Savoury and brothy
Deep, meaty umami: Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana, aged Gouda and Comte.
Savoury cheeses taste deep, brothy and meaty, the flavour the Japanese call umami. It comes mainly from glutamate, freed as proteins break down during long ripening, and it is strongest in Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano, aged Comté and Gouda, and old cheddars. A spoonful of grated Parmigiano does for a dish what stock does: it rounds and deepens everything around it.
Glutamate and age
Milk proteins hold glutamic acid bound up in long chains. As a cheese ages, enzymes cut the chains and release free glutamate, which tastes of umami. Parmigiano Reggiano has one of the highest levels of free glutamate of any common food, and the level rises with age. Peptides and other amino acids add brothy, meaty notes, and some amino acids collect as the white crystals in old wheels. Salt, which brings out umami, plays its part too.
Cooking with savoury cheese
Savoury cheeses are seasoning cheeses. Parmigiano and Grana finish risotto, pasta and soup, and their rinds simmer in stock. Comté and Gruyère deepen onion soup and gratins. A vegetarian kitchen can lean on these cheeses for the depth that meat stock gives elsewhere, but cooks who avoid animal rennet should check how a cheese is made: Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano are always made with calf rennet, while many similar hard cheeses use microbial rennet.
Beyond the grana
Savoury depth turns up in many places: in aged Mahón from Menorca, old Gouda, Switzerland's Sbrinz, the long-aged Bitto of the Valtellina, and the aged sheep's milk cheeses of the Pyrenees, such as Ossau-Iraty. Well-aged washed rinds have a meaty savour too. Pair these cheeses with good bread, a few drops of aged balsamic vinegar, dry sherry or a dark ale, which share their deep, rounded taste.
Worth knowing
- Parmigiano Reggiano: High in free glutamate
- Grana Padano: Grana of the Po valley
- Comté: Brothy when aged
- Gouda: Deep and savoury when old
- Sbrinz: Hard Swiss grating cheese
- Mahón: Menorcan cheese, savoury when aged
- Bitto: Alpine cheese of the Valtellina, aged for years
- Ossau-Iraty: Pyrenean sheep's milk cheese
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.
Savoury and brothy on EveryCheese
The cheeses written up so far, best known first.
🇫🇷 FranceCamembert
A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese from Normandy with a white mould rindCow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar
🇫🇷 FranceRoule cheese
A soft, herb and garlic flavoured cow's milk cheese rolled into a spiral shape.Cow · Bloomy rind · Herbal and grassy
🇬🇧 United KingdomHereford Hop
A firm cow's-milk cheese with a rind coated in toasted hops, made in Herefordshire.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇳 IndiaKalari
A semi-soft cow or buffalo milk cheese from Jammu and Kashmir, dried and sautéed until gooey.Cow · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreEmmentalEmmentaler
A yellow, medium-hard Swiss cheese with natural holes, aged for several months.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇦🇺 AustraliaCheer
A mature cheddar cheese made in Australia by Warrnambool Cheese and Butter.Cow · Semi-hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇺🇸 United StatesCup cheese
A pungent, spreadable Pennsylvania Dutch cheese sold in cupsCow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky
🇬🇪 GeorgiaDambalkhachoდამბალხაჭო
A pungent, semi-soft Georgian cheese aged in clay pots with sour buttermilk curdsCow · Semi-soft · Pungent and funky
🇳🇴 NorwayNøkkelost
A Norwegian cow's-milk cheese flavoured with cumin and cloves, aged for three months.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇦🇹 AustriaLüneberg
A saffron-tinted cow's-milk cheese from the Austrian Alps, bridging Swiss and German styles.Cow · Semi-hard · 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
🇬🇧 United KingdomStinking Bishop
A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Gloucestershire, ripened in perry.Cow · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreMarble cheese
A processed cow's milk cheese with distinct colored marbling patterns.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreAsaderoqueso asadero
A fresh Mexican cheese made from cow and goat milk that melts easily for grilling.Cow · Fresh · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇳 IndiaKalimpong cheese
A mild, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from a West Bengal hill station, started by a Jesuit priest.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇪 IrelandCoolea
A wax-rinded cow's milk cheese from County Cork with sweet, caramelly notes.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel
🇫🇷 FranceBaguette laonnaise
A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from northern France shaped like a small loaf.Cow · Washed rind · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇪 IrelandBay Lough Cheese
A self-taught Irish cheddar-style cheese aged in waxed wheels.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇨🇭 SwitzerlandAppenzeller
A hard, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from northeast Switzerland with a herbal brine rind.Cow · Hard · Nutty
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreTilsitTilsiter
A semi-hard smear-ripened cow's milk cheese from East Prussia with a dark yellow rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceLivarot
A soft Normandy cow's-milk cheese with a pungent orange rind wrapped in reed bands.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky
🇫🇷 FranceBeaufort
A firm, hole-free Alpine cow's milk cheese from the French Savoie region.Cow · Alpine · Buttery and creamy
🇮🇹 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
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMimolette
A bright orange cow's-milk cheese from northern France, aged with mites for a nutty flavor.Cow · 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
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreSbrinz
A very hard, full-fat cow's-milk cheese from Central Switzerland aged for over two years.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceÉpoisses
