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
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.
🇫🇷 FranceSaint AgurSant Agur
A soft, double-cream French blue cheese with olive-green veins and a mild spicy taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇹 ItalyMonte Veronese
A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from Verona with fresh and aged varieties.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel
🇮🇹 ItalyPiave
A hard Italian cow's milk cheese from the Veneto region with a sweet flavor and PDO status.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel
🇫🇷 FranceChaumesPalhas
A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Périgord with a tangerine-orange rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreVacherin Fribourgeois
A Swiss semi-hard washed-rind cheese from the canton of Fribourg with a resiny taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇹 ItalySilter
A brined, aged cow's-milk cheese from the Brescia mountains of Italy.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceVieux-Boulogne
A soft, beer-washed cow's milk cheese from northern France known for its intense aroma.Cow · Bloomy rind · Salty
🇮🇹 ItalyFormaggio di fossa
A sharp Italian cheese aged in sealed underground pits for a distinct anaerobic fermentation.Cow · Semi-hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇷🇴 RomaniaNăsal
A smear-ripened cow's-milk cheese from Romania aged in a natural cave.Cow · Washed rind · Sweet and caramel
🇮🇹 ItalySalvaSalva cremasco
A washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Lombardy, aged for several months.Cow · Washed rind · Savoury and brothy
🇪🇸 SpainValdeónQueso de Valdeón
A Spanish blue cheese from León wrapped in sycamore or chestnut leavesCow · Semi-soft · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇬🇧 United KingdomDorset Blue Vinny
A hard, crumbly cow's-milk blue cheese from Dorset with a strong taste and protected status.Cow · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇮🇹 ItalySpressa delle Giudicarie
A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the Giudicarie valley in Trentino-Alto Adige.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
🇬🇷 GreeceMetsovoneΜετσοβόνε
A semi-hard smoked pasta filata cheese from the Greek village of Metsovo.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceAisy cendré
A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese rolled in wood ash and aged for two weeks.Cow · Washed rind · Smoky
🇧🇷 BrazilColony cheesequeijo de colônia
A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from southern Brazil with a yellow crust and creamy interior.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic
🇬🇧 United KingdomBuxton Blue
A cylindrical English cow's-milk blue cheese with russet veining, made under PDO rules.Cow · Blue · Savoury and brothy
🇧🇹 BhutanDatshiདར་ཚི
A fresh Bhutanese cottage cheese made from cow milk, central to daily meals and curries.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇪🇸 SpainCasín cheesequeso Casin
A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from southern Asturias with a protected origin status.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇹 ItalyRobiola
A soft-ripened Italian cheese from Piedmont and Lombardy, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel
🇮🇹 ItalyCacioricotta
A southern Italian cheese made from milk and whey using a hybrid method.Sheep · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇳🇴 NorwaySnøfrisk
A soft, spreadable Norwegian goat cheese with a fresh, sour taste.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇨🇳 ChinaRushan乳扇
A stretched cow's milk cheese from Yunnan dried into thin yellow sheets.Cow · Dried · Savoury and brothy
🇧🇷 BrazilCanastra cheese
A raw cow's-milk cheese from Brazil's Serra da Canastra highlands.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇦🇷 ArgentinaReggianito
A small Argentine hard cow's milk cheese made by Italian immigrants as a Parmesan alternative.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇹 ItalyBastardo del Grappa
A semi-fat cow's milk cheese from the Veneto foothills with a soft crumbly texture.Cow · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 1 moreKanterkaas
A hard Dutch cow's milk cheese flavored with cumin and cloves, aged in Friesland.Cow · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇬🇧 United KingdomDovedale
A soft, brine-dipped cow's milk blue cheese from the English Peak District.Cow · Blue · Savoury and brothy
🇬🇧 United KingdomOxford Blue
A soft, creamy English blue cheese with spicy and chocolate notes, made in Oxfordshire.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇬🇧 United KingdomLittle Derby
A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from England with a washed red wine rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇨🇦 CanadaPikauba
A semi-firm washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Quebec with a buttery taste and orange rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy
🇬🇧 United KingdomDorset Drum
A small cylindrical farmhouse cheddar from west Dorset, clothbound and matured for six to nine months.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇬🇧 United KingdomLymeswold cheese
A short-lived English soft blue cheese with a white rind, made from cow's milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy
🇬🇧 United KingdomBanbury cheese
A historic English cow's-milk cheese from Oxfordshire, known for its thin rounds and sharp taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇮🇹 ItalySottocenere al tartufo
A semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Venice with an ash rind and black truffle slices.Cow · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇳 IndiaChhena Podaଛେନାପୋଡ଼
A baked Odisha dessert of caramelised cottage cheese and sugarCow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel
🇫🇷 FranceBoursin
A soft, herb-flecked French spread made from pasteurized cow's milk and cream.Cow · Fresh · Herbal and grassy
🇫🇷 FranceBrie de Melun
A small, strong cow's-milk cheese from Seine-et-Marne with an AOC label.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇬🇧 United KingdomStinking Bishop
A washed-rind Gloucestershire cheese ripened in perry from the Stinking Bishop pear.Cow · Washed rind · Tangy and lactic
🇦🇷 ArgentinaProvoleta
A firm Argentine pulled-curd provolone cheese shaped for grilling and served with spices.Cow · Stretched curd · Savoury and brothy
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreEmmentalEmmentaler
A yellow Swiss cheese with natural holes and a mild savoury taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Dorset Blue Vinny: Jon Sullivan, Public domain, source
- Piave: J.P.Lon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Silter: Sistoiv, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Năsal: Vlad Trifa, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Formaggio di fossa: Zeugma fr ( talk ) (Antoine FLEURY-GOBERT), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saint Agur: Micah Anderson, Public domain, source
- Monte Veronese: La Casara Caseificio Dal 1920, CC BY 2.0, source
- Dovedale: Douglal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Emmental: Manuel2, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, source
- Aisy cendré: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chaumes: Robin dubois, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Valdeón: Tamorlan, CC BY 3.0, source
- Kanterkaas: AlexanderVanLoon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vacherin Fribourgeois: Tombat24, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Metsovone: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Casín cheese: Shalbat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Datshi: Nair A, Choden D, Pradhan M., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Robiola: Andrea Marchisio, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cacioricotta: Andrew Green, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Rushan: Zhangmoon618, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Canastra cheese: [https://www.flickr.com/people/8100764@N03 Marcelo Costa ], CC BY 2.0, source
- Bastardo del Grappa: Krenakarore, Public domain, source
- Pikauba: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lymeswold cheese: Eirian Evans, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Banbury cheese: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Sottocenere al tartufo: F. D. Richards, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Oxford Blue: Amanda Slater, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Stinking Bishop: Jon Sullivan, Public domain, source
- Provoleta: Horacio Cambeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Brie de Melun: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chhena Poda: http://recipes.oriyaonline.com/content_images/chhena%20poda.JPG, FAL, source