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EveryCheese

Nutty

Hazelnut, almond and toasted notes: Gruyere, Comte, Emmental and aged Manchego.

Nutty cheeses taste of hazelnut, almond, walnut or toasted bread. The notes build slowly as a cheese ages and its proteins and fats break down, so they are strongest in Alpine wheels such as Comté, Gruyère, Beaufort and Emmental, in aged Manchego and Gouda, and in Parmigiano Reggiano. Sheep's milk brings a nuttiness of its own, even in younger cheeses.

How nuttiness develops

During ripening, enzymes from the rennet, the milk and the bacteria cut proteins into peptides and amino acids, and fats into fatty acids. Some of these products, together with compounds made by propionic bacteria in Emmental-type cheeses, read on the tongue as nutty and sweet. The high cooking temperature of Alpine curd and the slow, cool ageing of large wheels favour these notes. Age shows clearly: a young Comté tastes of fresh milk and butter, a two-year Comté of roasted hazelnut and broth.

Pasture and the vat

What the animals eat shapes the result. Summer cheese made from the milk of cows on flowering mountain pasture tends to be fruitier and more nutty than winter cheese made from hay-fed milk. The makers of Comté have drawn up a wheel of aromas that lists dozens of notes, from hazelnut and walnut to toasted bread, brown butter and cocoa, so that tasters can describe each wheel. Sheep's milk cheeses such as Manchego and Ossau-Iraty have a nutty sweetness from the milk's high fat.

Using nutty cheese

Nutty cheeses are among the best for cooking, since they melt smoothly and their flavour holds in heat. Gruyère and Comté go into fondue, croque monsieur, French onion soup and gratins, and Emmental fills cheese sandwiches across Europe. On a board, they pair with walnuts, dried fruit and dry white wines, and vin jaune, the yellow wine of the Jura, is the classic match for Comté. Brown ale and dry cider suit them too.

Worth knowing

  • Comté: Jura wheel, nuttier with every month
  • Gruyère: Swiss wheel of fondue and gratins
  • Beaufort: Savoie wheel from mountain pasture
  • Emmental: Sweet and nutty, with big holes
  • Manchego: Aged sheep's milk cheese of La Mancha
  • Ossau-Iraty: Pyrenean sheep's milk cheese
  • Parmigiano Reggiano: Nutty, savoury and crystalline

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Nutty on EveryCheese

The cheeses written up so far, best known first.

