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EveryCheese

Tangy and lactic

Bright, lemony acidity: goat cheeses, feta, cottage cheese and young cheddar.

Tangy cheeses have a bright, lemony acidity, the taste of lactic acid made by bacteria from milk sugar. The tang is clearest in fresh and young cheeses: goat's milk logs, feta, cottage cheese, quark, Caerphilly, Wensleydale and Lancashire, and young cheddar. It is the flavour that makes a goat cheese salad taste fresh and keeps a cheesecake from tasting flat.

Lactic acid

Every cheese begins with bacteria turning lactose into lactic acid. In lactic cheeses this acid does most of the work of setting the curd, and the finished cheese keeps much of it, giving a fresh, citrus-like sharpness. In rennet cheeses that are aged, other flavours slowly take over as the acid is used up or neutralised, especially near the surface of bloomy and washed rinds. So a clear tang is usually a mark of youth, and it softens as a cheese ripens.

Tangy cheeses of the world

France's young goat cheeses, Greek feta and Bulgarian sirene, and the crumbly British cheeses, Caerphilly, Wensleydale and Lancashire, all have a clear acidity. Quark and tvorog are tangy in the same way as yoghurt. Kalimpong cheese is mild and slightly tangy when young. Ethiopia's ayib, made from soured milk after the butter has been churned, is gently sour and is served beside stews spiced with berbere, where it cools the heat.

In cooking

Tangy cheeses balance richness and sweetness. Crumbled feta lifts lamb and roasted vegetables, goat cheese sets off sweet beetroot, and in Yorkshire, Wensleydale is eaten with fruit cake, especially at Christmas. Quark and tvorog give cheesecake and syrniki their gentle sourness. Indian cooks set paneer with lemon juice or vinegar and rinse it well, which leaves only a faint tang, but home-made paneer set with sour whey often keeps a little more.

Worth knowing

  • Feta: Brined, salty and tangy
  • Crottin de Chavignol: Lemony when young
  • Caerphilly: Welsh crumbly cheese
  • Wensleydale: Yorkshire cheese eaten with fruit cake
  • Lancashire: Crumbly, buttery and tangy
  • Quark: Spoonable lactic cheese
  • Sirene: Bulgarian brined 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.

Tangy and lactic on EveryCheese

The cheeses written up so far, best known first.

