Types of Cheese - Cheese Style Guide | Cheese of the Month Club
Cheese Style Guide
Abertam
This traditional Czech Republic, farmhouse cheese is made in Karlovy Vary, the famous spa town previously known as Carslbad. Crowned heads and great 19th century artists, among them Brahms, Chopin, and Alexander Pushkin, came to this town and no doubt enjoyed this wonderful cheese... just as you can today. The natural pastures of this mountainous part of Bohemia provide the sheep with a rich diet that contributes to the robust and rather strong flavor of this pressed cheese. Abertam which is ripened in only two months, is a hard cheese with the shape of an irregular ball, and its natural rind is thin, and yellow to orange.
Appenzeller
Appenzeller
Appenzeler cheese is made in the mountain canton of Appenzeller between Lake Constance and the principality of Liechtenstein. In earlier times each valley of the Alps had its own specialty cheese that was used to pay taxes. And Apenzeller was one of these distinctive cheeses... it has been documented for over 7 centuries! The Appenzeller identity was given the AOC designation in 1981, and is protected by a special authority in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is sometimes made by combining ewe's and goat's milk. The milk is curdling with rennet or thistle-flower extract for less than an hour, then the curd is cut into small bits, drained, molded and pressed by hand. Aragon ripens for only a week in a controlled humid environment.
Ardalena
Ardalena
This unusual buffalo milk cheese comes from Transylvania in central Romania. If you visit there, you will probably encounter herds of domesticated water-buffaloes. Exit your car and you will be welcomed by these eager heifers, boasting long manes down their necks and backs, enormous inviting eyes, and surprisingly soft, delicate noses which they love to have rubbed! The challenge for their owners is supplying the buffaloes with water. As their name implies, water-buffaloes crave the wet stuff, and in hot weather they need it to keep cool, as they have very few sweat glands.
Asiago
Asiago
Asiago is made in the Italian province of Vicenza. It has butter coloring with tiny "eyes," and complex flavors, ranging from mild (clear/white coating) to aged (black coating). Favorite pairings include pasta, fresh figs, pears, salami, and crusty breads. Serve it with red wines, cranberry juice, and sparkling red grape juice. Asiago d'Allevo is hard and sharp and primarily used for grating. Asiago Grasso Monte, a medium, tangy cheese, is my favorite. The mild and delicate version, Asiago Pressato is sometimes mistaken for American Cheddar. Find more wine and cheese pairings here.
Beaufort d'Alpage
Beaufort d'Alpage
Named after a small rural town in the French Alps, this giant cheese (a whole wheel weighs over 80 pounds) is creamier and richer than other Alpine cheeses like Emmental, Gruyere and Comté. The term D'Alpage indicates that this Beaufort is made from milk taken from a special breed of mountain cows (Tarines) that graze naturally, as opposed to those that are fed indoors from a trough. Aging of up to 8 months takes place in the off-season in rural Alpine cellars that are naturally cool all year long.
Beauvoorde
This cheese was created in the early 1990's by Arthur Djes, innkeeper of Beauvoorde Village in Belgium. Beauvoorde is a semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk. It has a hexagonal shape with gray, natural rind, a mild flavor and a spicy aroma.
Belstone
Belstone
A creamy farmhouse Devon cheese made from unpasteurised milk & with vegetarian rennet. Very similar to Curworthy (see also Devon Oke). The whole cheese weighs about 2Kg.
Berkshire Blue
Berkshire Blue
Berkshire Blue is made from whole unpasteurized Jersey cow’s milk. This artisan cheese is made in small batches, starting with only 60 gallons of milk. Its production is completely by hand, and by only one person. It is hand-stirred, hand-ladled and manually turned, resulting in an exceptionally creamy, smooth blue.
Bethmale
Bethmale
Bethmale is the most famous of the goat's milk cheeses from the Pyrenees. Its flavor is tangy and somewhat spicy yet mild. It is semi-hard, uncooked with a pressed curd and has few pea-sized holes. Its naturally forming rind is brushed and turned for 2 to 3 months to assist in its hardening.