StyleFreshBrinedStretched curdBloomy rindLacticWashed rindSemi-softSemi-hardAlpineHardBlueSmokedWheyDriedProcessed
MilkCowGoatSheepBuffaloYakCamelMixedOther
🇦🇹 AustriaLüneberg A saffron-tinted cow's-milk cheese from the Austrian Alps, bridging Swiss and German styles.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇲🇹 MaltaĠbejna A small Maltese sheep's-milk cheese shaped in reed hurdles and sold fresh, dried, or peppered.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇮🇪 IrelandBay Lough Cheese A self-taught Irish cheddar-style cheese aged in waxed wheels.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇮🇪 IrelandGubbeen A washed-rind semi-soft cow's milk cheese from County Cork, Ireland.Cow · Semi-soft · Mushroomy 🇸🇾 SyriaTresseجبنة مشللة A braided Syrian string cheese with a nutty aroma and springy texture.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty 🇮🇪 IrelandWicklow Farmhouse Cheese A range of handmade cow's milk cheeses from Arklow, Ireland, spanning soft bries to hard cheddars.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇳🇱 NetherlandsRoomano An aged hard cow's-milk cheese from Friesland with less butterfat than standard Gouda.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇦🇹 AustriaChorherrenkäse A mild, semi-hard Austrian cow's milk cheese with a buttery taste and white rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Buttery and creamy 🇫🇷 France and 3 moreBrie A soft, pale French cow's-milk cheese with a white mould rind, aged for about five weeks.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 2 moreGruyère A hard, pressed Swiss cheese made from raw cow's milk, aged for several months.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇳🇱 Netherlands and 5 moreEdamEdammer A semi-hard Dutch cow's-milk cheese aged in distinctive red wax spheres.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇮🇹 ItalyPecorino A family of Italian hard sheep's-milk cheeses with protected status.Sheep · Hard · Buttery and creamy 🇮🇹 ItalyGrana Padano A hard, grainy Italian cow's-milk cheese aged for at least nine months in the Po Valley.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandAppenzeller A hard, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from northeast Switzerland with a herbal brine rind.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreReblochon A soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the French Alps with a nutty flavour.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇫🇷 FranceComté A hard, cooked-pressed cow's milk cheese from eastern France, aged up to three years.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreFontinafontine A semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Italy's Aosta Valley, known for its nutty flavor and excellent melting quality.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMimolette A bright orange cow's-milk cheese from northern France, aged with mites for a nutty flavor.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇳🇱 NetherlandsMaasdam A semi-hard Dutch cow's milk cheese with holes, aged for one to three months.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreCaciocavallo A stretched-curd cheese from southern Italy shaped like a teardrop and aged to develop a hard rind.Cow · Stretched curd · Nutty 🇫🇷 FranceCoulommiers A soft cow's-milk cheese with a bloomy rind from the Seine-et-Marne department of France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇫🇷 FranceLaguioleLa Guiòla A semi-hard pressed cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac plateau in southern France.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇫🇷 FranceSaint-NectaireSench-Nectari A semi-soft washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from the volcanic Auvergne region of France.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty 🇪🇸 SpainIdiazabalIdiazabal gazta A hard, pressed sheep's milk cheese from the Basque Country with a dark rind and optional smoke.Sheep · Hard · Nutty 🇫🇷 FranceCrottin de Chavignol A small French goat cheese from the Loire Valley, aged to develop a white or blue rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇳🇱 Netherlands and 1 moreLeerdammer A Dutch semihard cow's-milk cheese with holes and a sweet nutty taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇳🇱 NetherlandsLeyden cheeseLeidse kaas A semi-hard Dutch cow's-milk cheese flavoured with cumin and caraway seeds.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇬🇧 United KingdomRed Leicester A hard, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from England, aged for months and coloured with annatto.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇸🇪 SwedenVästerbottenVästerbottensost A hard, salty Swedish cow's milk cheese aged at least a year in VästerbottenCow · Hard · Salty 🇬🇧 United KingdomLancashire cheese A cow's-milk cheese from England with creamy, nutty, or crumbly varieties.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSwiss cheese A yellow, medium-hard cheese with characteristic holes, produced globally in various styles.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇸🇪 SwedenHerrgårdsost A semi-hard Swedish cow's milk cheese with a waxed rind and nutty flavor.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇫🇷 FranceTome des Bauges A pressed cow's-milk cheese from the French Alps with a grey-brown rind and hazelnut aroma.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇪🇸 SpainMahónformatge de Maó / queso de Mahón A cow's-milk cheese from Menorca that ranges from soft and mild to hard and sharp.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇸🇪 SwedenGrevé A semi-hard Swedish cow's-milk cheese with a nutty, slightly sweet flavour.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇪🇸 SpainZamoranoQueso zamorano A hard, dark-rinded sheep's milk cheese from the province of Zamora in Spain.Sheep · Hard · Nutty 🇸🇪 SwedenPrästost A semi-hard Swedish cow's-milk cheese with a mild, nutty flavour and a washed rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇪🇸 SpainMajorero A semi-hard goat milk cheese from Fuerteventura with a nutty, buttery taste.Goat · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh 🇷🇸 SerbiaPulemagareći sir A rare Serbian cheese made from donkey and goat milk, known for its crumbly texture and earthy taste.Other · Fresh · Nutty 🇮🇹 ItalySpressa delle Giudicarie A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the Giudicarie valley in Trentino-Alto Adige.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇮🇹 ItalyGrana A family of hard, granular Italian cow's-milk cheeses known for grating.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇦🇹 Austria and 2 moreVorarlberger Bergkäse A hard, nutty cow's-milk cheese from the Austrian Alps, aged for months or years.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇪🇸 SpainGarrotxa A semi-soft Catalan goat cheese with a powdery gray rind and earthy flavor.Goat · Semi-soft · Earthy and cellar 🇳🇱 NetherlandsBoerenkaas A Dutch semi-hard raw milk cheese with TSG protection, often spiced and farm-made.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalyFormai de Mut dell'Alta Valle Brembana A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the high pastures of Lombardy, Italy.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇺🇸 United StatesMuenster A semi-soft American cow's-milk cheese with a smooth texture and an orange rind dyed with annatto.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty 🇫🇷 FranceCharolais A soft, natural-rind goat cheese from Burgundy with an AOC and PDO status.Goat · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreDubliner A hard, granular Irish cow's-milk cheese aged for at least a year.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel
More cheeses

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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