A free world guide to cheese
Every cheese in the world, from every dairy.
Paneer and Parmigiano, Roquefort and churpi, Oaxaca and Comte: what each cheese is, which milk it comes from, how it is made and aged, how it is eaten at every meal, and the days and places that call for it.
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- dishes, drawn
- 101
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Cheese of the day, Thursday 15 OctoberWagasiA soft, mild cow's-milk cheese from West Africa, often cooked in stews.🇧🇯 Benin and 1 more, fresh
Cream cheeseCasu MarzuPetit suisseKopanistiCabralesMorcellaBerner AlpkäseLeerdammerCaerphillyHarzerChaourceProvoloneBurrataGrana PadanoFourme de MontbrisonPiaveHereford HopTaleggioMorbierKefalotyriPalmitaBrânză de coșulețPanela cheeseAfuega'l pituStracciatellaChechilVacherin FribourgeoisHandkäseEmmentalLaguioleZamoranoParmesanPag cheeseFromage blancCheshireGravieraCastelrossoPicodonFetaEdamSt TolaCarrigaline Farmhouse CheeseSaint-PaulinGvina levanaKalimpong cheeseColbyPecorino SicilianoDunlopPecorino RomanoWhey cheeseSwiss cheeseLivarotRaejuustoAbbaye de TamiéTulumVacherin Mont d'OrMunsterBlue cheeseLünebergRed LeicesterFløtemysostPata de mulo cheeseTilsitBrieAmabluKadchgallIboresUrdaÄdelostIdiazabalCream cheeseCasu MarzuPetit suisseKopanistiCabralesMorcellaBerner AlpkäseLeerdammerCaerphillyHarzerChaourceProvoloneBurrataGrana PadanoFourme de MontbrisonPiaveHereford HopTaleggioMorbierKefalotyriPalmitaBrânză de coșulețPanela cheeseAfuega'l pituStracciatellaChechilVacherin FribourgeoisHandkäseEmmentalLaguioleZamoranoParmesanPag cheeseFromage blancCheshireGravieraCastelrossoPicodonFetaEdamSt TolaCarrigaline Farmhouse CheeseSaint-PaulinGvina levanaKalimpong cheeseColbyPecorino SicilianoDunlopPecorino RomanoWhey cheeseSwiss cheeseLivarotRaejuustoAbbaye de TamiéTulumVacherin Mont d'OrMunsterBlue cheeseLünebergRed LeicesterFløtemysostPata de mulo cheeseTilsitBrieAmabluKadchgallIboresUrdaÄdelostIdiazabal
Live, Thursday 15 October
Cheese by meal
Pick a meal: the cheeses for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack time and the cheese board. Opens at the meal nearest your clock.
Feta and olives, Turkish kahvalti, Dutch bread with Gouda, paneer bhurji and the cheese of the first meal. All breakfast cheeses
🇹🇷 TurkeyVan herbed cheeseVan otlu peyniri
A semi-hard sheep's-milk cheese from eastern Turkey, infused with wild herbs and brined.Sheep · Semi-soft · Salty
🇺🇸 United States and 1 morePot cheese
A soft, crumbly, unaged cow's-milk cheese popular in North America and Austria.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreGvina levanaגבינה לבנה
A soft, unripened cow's-milk cheese spread on bread in Israel.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇲🇹 MaltaĠbejna
A small Maltese sheep's-milk cheese shaped in reed hurdles and sold fresh, dried, or peppered.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇾🇪 YemenYemeni cheeseجبنة تعز
A smoked semi-hard sheep or goat milk cheese from Taiz Governorate in Yemen.Sheep · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy
🇨🇳 ChinaNguri
A small, salty buffalo-milk cheese from Fujian served with rice congee.Buffalo · Fresh · Salty
Sandwiches, salads, ploughman's plates and the midday meal. All lunch cheeses
🇮🇳 India and 4 morePaneer
A fresh, non-melting acid-set cheese made from cow or buffalo milk in South Asia.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreMozzarella
A semi-soft Italian stretched-curd cheese made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Semi-soft · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 Italy and 3 moreParmesanParmigiano Reggiano
A hard, granular cow's-milk cheese aged at least a year in northern Italy.Cow · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇫🇷 FranceCamembert
A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese from Normandy with a white mould rindCow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreFetaφέτα
A crumbly Greek brined cheese made from sheep and goat milk.Sheep · Brined · Tangy and lactic
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreEmmentalEmmentaler
