Cheese Varieties: Primary Kinds To Know And Love

Cheese is an ancient food, with origins predating recorded history. There are several different types of cheese, with some sources claiming there are over 1,800 varieties worldwide, and others claiming there are over 2,000. The six most common types of cheese are hard, soft, blue, pasta filata, soft-ripened, and processed.

Cheeses can be categorised in many ways, including by age, texture, flavour, type of preparation/production, country or region of origin, and type of milk used to create them.

Hard cheeses

Parmigiano-Reggiano, also known as the "King of Cheese", is a hard, dry cheese with a complex, full-bodied flavour. It is made from skimmed or partially skimmed cow's milk, with a pale golden rind and is typically aged for at least two years.

Cheddar is a semi-hard cheese that is pressed into tight blocks and aged for at least six months. It has a sharp, tangy flavour and a creamy texture.

Gruyère is a hard cheese with a full-bodied, fruity flavour and an earthy, nutty finish. It is made from cow's milk and is traditionally aged for about six months.

Manchego is a hard Spanish cheese made from pasteurised sheep's milk. It has a hard, inedible rind and a rich, nutty flavour. Manchego is typically aged for up to two years.

Soft cheeses

Some popular examples of soft cheeses include:

• Brie: A French cheese often considered the "queen of cheeses" due to its subtle taste and distinctive aroma. It has a thin, edible outer rind made from a white fungus known as Penicillium candidum. The inside is pale yellow, and as it ripens, it becomes creamier and slightly runny in the middle.
• Camembert: Also of French origin, Camembert is often compared to Brie. It usually has a stronger, sharper taste and its outer skin is also made from the Penicillium candidum fungus, giving it a more intense flavour and aroma.
• Mozzarella: A very popular Italian cheese used in various dishes. It has a soft, elastic texture and is usually white or pale yellow. Mozzarella is known for its ability to melt well, making it a top choice for pizza, lasagne, and baked dishes.
• Feta: A soft cheese from Greece made from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk. It has a crumbly texture and a salty and sharp taste. Feta is often used in salads, such as Greek salad, and as a topping on various baked dishes. It is also high in calcium and protein.
• Ricotta: An Italian cheese often used in pasta dishes, lasagne, and desserts such as cannoli and cheesecake. It is made from whey, the remaining liquid from the production of other cheeses, and has a soft and granular texture with a mild and slightly sweet taste. It is also low in fat compared to many other cheeses.
• Neufchâtel: A soft, mould-ripened cheese from the Normandy region of France, likely originating as early as the 6th century. It has a sharp taste and a grainy texture, similar to Brie but less creamy.
• Cottage Cheese: A high-moisture, unripened soft cheese made from skimmed milk. It is low in fat, relatively low in calcium, and high in moisture, containing unfermented lactose. Very-low-fat versions are also available.
• Cream Cheese: Made by adding cream to milk, cream cheese has a light and slightly tangy flavour and a soft texture. It is often spreadable and comes in a block, sometimes with added flavours.
• Galotyri: A soft cheese produced from ewe or goat milk or a mixture of the two. It has a creamy and spreadable texture.

Blue cheeses

Blue cheese is a general classification of cheeses that have had cultures of the mould Penicillium added, resulting in a distinct smell and blue, blue-grey, or green veins throughout. The veins develop naturally as the cheese matures and is spiked with stainless-steel rods to let the oxygen circulate and allow the mould to grow. This process also softens the texture of the cheese and helps create its distinctive flavour.

Blue cheese is made from pasteurised or unpasteurised cow's, goat's, or sheep's milk. It is typically aged in a temperature-controlled environment such as a cave, and can be eaten by itself or spread, crumbled, or melted into or over foods.

Some popular varieties of blue cheese include:

• Roquefort: A French blue cheese made from sheep's milk and aged in natural caves. It has a tangy and earthy flavour.
• Gorgonzola: Originating from Italy, Gorgonzola is made from cow's milk and has a creamy texture with a slightly sharp taste.
• Stilton: A classic English blue cheese made from cow's milk, known for its crumbly texture and mellow flavour.
• Danish Blue: Hailing from Denmark, this blue cheese is made from cow's milk and has a sharp and salty taste, with a slightly crumbly texture.
• Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage
• Dragon's Breath Blue
• Fourme de Montbrison
• Picón Bejes-Tresviso

Fresh cheeses

Mozzarella is a type of fresh cheese that comes from Southern Italy, where it's made with buffalo milk. In America, it's made with cow's milk. Mozzarella is a fresh cheese that does not undergo any ageing processes at all, and is best eaten the same day it's made. It tastes mild and milky, with a hint of acid, and its creamy and elastic texture makes it one of the best cheeses for pizza and lasagna. It's also famous for Caprese salad, with tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. Pair Mozzarella with an Italian red wine like Lambrusco or Valpolicella to complement its milky and mild flavour.