Bingham Hill Rustic Blue
Bingham Hill Rustic Blue
A natural rind beauty, with hints of nuts and oak, Bingham Hill Rustic Blue is a decidedly unique artisanal cheese with a great depth of flavor. Great when served as a table cheese, this cheese also melts well and is fantastic over vegetables, meats or in a pasta sauce. Pairs perfectly with port or fine red wine.
Bishop's Blessing
Bishop's Blessing
Only a few farms in England possess a herd of water buffalo. Imported from Italy and Romania, these buffalo are unaltered by genetic manipulation and still thrive without excessive antibiotics or high protein feeds. Instead, they feed on the grass and clover from the English countryside. They produce a milk that is pure white and beautifully smooth, fulll of natural goodness. Buffalo milk is much lower in cholesterol than cow's milk--great news for all who are watching their cholesterol! It is also richer in proteins, important minerals such as calcium, iron and phosphorus, richer in vitamin A and contains high levels of the natural antioxidant tocopheral.
Bleu d'Auvergne
Bleu d'Auvergne
This blue from southeastern France is creamier than Roquefort owing to the fact that it is made from cow's milk rather than sheep's. The terrain near Auvergne is craggy and desolate and thus better suited to raising sheep than cows. Even so, the region manages to produce enough cow's milk to eke out its small annual production of Bleu d'Auvergne. Bleu d'Auvergne is great crumbled on a tossed salad. You should also try a small piece on a slice of apple for a beautiful, healthy midday snack.
Bleu de Gex
Bleu de Gex
Cows graze in the pastures of the Jura Mountains in Comte 6,000 ft. above sea level. Here, they munch on mountain grass and flowers that give their milk a distinct flavor reminiscent of mushroom and tarragon flavors. The mould of the mountain grass and flowers traditionally passed into their milk. This milk is used to produce Bleu de Gex. The mould in the milk used to be enough to create a blue cheese, but today they help it along a little by adding some penicillium roqueforti to the milk. It still retains its beefy, fruity flavor, evenly marbled with pale green mould. Aged 1-3 months, Bleu de Gex can be difficult to find in the US.
Blue Castello
Blue Castello
This brie-like blue cheese from Denmark is made by Tholstrup, the same company that makes Saga Blue at its factory in the United States. Blue Castello is richer than Saga Blue and is made only in Denmark. Castello is a distant derivative of Italian Gorgonzola but has a higher fat content and a milder flavor. It is a perfect blue for those who like a little blue flavor without being blown away.
Blue
Blue
Blue Cheese is an American version based on the many European blue cheeses, and it's delicious crumbled on top of salads or paired with fruit slices. Because it crumbles easily, it's a good idea not to stack other cheeses and foods on top of Blue cheese.
Boursault
Boursault
Boursault is a very popular double cream cheese that is frequently found in grocery stores across France. Boursault was originally made in 8-ounce drums. The company is now owned by Boursin, which makes relatively well-known spreadable, herbed cheeses.
Brie
Brie
Brie dates back to 11th century France from the province of Le Brie. Both cheeses are round with creamy yellow, soft interiors with a thin white powdery crust you can eat. Camembert has a higher moisture content and tends to be a bit taller. Mild to heady flavors, sometimes described as "mushroom like," develop with aging.
Brin d'Amour
Brin d'Amour
Brin d'Amour means little bit of love, and so it's no surprise that this cheese comes from the tiny romantic island of Corsica. Made from ewe or goat milk and rolled in dried rosemary with an occasional juniper berry and chili pepper, Brin d'Amour is elegant and delicate... and has a wonderful taste you won't forget. [Sometimes this cheese is also called Fleur du Maquis.]
Bruder Basil
Bruder Basil
Bruder Basil comes to us from Bavaria and is made in the tradition of Rauchkäse, a smoked cheese typical of the region. This semi-soft cows milk cheese has a darker natural rind and a rich creamy texture.