A pungent washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Burgundy, rinsed in local brandy.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky
🇫🇷 FranceAbondance
A semi-hard raw cow's milk cheese from Haute-Savoie aged on spruce boards.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreTête de Moine
A semi-hard Swiss cow's milk cheese shaved into rosettes with a special tool.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇬🇧 United KingdomDouble Gloucester
A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from England with a savoury flavour and natural rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceFourme d'AmbertForma d'Embèrt
A narrow cylindrical blue cheese from the Auvergne region of France.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceLangres
A washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Langres plateau in France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceLaguioleLa Guiòla
A semi-hard pressed cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac plateau in southern France.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
🇫🇷 FranceBleu des CaussesBlau dels Causses
A raw cow's milk blue cheese aged in the limestone caves of southern France.Cow · Blue · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇮 Finland and 1 moreBread cheeseleipäjuusto
A Finnish fresh cow's-milk cheese that squeaks when bitten and is traditionally baked or grilled.Cow · Fresh · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceSaint-NectaireSench-Nectari
A semi-soft washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from the volcanic Auvergne region of France.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty
🇵🇹 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
🇫🇷 FranceSalersSalèrn
A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from the Auvergne, aged in caves for up to four years.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇳🇵 Nepal and 2 moreChhurpiछुर्पी
A smoked yak and cow milk cheese from the Himalayas, available in soft or hard forms.Yak · Smoked · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceBleu de Bresse
A creamy French blue cheese from the Bresse region, aged for a few weeks.Cow · Blue · Earthy and cellar
🇳🇱 NetherlandsLeyden cheeseLeidse kaas
A semi-hard Dutch cow's-milk cheese flavoured with cumin and caraway seeds.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceGaperon
A dome-shaped Auvergne cheese with a white mold rind and garlic-pepper filling.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy
🇬🇷 GreeceGravieraγραβιέρα
A hard Greek cheese made from sheep or cow milk, aged for months and marked with a crisscross rind.Sheep · Hard · Sweet and caramel
🇩🇪 GermanyHarzer
A low-fat German sour milk cheese from the Harz mountains, often spiced with caraway.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇸🇰 SlovakiaParenica
A semi-firm Slovak cheese made from steamed curds, often smoked and woven into spirals.Sheep · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇹 ItalyCastelmagno
A semi-hard Italian cheese from Piedmont with blue veining and a sharp taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇬🇧 United KingdomShropshire Blue
A pasteurised cow's milk blue cheese with an orange rind and sharp flavour.Cow · Blue · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇪🇸 SpainAfuega'l pitu
A soft, unpasteurised cow's milk cheese from Asturias, shaped like a mitre or sphere and often dusted with paprika.Cow · Milky and fresh
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Havarti: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Shropshire Blue: Benoît Prieur, CC0, source
- Kalari: Zeeshanqazi786, CC0, source
- Époisses: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Salers: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mimolette: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Beaufort: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bleu de Bresse: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chhurpi: Arijit Dasgupta, CC BY 2.0, source
- Emmental: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Double Gloucester: Jon Sullivan, Public domain, source
- Castelmagno: Marco Plassio, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saint-Nectaire: Homer Ectus, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Laguiole: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- São Jorge Cheese: VulcaoAtlantico, CC BY 4.0, source
- Colby-Jack: Stephen Shep, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tête de Moine: The original uploader was Stucki at French Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 1.0, source
- Asadero: Megalibrarygirl, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kalimpong cheese: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Coolea: Gary Soup, CC BY 2.0, source
- Stinking Bishop: Gilgongo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dambalkhacho: ბექა ბაიაშვილი (Beqabai), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sbrinz: Roy Egloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Camembert: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Abondance: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fontina: Dominik Hundhammer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Livarot: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Parenica: Stanislav Doronenko, Public domain, source
- Bread cheese: Teemu Rajala, CC BY 2.5, source
- Langres: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fourme d'Ambert: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Afuega'l pitu: Denissf, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bleu des Causses: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gaperon: Pymouss, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Graviera: Catlemur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Caciocavallo: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Harzer: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Appenzeller: Ulled, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Leyden cheese: Edwtie, CC BY-SA 3.0, source