Feta is a type of fresh cheese that comes from mainland Greece. Once the cheese is made and formed into a block, it is pickled in brine, which gives it a salty, tangy, pungent, and intense flavour. It’s made from sheep’s milk, or sometimes a mixture of goat and sheep’s milk, and has a brittle, dry, and grainy texture. On a charcuterie board, put Feta next to stone fruits, melons, and honey. Feta is unbeatable in recipes with cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions, such as Greek salads. It also pairs well with dill, watermelon, eggplant, fava beans, eggs, pita bread, and chickpeas. Pair Feta with a glass of Rose, Pouilly-Fume, or Sauvignon Blanc.

Ricotta is a type of Italian fresh cheese that translates to "recooked" in Italian. When making any type of cheese, the milk is separated into curds and whey. Curds are used to make the cheese, and the leftover liquids are whey. These leftover curds are heated with acid and coagulated, becoming thicker and larger. It's then strained through a cheesecloth, and what's left is the ricotta. This thick, creamy, fluffy, and spongy cheese can be made from cow, sheep, goat, or buffalo milk. Ricotta has a mild, fresh, and slightly sweet flavour profile that pairs well with honey, strawberries, pistachios, chocolate, pasta, pesto, and tomatoes. It's used for filling pasta shells, ravioli, lasagna, and cannolis, and can top pizzas, flatbreads, and crostinis. Pair ricotta with Riesling, Rose, or a low-tannin red wine such as Gamay, Lambrusco, and Barbera.

Cream cheese is a type of fresh cheese made from cow's milk. Cream cheese started from the well-known French cheese Neufchatel, but was enriched with the addition of extra cream, giving us the cream cheese we know today. It's mild, milky, rich, and slightly acidic, with a thick, homogenous, and spreadable consistency. Cream cheese is most commonly known as a topping for any type of bagel. It can be enhanced with fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices such as scallions, chives, garlic, strawberries, and blueberries, to name a few. It's also the main ingredient in cheesecake and can be used in many baking applications as a rich filling.

Cottage cheese is known as one of the healthiest types of cheese thanks to its high protein and lower calorie count. It's made from cow's milk and has a mild, milky, and slightly acidic taste. Cottage cheese is famously lumpy with a thick and spoonable texture. Cottage cheese is well-known for being a breakfast food, dressed up with berries, peaches, bananas, pineapple, granola, and honey. It can also be used as a binding ingredient in baked goods and pancakes, and it also makes a great addition to pasta sauces or whipped in a food processor and used as a dip.

Mascarpone is a type of cheese that originated in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy. It's made from cow's milk and has a rich, sweet, buttery, and slightly tangy taste with a spreadable and creamy texture. Mascarpone is famously used to make tiramisu. It can also be used as an ingredient in frosting for cakes, or as an oil or binding agent in a quick bread. For a savoury application, mascarpone is great when stuffed into chicken breasts or used to thicken pasta sauces. However you use it, pair it with a glass of fizzy Moscato or Lambrusco.

Goat cheese, also known as Chevre, is believed to have originated in the Mediterranean or Middle East. It's made from goat's milk and has a bright and tangy flavour. It's plump, moist, wonderfully creamy, and spreadable. This type of cheese is extremely easy to pair with sweet or savoury ingredients. For a charcuterie board, put goat cheese next to strawberries, almonds, pecans, figs, and cranberries. It's the perfect cheese for a salad or sandwich, too, especially if beets, arugula, and balsamic are present. As far as wine pairings go, reach for Sauvignon Blanc or a Spanish Albarino.

Stretched curd cheeses

Mozzarella is the most well-known stretched curd cheese. It is traditionally made from buffalo milk in Southern Italy, but today it is mostly made with cow's milk. Fresh mozzarella is often moulded into egg or cherry-sized balls, known as bocconcini, and has a short shelf life. It is stored in water or a light brine solution and has a semi-soft, elastic texture.

Other stretched curd cheeses include:

• Caciocavallo, a tear-shaped cheese made from sheep's or cow's milk in Southern Italy. It is similar in taste to aged Southern Italian Provolone cheese and has a hard, edible rind.
• Halloumi, a semi-hard, unripened, brined cheese made from a mixture of goat's, sheep's, and sometimes cow's milk. It has a rubbery, fibrous texture and can be fried or grilled.
• Provolone, an aged semi-hard Italian cheese with a mild nutty flavour. Its taste varies from sharp to very mild, depending on how long it has been aged.
• Oaxaca cheese, a white, semi-hard cheese from Mexico, similar to un-aged Monterey Jack but with a mozzarella-like string cheese texture.
• Scamorza, an Italian stretched-curd cow's milk cheese that is formed into a round shape and then tied with a string one-third of the way down from the top to create a pear-like shape.
• Stracciatella di bufala, a cheese produced from Italian buffalo milk in the southern Italian region of Apulia, using a stretching and shredding technique.
• String cheese, which refers to several different types of cheese where the manufacturing process aligns the proteins in the cheese, making it stringy.

Frequently asked questions