Northern Italy, it ranges in flavor from mild and buttery when it's young (packed in the clear or white wax coating) to an intense, semi-sharp when it's aged (in the black coating).
  • Brick : Mild tasting and sweet when it is young, but it grows more pungent with age.
  • Coulommier : Semi-soft cheese, with characteristics similar to brie - velvety soft with a pronounced tang.
  • Chevre : Goat cheese - very fresh, soft white, and made in logs, Flavor is tangy, yet mild.
  • Gouda : Originated in the Netherlands - straw colored with firm, creamy texture. Mild and buttery flavor that develops a richer tang as it ages. Aged Gouda is lightly sweet and sharp. Smoked Gouda has a musky, rich aftertaste. Baby Gouda is usually coated in red wax, aged has a yellow coating, and smoked usually has a black or brown rind.
  • Havarti : Smooth and buttery with a hidden intensity.
  • Kasseri : Tart flavor with hints of olive and sweetness.
  • Mozzarella : A rich, tender cheese. An Italian favorite there are two types: fresh - soft, white and stored in water - and string - pale yellow with a smooth texture. Both have a delicate, milky flavor. May be marinated in pure olive oil and herbs.
  • Others: Morbier,  Liederkrantz,  Chaource. 

Sliceable Semi-hard Cheese

  • Baby Swiss : White color with small holes -- buttery, sweet and only slightly nutty, and generally semi-soft and creamy.
  • Gruyère : Creamy yellow interior and golden brown rind, with an earthy, buttery and toasty flavor and slightly fruity undertones.
  • Colby : An American original, named for the town where it was invented. Similar to cheddar, but softer with mild sweet flavor.
  • Edam : Packaged in a shiny red or yellow wax coating. Is semi-soft when young and hard when aged. It has a creamy, mild, slightly salty and nutty flavor.
  • Fontina : Young Fontina has a nutty, buttery flavor, with a velvety texture, and it develops a mellower blend of fruits and nuts, with a slightly drier texture when it ages. Any age, Fontina will reveal an earthy flavor.
  • Muenster : Pale, milky white with a light sprinkle of paprika coating, Muenster is mild with a smooth, slightly salty and buttery flavor.
  • Monterey Jack : Created by Spanish monks in early California - light colored with creamy texture. Mild relative of cheddar. May be flavored (i.e., Jalepeño Jack ).
  • Others: Jarlsberg,  Emmanthaler. 

Crumbly and/or Blue-veined

  • Bleu Cheese : Crumbly texture and sharp, tangy flavor.
  • Stilton : Aristocratic, with sharp tang.
  • Feta : Greek origin, originally made from the milk of sheep. In the U.S., it is often made of cow's milk. Lightly pressed and ripened in brine, it has a crumbly texture and salty flavor.
  • Gorgonzola : Semi-soft and creamy when young, Gorgonzola ages into a pungent, crumbly cheese that has a robust and spicy taste.
  • Others: Sainte-Maure Ash,  Roquefort. 

Hard Cheeses

  • Cheddar : Brought to the New World by the English colonists. Flavor varies from mild to extremely sharp with texture from smooth to dry, almost crumbly. Also available are smoked cheddar,  herbed cheddar  and special varieties. 
  • Colby : Similar to cheddar. As it ages, the texture matures into a harder style cheese, with sharper flavors.
  • Farmhouse Cheese : These are crafted in all varieties - often farmhouse cheddar, and other quality varieties.
  • Manchego : Spain's most popular cheese - mild, salty and nutty.
  • Provolone : Italian provolone is a hard, sharp cheese with a full-bodied taste. There is also a milder, sliced version used on sandwiches.
  • Swiss : Swiss will be shiny and pale yellow, with large holes. Swiss can range from sweet to sharp, and is generally nutty and semi-hard.
  • Tarentaise : Made in the tradition of the Beaufort and Abondance cheeses of the Tarentaise Valley of the French Alps. Smooth texture with subtle nut flavor.

Very Hard Cheeses

  • Parmigiano-Reggiano : Hard, dry cheese with rich, sharp flavor. One of the finest cheeses available, and highly versatile.
  • Romano : Named for the city of Rome. Mild to extremely sharp.
  • Others: Swiss Sbrinz,  Sapsago,  Saanen,  which are all Swiss varieties.

Cheese and Mold

Cheese and mold is a match made in heaven for some, for it is this combination that helps to create some of the most popular cheeses in the market. Here are the three main categories:

  • Blue Cheese : Blue cheese is characterized by the bluish vein designs that result from the injection of Penicillium roqueforti. In other words, the mold grows from within the cheese, and can result in both soft or firm textures, with varying distinct tastes. Stilton  is an example of this kind of cheese. 
  • Soft-Ripened Cheese : While blue cheese has mold growing from the inside out, soft-riped cheese is exactly the opposite with mold growing and creating a white crust around the exterior of soft cheese. This kind of cheese is usually soft and smooth in texture. Brie  is one popular kind of soft-ripened cheese. 
  • Washed-Rind Cheese :  Washed-rind cheese is similar to soft-ripened cheese in that they are both combined with white mold. However, this type of cheese is cured in a solution of saltwater and other agents such as beer and spices. These cheeses have distinct odors and flavors, and can be both soft or firm.

 Storing Cheese

Here are some simple, general tips on how to properly store cheese.

  • Fresh cheese can't be stored for very long and should be consumed quickly and otherwise kept in their original containers.
  • You can store similar cheeses together in the same container, however, they shouldn't be touching.
  • Rub cheese (except for white, grey, blue, and washed-rind) with olive oil or any other cooking oil. When mold grows, it will be consuming the oil and not the actual cheese, which means that you can simply wipe or rinse away the mold when you see it. If you want, you can rub oil on the cut areas for white, grey, and washed-rind cheeses, and this will help with the molding as well. 
  • Cheese should be kept in a plastic container with a couple of paper towels (they absorb excess moisture) with a little bit of breathing room.
  • You should wash the container and change the paper towels often.

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Related Buying Guides

Mozzarella di Bufala

Wine

Beer

Food & Wine Pairing

Graters

External Links

International Resources

For this resource in your home country, please see:
DE: Käse

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