Caboc
Caboc
This Scottish cheese is made according to an ancient recipe with cream-enriched cow's milk. Caboc is shaped like a chubby log, and then rolled in oatmeal. The oats give it a nutty, yeasty flavor. Caboc only takes five days to ripen.
Cahill's Farm Cheddar
Cahill's Farm Cheddar
Located in County Limerick and recognized as the originator of fine Irish cheese, Marion Cahill of Cahill's Farm has developed an interesting range of flavored cheddars. Using a base of tangy Irish cheddar, she has experimented with a variety of flavors and has come up with some very popular combinations.
Cambozola
Cambozola
Cambozola, which is made by Kasseri Champignon in Bavaria, is a rich and creamy Camembert-type cheese with a bloomy white rind. Beneath its crust one finds streaks of tangy blue, hence its name: the marriage of Camembert and Gorgonzola gives us Cambozola.
Cantal
Cantal
Cantal is one of the oldest French Cheeses, predating both Roquefort (11th Century) and Livarot (13th Century). In fact, Pliny the Elder mentions Cantal in his “Historia Naturalis” written in the 1st Century AD. Cantal was originally produced by putting the curd into le Formage, a wooden cylinder, which is believed to be the origin for the French word for cheese. Cantal is made from pasteurized cow’s milk with the curd being heated before pressing.
Capra Goat
Capra Goat
Creamy and rich, as a goat cheese should be, Capra Goat is aged for but a few weeks, so it is firm enough to slice but creamy enough to spread. This chevre comes from the mountainous Walloon speaking region in the South, a place where goats graze on herbs and grasses in the rugged hills of the Ardennes.
Cairnsmore
Cairnsmore
Another Scottish cheese made from sheep's milk, Cairnsmore has a hard, crusty rind with red ferments. It is a modern, unpasteurized, hard cheese. The rind develops a series of wonderful moulds as it matures. The aroma hints an old leather. The texture is firm, like Cheddar but more moist. Aromatic and nutty, with the sweetness of caramel and burnt toffee, the cheese ripens in seven to nine months and is only made from April to October.
Camembert
Camembert
Legend has it that Camembert, a cows-milk cheese, was first crafted in 1791 by a farmer from Normandy named Marie Harel. This cheese is famous in French culture and was issued to French troops in World War I. It is aged at least three weeks and have a soft-ripened texture similar to brie.
Carr Valley Canaria
Carr Valley Canaria
Carr Valley Cheese is owned and operated by The Cook Family. Sid Cook has earned the title of a Wisconsin Master Cheese Maker, and is a 4th generation cheese maker. With the pride of generations, the Cook family has over 100 years of Wisconsin cheese making experience. The Carr Valley Canaria is a firm cheese like Parmesan with a fruity, nutty flavor derived by curing in olive oil.
Cashel Blue
Cashel Blue
Ireland's Beechmount Farm makes this superb blue cheese. Louis and Jane Grubb own this farm in the rolling hills of Tipperary. This county is the heart of horse country and a center for outdoor activity, including pony rides, treks on horseback, fishing, riding, and bird watching. The folks in Tipperary enjoy the good things in life, including their cheese. Cashel Blue is a young, somewhat mild and extra creamy cheese that, unlike inferior blues, is not too salty. It is a fabulous alternative to Gorgonzola or Stilton.
Cheddar and Claret
Cheddar and Claret
Claret is a term used by the English when referring to red wines from the Bordeaux region of France. This cheese (sometimes called "Windsor Red") blends the wine from France with the cheese from England into a beautiful, mottled cheese. The cheese looks similar to Sage Derby, except the veins that run throughout this cheese are a beautiful, dark red rather than the vivid green of Sage Derby. This cheese has the rich, sharp flavor of Cheddar with heady overtones of wine.