A yellow, medium-hard Swiss cheese with natural holes, aged for several months.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
Gratins, pastas, curries and the evening meal. All dinner cheeses
🇮🇳 India and 4 morePaneer
A fresh, non-melting acid-set cheese made from cow or buffalo milk in South Asia.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreMozzarella
A semi-soft Italian stretched-curd cheese made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Semi-soft · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 Italy and 3 moreParmesanParmigiano Reggiano
A hard, granular cow's-milk cheese aged at least a year in northern Italy.Cow · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇫🇷 FranceCamembert
A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese from Normandy with a white mould rindCow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreFetaφέτα
A crumbly Greek brined cheese made from sheep and goat milk.Sheep · Brined · Tangy and lactic
🇺🇸 United StatesCold-pack cheese
A chilled blend of natural cheeses mixed with flavorings without cooking.Mixed · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy
Cheese curds, string cheese, crackers and cheese eaten between meals. All snacks cheeses
🇮🇳 India and 4 morePaneer
A fresh, non-melting acid-set cheese made from cow or buffalo milk in South Asia.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreMozzarella
A semi-soft Italian stretched-curd cheese made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Semi-soft · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 Italy and 3 moreParmesanParmigiano Reggiano
A hard, granular cow's-milk cheese aged at least a year in northern Italy.Cow · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇫🇷 FranceCamembert
A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese from Normandy with a white mould rindCow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreFetaφέτα
A crumbly Greek brined cheese made from sheep and goat milk.Sheep · Brined · Tangy and lactic
🇺🇸 United StatesCold-pack cheese
A chilled blend of natural cheeses mixed with flavorings without cooking.Mixed · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy
Served on its own, sliced or cut at the table, with bread, fruit and something to drink. All cheese boards cheeses
🇫🇷 FranceCamembert
A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese from Normandy with a white mould rindCow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreFetaφέτα
A crumbly Greek brined cheese made from sheep and goat milk.Sheep · Brined · Tangy and lactic
🇺🇸 United StatesD'Isigny
A soft American cheese modeled on French Brie and Camembert styles.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh
🇦🇹 Austria and 1 moreTyrolean grey cheeseTiroler Graukäse
A low-fat cow's milk acid-curd quark from the Tyrolean Alps with a moulded rind.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇬🇪 GeorgiaGuda cheeseგუდის ყველი
A salted sheep's-milk cheese ripened inside a leather wineskin in the Georgian mountains.Sheep · Semi-hard · Salty
🇫🇷 FranceRoule cheese
A soft, herb and garlic flavoured cow's milk cheese rolled into a spiral shape.Cow · Bloomy rind · Herbal and grassy
On now and next
The days that call for cheese
Markets, fairs, pasture descents, feasts and fasts, with the cheeses each one needs. Today is also Thursday.
On now, about 11 to 19 Oct 2026Navratri fasting and paneerNine nights of fasting, when many vrat kitchens that set aside grains still allow milk, curd and fresh paneer.
In 2 days, about 17 to 20 Oct 2026Durga Puja and the Bengali sweet shopFour days of pandals in Bengal, when sandesh, rasgulla and other chhena sweets are bought by the box and offered as bhog.
In 24 days, about 8 Nov 2026Diwali, paneer and chhena sweetsThe festival of lamps, when kalakand, ras malai and a festive paneer curry join the boxes of sweets that pass between homes.
In 27 days, 11 Nov 2026Cheese Day in JapanJapan's Cheese Day, chosen in 1992 to recall so, a milk product the imperial court ordered made around the year 700.By region
Eleven regions of the world, from the Alpine pastures and the caves of Roquefort to the yak herds of the Himalaya and the dairies of Minas Gerais.
