Rind
The outer layer of a cheese, formed by drying, moulds, washing, wax or cloth, which protects and flavours it.
Also: crust, croûte, crosta
The rind is the outside skin of a cheese. Some form naturally as the surface dries; others are grown on purpose with white moulds, as on Brie, washed into sticky orange smears, as on Époisses, or replaced by an artificial coat of wax, cloth or plastic. A rind protects the paste, controls how quickly the cheese loses moisture, and in many cheeses is the source of ripening, flavour and smell. Whether to eat it is a matter of taste: bloomy and washed rinds are made to be eaten, natural rinds sometimes are, while wax, cloth and plastic are not. Hard Parmigiano rind is not eaten raw but is simmered in soups to flavour them.