Chedarski
Chedarski
Chedarski is a Polish cheddar with a nice, full flavor. Less sharp than a traditional English Cheddar, it is almost as if the Poles crossbred a cheddar with a gouda. Great for cooking or melting, this medium-bodied cheese is available at a very reasonable price. Enjoy as a midday snack with beer, cider or ale.
Chevagne
Chevagne
The cheese industry in Belgium, though humbler than that of France, Italy or England, is still going strong and creates some wonderful cheeses. Chevagne is one of these Belgian beauties. It is a surprisingly mild and creamy goat’s milk cheese produced by the Passendale Dairy.
Chimay Vieux
Chimay Vieux
Old Chimay, as the name suggests, is an aged cheese from our friends at the Chimay Abbey in Belgium. Famous for their soft St. Paulin-style cheese that is washed in ale, they also make this excellent variety. They age pasteurized, unskimmed cow’s milk for 8 months. Its striking orange color is similar to that of Mimolette, and it offers a springy yet satiny texture. Old Chimay has a hazelnut taste that is sharp and creamy at the same time.
Cornish Yarg
Cornish Yarg
The origins of the this cheese are not steeped in ancient Cornish folklore as the name may suggest but is quite simply the original makers name spelt backward. A semi pressed savoury and mild cheese that is coated in nettles giving it a bitter finish.
Cremoulin Boite
Cremoulin Boite
This cheese is of the Vacherin Mont d’Or type, a rich, runny cheese that is so soft it almost has to be spooned out of its container. Like Vacherin, Cremoulin is made in the autumn and winter from the milk of cows fed on cold-weather vegetation, such as hay, grain, and silage. The tradition of making this cheese arose from the fact that Alpine winters in France and Switzerland eliminated the possibility of daily milk deliveries.
Crescenza
Crescenza
Crescenza is a rich, creamy, fresh cheese that is also known as Stracchino. It is produced in the northern Italian provinces of Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto. Crescenza's texture and flavor are similar to that of a Gorgonzola without the blue, and it becomes very soft and spreadable at room temperature. Made from cow's milk.
Crowdie
Crowdie
Crowdie is a fresh cheese made from skimmed cow's milk... usually log shaped, but it is also sold in tubs. The texture is creamy, yet crumbly and it has a slightly sour taste. A blend of Crowdie and double cream called Gruth Dhu has been introduced recently by cheesemaker Susannah Stone. This cheese is formed into oval shapes and covered in toasted pinhead oats and crushed peppercorns.
Danbo
Danbo
Danbo, a popular Danish cow's milk cheese, is rectangular with a smooth yellow rind [sometimes it's covered in red wax]. It has a pale, elastic interior with a few small holes, and the ripening period takes six weeks to five months.
Delft Blue
Delft Blue
Also known as Blue de Graven, this cow’s milk cheese is rich and creamy with a buttery mellow taste and a clean finish. “Delft” has a nice underlying sweetness and is not at all salty. Not only is this cheese delicious, the attractive blue veins intermingle in the milky whiteness resembling the lovely blue and white Delftware, as if it were broken and put back together again.
Devon Oke
Devon Oke
Made in OKEhampton, Devon, it is a mature Curworthy. This cheese together with its stablemates, Curworthy & Belstone, are made to a 17th century recipe from the farm's own herd of Fresian cows. They are slightly sweet with a buttery flavour.
Dorset Blue Vinny
Dorset Blue Vinny
Full flavoured cheese made by Mike Davies from the hand-skimmed milk of his dairy herd at Woodbridge Farm near Sturminster Newton, Dorset. It is classed as a medium fat cheese and is the only genuine Blue Vinny. It is also possibly the only blue cheese in Britain made from unpasteurised milk.
Edam
Edam
The most famous Dutch cheese, Edam, is made with partially-skimmed cow's milk, and is meant to be eaten within weeks of its creation, while it's still smooth. Pasteurized milk is heated and bacteria is added to increase the acidity level. Liquid rennet is added to create curd, and the curd is cut into tiny pieces, then heated, drained, molded and pressed. After the cheese is salted, it ripens and is exported wrapped in red wax.
