What Kinds of Cheese Are There?

Even though we are only categorizing cheeses according to their texture and looking at only two specific
textures: hard and soft, it's not possible to list down all different types of cheese under each category of
hard and soft. We will just look at three types of cheese from each category.

Hard Cheese
Hard cheeses are wonderful additions while preparing various dishes. They are also perfect to be eaten on
snacks. These cheeses possess a distinctive crystalline texture and has an intense flavor. The crunchy bits of
this cheese makes eating it an enjoyable experience. Let's have a look at some different types of hard
cheeses available.

Gouda Cheese
This crunchy, deep caramel colored cheese is made from cow's milk. With a fat content of 40%, this
creamy rich cheese melts smoothly on one's tongue. About 60% of Gouda cheese is made in the Dutch
town of Gouda, Holland. The cheese is a perfect balance of salty and sweet and goes well with several wine
varieties.

Asiago
Made from cow's milk, this cheese is a product of the region of Vicenza and Trento and has a fruity, sharp
taste. Asiago comes in two varieties: one which is lightly pressed and made from whole milk, while the
other which is made from skimmed milk. Most people grate this cheese and use it as a condiment.

Sbrinz
This hard cheese variety is known as the "Father of Hard Cheeses." It is made from whole milk, which
makes the cheese smoother, nuttier and flavorful. Sbrinz comes in large 90-pound wheels and can age
gracefully for more than eight years, thereby adding to the flavor and fine granular texture. Sbrinz cheese
goes well with champagne.

Soft Cheese
Soft cheeses unlike hard kinds of cheese are not aged for years together, but is consumed within a month or
two after it is made. From the name itself we can gage that soft cheese is extremely soft in texture. This
type of cheese is not used for cooking, but is spread on bread and crackers and had. It is soft because it
contains a high percentage of water. Here are some soft cheese types.

Boursault
This soft, white, rich and creamy cheese is prepared from cow's milk. Cylindrical in shape, this cheese
features a white penicillin mold rind with pinkish tones. Best eaten at room temperature, this cheese has a
smooth and buttery taste, with a slight hint of mushrooms.

Manouri cheese
This popular Greek cheese comes in different shapes and sizes and is prepared from either sheep's or goat's
milk. This cheese bears semblance to Feta, but is more creamier and less saltier. It has a texture that is
similar to that of a light cheesecake. Manouri cheese lacks an outer rind and is often had for breakfast,
drizzled with honey.

Chaource Cheese
Made in France, this kind of French cheese has a soft, creamy texture and slight smell of mushrooms.
Chaource cheese is fit to be eaten at any stage of maturation. At the young stage, the cheese's interior is
grainy and not smooth. However, when aged, this cheese is creamy and on complete maturation has a nutty
and slightly salty flavor to it. This cheese goes well with champagne. It's flat, drum shapes with white rind
has a sophisticated look.

Besides the basic hard and soft textures, there also exist the spotted texture, semi-soft, semi-hard textures,
etc. The scores of different kinds of cheese available today is quite intriguing. Try and taste as many as you
can!
Here is a brief list of how many different types of cheese you can find in the world. The cheese types are categorized according to
categories auch as age, texture etc.

Categorization of cheese

• Aging • Fat content

• Texture • Kind of milk
• Process and methods of making • Region and country

Aging

• fresh cheeses
o Cottage Cheese o Whey
o Cream Cheese o Provencal Brousse
o Mascarpone o Corsican Brocciu
o Mozzarella o Romanian Urda
o Ricotta o Greek Mizithra
o Romanian Caş o Norwegian Geitost
o Neufchâtel (the model for American- o Corsican cuisine
style cream cheese) o Paneer
o Chevre o Queso Fresco
• aged cheeses

Texture

Usually aged cheeses or ripened cheeses are further classified according to texture

• Hard cheeses
• Semifirm cheeses
• Semisoft cheeses
• Soft-ripened cheese: Certain types of soft cheeses have mold on the rind that encourages the cheese to ripen closest to the
rind first, then the ripening progresses towards the middle of the cheese. Such cheeses often have a runny texture closest to
the rind and are firmer in the middle

Process and methods of making cheese

• Use of mold • Painstaking

• Washing • Pasta filata
• Processed cheese • Whey cheeses
• Blue-veined cheese
•

Fat content

• reduced-fat • Imitation cheese

• fat-free cheeses

Kind of milk

• goat milk • ewe milk

• cow milk
Region and country

• Africa
• Asia
• North America
o cream cheese
• Central America
• South America
• Europe
o Italian cheese
o French cheese
o Spanish cheese
o USA cheese
• Australia and South Pacific