StyleFreshBrinedStretched curdBloomy rindLacticWashed rindSemi-softSemi-hardAlpineHardBlueSmokedWheyDriedProcessed
MilkCowGoatSheepBuffaloYakCamelMixedOther
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 moreMozzarella A semi-soft Italian stretched-curd cheese made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow 路 Semi-soft 路 Milky and fresh 馃嚝馃嚪 FranceCamembert A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese from Normandy with a white mould rindCow 路 Bloomy rind 路 Earthy and cellar 馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 5 moreFeta蠁苇蟿伪 A crumbly Greek brined cheese made from sheep and goat milk.Sheep 路 Brined 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesHoop cheese A simple fresh cow's milk cheese pressed in a wooden ring to remove wheyCow 路 Fresh 路 Milky and fresh 馃嚘馃嚬 Austria and 1 moreTyrolean grey cheeseTiroler Grauk盲se A low-fat cow's milk acid-curd quark from the Tyrolean Alps with a moulded rind.Cow 路 Fresh 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚠馃嚦 IndiaKalimpong cheese A mild, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from a West Bengal hill station, started by a Jesuit priest.Cow 路 Semi-hard 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomStinking Bishop A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Gloucestershire, ripened in perry.Cow 路 Semi-soft 路 Savoury and brothy 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreGvina levana讙讘讬谞讛 诇讘谞讛 A soft, unripened cow's-milk cheese spread on bread in Israel.Cow 路 Fresh 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚚馃嚲 Cyprus and 3 moreHalloumi蠂伪位慰蠉渭喂 A squeaky, brined cheese from Cyprus that holds its shape when fried.Mixed 路 Brined 路 Salty 馃嚝馃嚪 FranceBaguette laonnaise A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from northern France shaped like a small loaf.Cow 路 Washed rind 路 Savoury and brothy 馃嚝馃嚪 France and 3 moreBrie A soft, pale French cow's-milk cheese with a white mould rind, aged for about five weeks.Cow 路 Bloomy rind 路 Nutty 馃嚘馃嚬 AustriaSura Kees A low-fat sour milk cheese from the Montafon valley in Austria.Cow 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚝馃嚪 FranceClochette A small bell-shaped goat cheese from France with a wrinkled white rind and firm texture.Goat 路 Bloomy rind 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚚馃嚦 ChinaNguri A small, salty buffalo-milk cheese from Fujian served with rice congee.Buffalo 路 Fresh 路 Salty 馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandWicklow Farmhouse Cheese A range of handmade cow's milk cheeses from Arklow, Ireland, spanning soft bries to hard cheddars.Cow 路 Bloomy rind 路 Nutty 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 1 moreBasket cheesesepet peyniri A fresh, unsalted or lightly salted whey and curd cheese shaped in reed baskets from the Aegean coast.Goat 路 Fresh 路 Milky and fresh 馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptAreesh噩亘賳丞 賯乇賷卮 A soft, crumbly Egyptian cheese made from skimmed buffalo or cow milk.Buffalo 路 Fresh 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyCastelrosso A rare semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Piedmont with a gray rind and mild lactic flavor.Cow 路 Semi-hard 路 Buttery and creamy 馃嚚馃嚦 ChinaKefir cheese A tangy, creamy cheese set using kefir culture rather than rennet or acid.Mixed 路 Fresh 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandSt Tola Handmade goat's milk cheese from Inagh, County Clare, ranging from fresh logs to aged wheels.Goat 路 Fresh 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesCold-pack cheese A chilled blend of natural cheeses mixed with flavorings without cooking.Mixed 路 Bloomy rind 路 Savoury and brothy 馃嚘馃嚤 AlbaniaMishavin A soft, crumbly Albanian cheese aged in skins and wood from sheep or cow milk.Sheep 路 Buttery and creamy 馃嚬馃嚪 TurkeyTelemeteleme peyniri A semi-soft white cheese from Turkey made with mixed milks and fig sap.Mixed 路 Semi-soft 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesLiederkranz A pungent American smear-ripened cow's milk cheese created in 1891 as a Limburger variant.Cow 路 Semi-soft 路 Pungent and funky 馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesBergenost A triple-cream Norwegian-style butter cheese from New York with green wax.Mixed 路 Semi-soft 路 Buttery and creamy 馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreMarble cheese A processed cow's milk cheese with distinct colored marbling patterns.Cow 路 Hard 路 Savoury and brothy 馃嚠馃嚦 IndiaKalari A semi-soft cow or buffalo milk cheese from Jammu and Kashmir, dried and saut茅ed until gooey.Cow 路 Semi-soft 路 Savoury and brothy 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 2 moreGorgonzola A creamy Italian blue cheese from Lombardy with two distinct styles.Cow 路 Bloomy rind 路 Salty 馃嚝馃嚪 FranceRoquefortR貌caf貌rt A raw sheep's milk blue cheese aged in the Combalou caves of southern France.Sheep 路 Semi-hard 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚠馃嚦 India and 4 morePaneer A fresh, non-melting acid-set cheese made from cow or buffalo milk in South Asia.Cow 路 Fresh 路 Milky and fresh 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreQuarkTvorog A fresh, acid-set cow's milk cheese with a smooth texture and mild taste.Cow 路 Fresh 路 Milky and fresh 馃嚝馃嚪 France and 2 moreBlue cheese A family of cheeses defined by blue-green mold veins created through deliberate inoculation and piercing.Cow 路 Semi-soft 路 Sharp and tangy-aged 馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyPecorino A family of Italian hard sheep's-milk cheeses with protected status.Sheep 路 Hard 路 Buttery and creamy 馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 2 moreCottage cheese A fresh, unaged curd cheese made from skimmed milk and dressed with cream.Cow 路 Fresh 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚚馃嚟 SwitzerlandAppenzeller A hard, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from northeast Switzerland with a herbal brine rind.Cow 路 Hard 路 Nutty 馃嚫馃嚢 Slovakia and 5 moreBryndza A tangy, crumbly sheep's milk cheese from Central and Eastern Europe.Sheep 路 Fresh 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚙馃嚜 Belgium and 2 moreLimburger A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Belgium known for its strong aroma and soft texture.Cow 路 Semi-soft 路 Salty 馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreMunsterMunster-g茅rom茅 A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from the Vosges mountains of eastern France.Cow 路 Bloomy rind 路 Pungent and funky 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 2 moreTilsitTilsiter A semi-hard smear-ripened cow's milk cheese from East Prussia with a dark yellow rind.Cow 路 Semi-hard 路 Savoury and brothy 馃嚦馃嚧 Norway and 1 moreBrunost A sweet, caramelized whey cheese from Norway, often sliced thin for lunch.Mixed 路 Whey 路 Sweet and caramel 馃嚜馃嚫 SpainCabralesqueso de Cabrales A pungent blue cheese from the Picos de Europa mountains of Asturias, Spain.Mixed 路 Blue 路 Sharp and tangy-aged 馃嚚馃嚟 Switzerland and 1 moreT锚te de Moine A semi-hard Swiss cow's milk cheese shaved into rosettes with a special tool.Cow 路 Semi-hard 路 Savoury and brothy 馃嚝馃嚪 FranceFourme d'AmbertForma d'Emb猫rt A narrow cylindrical blue cheese from the Auvergne region of France.Cow 路 Semi-hard 路 Savoury and brothy 馃嚝馃嚪 FranceBrocciu A fresh Corsican cheese made from sheep milk and whey, drained in rush baskets.Sheep 路 Fresh 路 Milky and fresh 馃嚚馃嚳 Czech RepublicOlomouc curd cheeseOlomouck茅 tvar暖啪ky A pungent, low-fat ripened soft cheese from the Czech Republic made from quark.Cow 路 Bloomy rind 路 Pungent and funky 馃嚝馃嚪 FranceLaguioleLa Gui貌la A semi-hard pressed cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac plateau in southern France.Cow 路 Semi-hard 路 Nutty 馃嚦馃嚧 NorwayGamalostgammelost A firm, sour Norwegian cheese made from skimmed cow's milk and aged for several weeks.Cow 路 Semi-hard 路 Tangy and lactic 馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomCaerphilly A hard, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from South Wales with a mild lemony taste.Cow 路 Hard 路 Tangy and lactic
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