South AsiaPaneer and chhena, the smoked Bandel of Bengal, Kalimpong cheese, and the yak-milk churpi and datshi of the Himalaya.8 cheesesSoutheast AsiaCarabao-milk kesong puti in the Philippines, the dangke of Sulawesi, and a young craft scene from Bali to Bangkok.1 cheeseEast AsiaRushan and rubing of Yunnan, the dried aaruul and byaslag of Mongolian herders, and the dairies of Hokkaido.2 cheesesCentral Asia and the CaucasusSulguni and imeruli in the khachapuri of Georgia, braided chechil of Armenia, and the dried kurt of the steppe.0 cheesesMiddle EastHalloumi, akkawi and nabulsi, the white brined cheeses of Turkey, labneh balls and the shanklish of the Levant.8 cheesesNorth AfricaDomiati and the aged mish of Egypt, the jben of Morocco, and the goat cheeses of the Atlas.3 cheesesSub-Saharan AfricaThe wagashi of West African herders, Ethiopian ayib, and the farm cheeses of the Cape.2 cheesesEuropeThe great protected names: Parmigiano Reggiano, Roquefort, Comte, Manchego, Feta, Stilton, Gouda and hundreds more.212 cheesesNorth AmericaColby and Monterey Jack, Wisconsin and Vermont cheddar, Quebec cheese curds for poutine, and a farmstead revival.16 cheesesLatin America and the CaribbeanQueso Oaxaca and cotija, the queijo Minas and coalho of Brazil, Venezuelan telita and the quesillo of Central America.5 cheesesOceaniaTasmanian and King Island cheddars and blues, and the pasture dairies of New Zealand.1 cheese
See a few
A different handful every few minutes.
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreReblochon
A soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the French Alps with a nutty flavour.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChhenaଛେନ୍ନା / ছানা
A fresh, acid-set cow or buffalo milk cheese from eastern India and Bangladesh.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇳🇴 NorwayFløtemysost
A mild brown cheese from Norway made with cow's milk and cream.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel
🇵🇹 PortugalSão Jorge CheeseQueijo São Jorge
A hard cow's-milk cheese from the Azores with a spicy aroma and protected origin status.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇹 ItalyToma
A soft to semi-hard Italian cow's milk cheese prized for melting.Cow · Bloomy rind
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreBel Paese
A semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Italy with a mild buttery flavor and pale yellow color.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy
🇦🇱 AlbaniaMishavin
A soft, crumbly Albanian cheese aged in skins and wood from sheep or cow milk.Sheep · Buttery and creamy
🇫🇷 FranceCoulommiers
A soft cow's-milk cheese with a bloomy rind from the Seine-et-Marne department of France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty
Cheese dishes, step by step
Fondue, khachapuri, palak paneer and kunafa. Each dish is drawn as a ring of its ingredients, and made in frames: grate, melt, bake, fry, serve.
🇮🇹 Pasta, rice and grainsCacio e pepeRoman pasta dressed only with grated Pecorino Romano, black pepper and starchy cooking water.🇮🇹 Pasta, rice and grainsRisotto alla parmigianaNorthern Italian rice cooked slowly in broth, then beaten with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano.🇮🇹 Baked and breadsParmigiana di melanzaneFried aubergine layered with tomato sauce, mozzarella or caciocavallo and Parmigiano, baked into a gratin.🇭🇺 Pasta, rice and grainsTúrós csuszaHungarian broad noodles tossed with fresh túró curd cheese, sour cream and crisp bacon.🇮🇳 🇵🇰 Curries and stewsPalak paneerNorth Indian curry of cubes of paneer in a smooth, spiced purée of spinach, garlic and ginger.🇮🇳 Fried and grilledPaneer tikkaCubes of paneer marinated in spiced yoghurt and roasted on skewers in a tandoor with onion and pepper.🇮🇳 Curries and stewsShahi paneerA royal-style Mughlai curry of paneer in a creamy gravy of onion, tomato, cashew and mild spices.🇮🇳 🇵🇰 🇳🇵 Curries and stewsMatar paneerAn everyday North Indian curry of green peas and paneer in a spiced tomato and onion gravy.
By style
Fresh, brined, stretched, bloomy, washed, Alpine, hard and blue: how a cheese is made and what it becomes.
