Cheese Exploration: Beyond Cow's Milk

While cow's milk cheese is the most common type of cheese, cheeses can also be made from other types of milk. This includes milk from goats, sheep, water buffalo, and even soybeans. These non-cow milk cheeses are becoming increasingly popular due to their unique tastes, varieties, and health benefits. For example, goat's milk cheese has a tangy flavour that becomes milder with age, while sheep's milk cheese tends to have a sweet and nutty flavour. In addition, non-cow milk cheeses can be a good option for those with lactose intolerance or specific allergies to cow's milk.

Goat's milk cheese

There are myriad goat's milk cheeses produced around the world, including:

• Anari
• Añejo
• Anthotyros
• Banon
• Bastardo del Grappa
• Brunost (known as Geitost when made with goat milk)
• Bucheron
• Castelo Branco
• Circassian smoked cheese
• Crottin de Chavignol
• Faisselle
• Gbejna friska
• Gbejna tal bzar
• Gbejna mghoxxa
• Majorero
• Picón Bejes-Tresviso
• Pouligny-Saint-Pierre
• Sainte-Maure de Touraine
• Selles-sur-Cher
• Ardagh Castle Cheese
• Ardsallagh Goat Farm
• Chaubier
• Cooleeney Farmhouse Cheese

Sheep's milk cheese

Feta

A popular Greek cheese with a strong, nutty flavour. It is made with either goat's milk, sheep's milk, or a combination of both. Feta has a creamy, crumbly texture and pairs well with beer, Pinot Noir, or Zinfandel.

Roquefort

A French blue-veined cheese made from sheep's milk. Roquefort has a soft, crumbly texture and a tangy flavour. It is often enjoyed with bread, figs, and nuts.

Manchego

A semi-soft Spanish sheep's milk cheese with a firm, buttery texture. Manchego is typically aged for different periods, from two weeks to one or two years, and pairs well with sherry.

Pecorino Romano

An Italian sheep's milk cheese that is often used as a substitute for Parmesan. Pecorino comes in multiple flavours, including red chilli and black peppercorns.

Ricotta

Another Italian sheep's milk cheese, Ricotta is commonly used in pasta dishes.

In addition to these well-known varieties, there are numerous other sheep's milk cheeses produced in different parts of the world, such as Halloumi from Cyprus, Castello Branco from Portugal, Abbaye de Bellocq from France, and Pag cheese from Croatia.

Buffalo's milk cheese

Buffalo milk cheese is a rich and savoury delight, with a luscious texture and a mildly nutty, slightly acidic flavour. It is a versatile product, used to make yogurt, cheese, and butter.

Buffalo milk has a higher fat content than cow's milk, as well as higher levels of calcium, iron, and phosphorus. It also contains around 11% more protein. The milk is produced by water buffalo, which are found in many parts of the world, including Italy, India, Africa, and South America.

The process of making buffalo milk cheese is complex and time-consuming. The milk is heated and then curdled by adding natural whey. The curds are then left to mature, reducing the acidifying processes and reaching a specific pH level. The next step is spinning, where hot water is poured onto the curd to soften it, resulting in a pasta filata (stretched curd) texture. The cheese is then shaped, cooled, pickled, and packaged.

One of the most famous buffalo milk cheeses is mozzarella di bufala, or buffalo mozzarella. This cheese has a soft, moist texture and a sweet-tart-yeasty flavour. It is traditionally made in Campania, Italy, especially in the provinces of Caserta and Salerno. Outside of Italy, it is also produced in Switzerland, the United States, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Venezuela, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Colombia, Thailand, Israel, Egypt, India, and South Africa.

Other types of buffalo milk cheeses include burrata di bufala, caciotta, casatica, dangke, domiati, kesong puti, khoa, litsusu and cologanti, nguri, provatura, rumi cheese, stracciatella di bufala, and Surti paneer.

Buffalo milk cheese is a delicious and creamy alternative to cow's milk cheese, offering a unique flavour and texture that is well worth seeking out.

Soy cheese

• Mozzarella
• Cheddar
• Blue cheese
• Gouda
• Ricotta
• Cream cheese

In addition to pre-made soy cheese products, it is also possible to make dairy-free soy cheese at home. Recipes for soy-based cheese alternatives can be found online and often include ingredients such as tofu, soy milk, miso, and nutritional yeast to create umami flavor.

Some popular brands that offer soy cheese products include:

• Tofutti
• Field Roast
• Cheeze & Thank You
• Barrett's Garden
• Damona
• Happy Mouse
• Julienne Bruno
• Lord of Tofu
• Mad Cheese
• Mrs. Cheng's Soy Cheese
• One Love Planet
• Veggie Karma

Moose-milk cheese

The cheese is said to have a wilder, gamier taste than cheese made from cow's milk, due to the wilder arctic plant-based diet of the moose. The Johanssons make four varieties of cheese from the high-protein milk: a soft, white mould cheese (similar to Camembert), a creamy blue cheese, a dried blue cheese, and a feta. Moose-milk cheese is also produced by GamEat in Russia, by cheese maker Alexander Fursin.

Frequently asked questions