Emmental
Emmental
Called Swiss cheese outside of Europe, Emmental is produced in the German-speaking areas of Switzerland. Milk is heated; rennet and starter cultures are added; the curd is cut into tiny pieces and is slowly heated. The curd is placed in molds with cheese cloths, and is pressed for 24 hours. After being soaked in brine for 3 days, Emmental is stored for a month, and later cured at 55 degrees F for 4 to 10 months.
Esrom
Esrom
Esrom is another Danish cheese that is made from cow's milk. Rectangular with a smooth, pale yellow color and a buttery texture, Esrom has a greasy, yellow-brown rind. It is semi soft and has a mild, pleasant taste. Some Esroms contain garlic, onion or pepper.
Feta
Feta
Soft, crumbly and white, and salty, Feta originated in the Balkan Islands and is usually made with goat or sheep's milk in Greece. Shaped into large blocks, sliced into wedges, and then transferred to huge wooden barrels, Feta is saturated in brine (salt water) to stop the ripening process. You can soak Feta in cold water or milk before serving to decrease the salt and restore the natural flavors.
Fleur de Teche
Fleur de Teche
According to Chetimaches Indian legend, Louisiana's Bayou Teche was formed when a huge snake, miles in length, battled with the tribe. The snake was killed in the battle, and as its great body broadened and curved, it sunk into the damp mud of the swampland. Later, as water flowed through this channel, Bayou Teche was formed. Fleur-de-Teche, a triple cream cow's milk cheese, honors this legend. The vegetable ash "snakes" through the buttery, creamy interior of this soft rind cheese.
Fleur de Lis
Fleur de Lis
This triple cream Guernsey milk blend is characterized by a slightly firm rind, and a wonderful buttery, creamy interior. This cheese is named after the symbol of France, the founder of Louisiana.
Fourme d'Ambert
Fourme d'Ambert
This AOC (name controlled) creamy blue cheese is a lovely French treasure with a cylindrical shape. Fourme d'Ambert is high in moisture and compact in texture, so the blue mould does not spread in veins like other Blues, rather it forms in distinct, disconnected pockets. Compared to Blue Stilton, it is much creamier and therefore less crumbly. Fourme d'Ambert is cave-aged for a minimum of two months, made from raw cow’s milk and has a tremendous, creamy, full-bodied flavor.
Gippsland Blue
Gippsland Blue
This cheese was probably the first farmhouse cheese to be made in Australia. Gippsland Blue is made of Jersey cow milk which gives it deep yellow color and a smooth, velvety texture. It ripens in eight to ten weeks. Gippsland Blue is round with a natural orange crust that is covered with white and blue-gray moulds. It has a sweet and buttery taste and is used as a table cheese, for grilling and in salads.
Gjetost
Gjetost
This Scandinavian cheese is made with whey, cream, and milk, and attains its brownish color from the milk sugars that are caramelized during its production. Known also as Brunost, this cheese is made from goat's milk, or sometimes a blend of goat's and cow's milk.
Goat Camembert
Goat Camembert
This extra creamy goat's milk cheese from France, is satiny-smooth with a firm, slightly chewy, edible white crust. Its flavor is all goat - tangy and rustic with hints of lemon and hay. Flown in exclusively every other week, this item is a true delicacy.
Gorgonzola
Gorgonzola
Gorgonzola, Named after a village in Italy, has an intricate, complicated method of creation, and dates back to the eleventh century. In days gone by, cheesemakers aged gorgonzola in dark caves for a year or more, and the ripened cheese was crumbly with a creamy texture and a light tan in color.
Gouda
Gouda
Sometimes mistaken for Edam, Gouda is creamier, and a little nutty with a bright yellow wax coating. Baby Gouda, in red wax, has a Cheddar-like flavor. And smoked Gouda wears a black or brown rind. Some Goudas are flavored with herbs, cumin or caraway seeds.
Goutu