Fresh cheesesPaneer, ricotta, quark, cottage cheese and queso fresco: unripened, mild and eaten within days.45Stretched-curd cheesesMozzarella, provolone, kashkaval, Oaxaca and sulguni: curd heated and pulled into strands.13Soft and bloomy-rindBrie, Camembert and Chaource: a white mould coat and a centre that softens as it ripens.53Alpine and Swiss-typeGruyere, Comte, Emmental, Beaufort and Appenzeller: cooked, pressed mountain wheels, some with holes.3Hard and grating cheesesParmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano and Sbrinz: long-aged, crystalline and grated.43Blue cheesesRoquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola and Cabrales: pierced so blue-green mould can grow through the paste.16
By milk
Cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, yak and camel: the milk sets the cheese.
Cow's milkMost of the world's cheese: cheddar, Gouda, Brie, Parmigiano, paneer and the great Alpine wheels.184Goat's milkBright, tangy and white: chevre, Valencay, Garrotxa, Banon and the goat cheeses of the Mediterranean.35Sheep's milkRich and nutty: Roquefort, Manchego, Pecorino, Feta, Idiazabal and oscypek.50Buffalo's milkMozzarella di bufala, Indian paneer and chhena, kesong puti and the dangke of Sulawesi.13Yak's milkChurpi, datshi and the dried cheeses of the Himalaya and the Tibetan plateau.2Camel's milkA rare cheese of the desert: the camel cheeses of Mauritania and the Gulf.1
Faith, feasts and the pasture
Cheese in monasteries and temples, kosher and vegetarian rennet, Lent and Shavuot, weddings and the summer climb.
Weddings 1Festivals 18Birth and childhoodPasture and transhumance 1New yearHospitality 8Fasts and feastsEveryday use 114
The words
182 cheese terms in plain language.
Cheese news
- Upper Midwest Dairy Production Rises as Global Expansion Pressures Commodity PricesMorning Ag Clips, Trade
- HC seeks replies on plea against non-dairy products sold as paneerMagzter, India
- This New Jersey Creamery Is Absolutely GoatedMontclair Local News, Makers
- The Murray’s Cheese Advent Calendar Is A Two Week Charcuterie PartySporked, Heritage
- Delhi High Court seeks FSSAI stand on PIL against non-dairy, analogous 'paneer'The Hindu, India
- Simply Better: six generations of cheesemaking at Gubbeen Farmhouse Cheese 13 October 2026 FreeIrish Farmers Journal, Awards
- Swiss Cheese Awards: Zwei Kategoriensiege für Käse aus der RegionDer Rheintaler, Awards
The world map
Cheese towns, markets, ageing caves, high pastures and dairy regions, marked on the world.
Newly added
🇳🇴 NorwayPultost
A soft Norwegian sour milk cheese flavored with caraway seeds and preserved with salt.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇨🇿 Czech RepublicHermelín
A soft Czech brie-style cheese with a white mold rind, often marinated or fried.Cow · Bloomy rind · Mushroomy
🇮🇹 ItalySilter
A brined, aged cow's-milk cheese from the Brescia mountains of Italy.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇹 ItalyRagusano
A firm stretched-curd cow's-milk cheese from Sicily with protected status.Cow · Stretched curd
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Toma: Yozh, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Coulommiers: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tyrolean grey cheese: Jürgele, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Guda cheese: Jonathan Cardy, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Silter: Sistoiv, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Paneer: Sonja Pauen - Stanhopea, CC BY 2.0 de, source
- Bel Paese: Jon Sullivan, Public domain, source
- Akkawi: Paul Joseph, CC BY 2.0, source
- Emmental: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- São Jorge Cheese: VulcaoAtlantico, CC BY 4.0, source
- Parmesan: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Feta: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hermelín: Original uploader was Aida at cs.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pultost: Jan-Tore Egge, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Reblochon: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ġbejna: Chattacha, CC BY 3.0, source
- Mishavin: Tizilohja25, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Van herbed cheese: Tanyel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mozzarella: Popo le Chien, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Camembert: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ragusano: Popaitaly, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Chhena: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
- Wagasi: Noahalorwu, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Diwali Paneer And Chhena: Kalli navya, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Durga Puja Sandesh: Subhrajyoti07, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Navratri Vrat Paneer: Gpkp, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Japan Cheese Day: en:Nightshadow28, CC BY-SA 3.0, source