Cheeses for breakfast
Feta and olives, Turkish kahvalti, Dutch bread with Gouda, paneer bhurji and the cheese of the first meal.
In much of the world, cheese is a breakfast food. A Turkish breakfast is laid with white cheese, kaşar, olives, tomatoes and bread; Dutch and Scandinavian mornings start with sliced Gouda or brunost on bread; Greek, Levantine and Balkan breakfasts bring feta, labneh, halloumi and akkawi. In India, paneer bhurji and cheese toast are breakfast staples, and in Latin America arepas and cheese breads come warm with coffee.
The eastern Mediterranean spread
Turkish breakfast, kahvaltı, a word that means something like before coffee, is a spread rather than a dish: beyaz peynir, kaşar and tulum cheese, sometimes herb cheese, alongside olives, tomato, cucumber, honey, eggs, bread or simit, and glass after glass of tea. Greek and Cypriot breakfasts add feta and halloumi. In Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, akkawi and labneh sit beside manakish, flatbreads baked with za'atar or cheese and eaten warm from the oven.
Northern Europe
In the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, breakfast and the packed lunch are often bread with cheese cut thin with a cheese plane, a tool patented in Norway in 1925. Young and mature Gouda, Danish Havarti and Danbo, and Norway's sweet brunost are the usual choices, eaten on rye bread or crispbread with coffee. In Germany and Austria, quark is spread on rolls with jam or chives, and in Finland, warm leipäjuusto is eaten with cloudberry jam.
South Asia and Latin America
Indian breakfasts use cheese in cooked dishes: paneer bhurji, scrambled paneer with onion, tomato and spice, eaten with toast or paratha; paneer paratha stuffed with spiced crumbled paneer; and the chilli cheese toast of Mumbai's cafés. In Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan, churpi and datshi go into morning curries with rice. Colombian and Venezuelan arepas are split and filled with fresh white cheese, and Brazil's pão de queijo, small cheese breads of cassava starch, go with morning coffee.
Worth knowing
- Turkish breakfast: A spread of cheeses, olives, bread and tea
- Beyaz peynir: Turkey's white breakfast cheese
- Gouda: Sliced thin on bread in the Netherlands
- Brunost: Sweet brown cheese on Norwegian bread
- Paneer bhurji: Scrambled paneer with onion and spice
- Manakish: Levantine flatbread with za'atar or cheese
- Arepa: Corn cake split and filled with cheese
- Pão de queijo: Brazilian cheese bread of cassava starch
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.
Breakfast on EveryCheese
The cheeses written up so far, best known first.
🇲🇹 MaltaĠbejna
A small Maltese sheep's-milk cheese shaped in reed hurdles and sold fresh, dried, or peppered.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreGvina levanaגבינה לבנה
A soft, unripened cow's-milk cheese spread on bread in Israel.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇺🇸 United States and 1 morePot cheese
A soft, crumbly, unaged cow's-milk cheese popular in North America and Austria.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇹🇷 TurkeyVan herbed cheeseVan otlu peyniri
A semi-hard sheep's-milk cheese from eastern Turkey, infused with wild herbs and brined.Sheep · Semi-soft · Salty
🇨🇳 ChinaNguri
A small, salty buffalo-milk cheese from Fujian served with rice congee.Buffalo · Fresh · Salty
🇺🇸 United StatesCup cheese
A pungent, spreadable Pennsylvania Dutch cheese sold in cupsCow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky
🇺🇸 United StatesHoop cheese
A simple fresh cow's milk cheese pressed in a wooden ring to remove wheyCow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇾🇪 YemenYemeni cheeseجبنة تعز
A smoked semi-hard sheep or goat milk cheese from Taiz Governorate in Yemen.Sheep · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreQuarkTvorog
A fresh, acid-set cow's milk cheese with a smooth texture and mild taste.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreCottage cheese
A fresh, unaged curd cheese made from skimmed milk and dressed with cream.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreCream cheese
A soft, unripened cow's-milk cheese made with added cream and eaten fresh.Cow · Fresh · Buttery and creamy
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreKashkavalkaşkaval
A semi-hard yellow cheese from cow, sheep, or goat milk, popular across the Balkans and Turkey.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh
🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreTvorogтворог
A soft, white fermented cow's milk curd from Central and Eastern Europe.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇺🇸 United StatesAmerican cheese
A mild, meltable processed cheese made from cheddar or Colby with sodium citrate.Cow · Processed · Salty
🇳🇴 NorwayGamalostgammelost
A firm, sour Norwegian cheese made from skimmed cow's milk and aged for several weeks.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇮 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
🇷🇴 Romania and 4 moreUrdaurdă
A fresh whey cheese from Southeast Europe and Hungary, made by boiling leftover milk liquid.Mixed · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreSireneбяло саламурено сирене
A crumbly, brined white cheese from Bulgaria made with sheep or goat milk.Mixed · Brined · Salty
🇧🇷 BrazilMinas cheesequeijo minas
A semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Brazil with fresh and aged varieties.Cow · Semi-soft · Salty
🇬🇧 United KingdomDunlopcàise Dhùn Lùib
A mild Scottish cheese from Ayrshire made with unskimmed cow's milk.Cow · Semi-soft · Sweet and caramel
🇹🇷 TurkeyBeyaz peynir
A salty Turkish brine cheese made from sheep, cow, or goat milk.Mixed · Brined · Salty
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreWhey cheese
A dairy product made from the liquid remaining after curds are separated during cheesemaking.Mixed · Whey · Sweet and caramel
🇨🇾 CyprusAnariαναρή
A fresh whey cheese from Cyprus made from sheep or goat milk.Sheep · Fresh · Salty
🇫🇷 FrancePetit suisse
A fresh, creamy French cow's milk cheese from Normandy, often sold in small cups.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceChevrotin
A soft, washed-rind goat cheese from the Savoy Alps with a reddish rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇹🇷 TurkeyTulumtulum peyniri
A traditional Turkish goat's milk cheese ripened inside a goatskin casing.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 France and 2 moreFromage blanc
A mild, acid-set fresh cheese from northern France and southern Belgium.Cow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel
🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreDomiatiجبنه دمياطى
A soft, salty Egyptian white cheese salted before coagulation.Buffalo · Bloomy rind · Salty
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreKopanistiΚοπανιστή
A soft, spicy Greek cheese from the Cyclades, made by kneading ripening curds.Mixed · Bloomy rind · Salty
🇫🇷 FranceFaisselle
A fresh, very soft French cheese strained in a faisselle mold, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇳🇴 NorwayPultost
A soft Norwegian sour milk cheese flavored with caraway seeds and preserved with salt.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇷 IranLighvan cheeseپنیر لیقوان
A sour brined sheep's milk curd cheese from the village of Liqvan in Iran.Sheep · Brined · Salty
🇬🇷 GreeceAnthotyrosΑνθότυρος
A traditional Greek whey cheese made from sheep or goat milk, available in fresh and dry forms.Sheep · Fresh · Sweet and caramel
🇬🇧 United KingdomCaboc
A Scottish cream cheese made from double cream and rolled in toasted oatmeal.Cow · Fresh · Buttery and creamy
🇵🇭 PhilippinesKesong putiKesong putî
A soft, unaged Filipino white cheese made from carabao or cow milk and curdled with acid.Cow · Fresh · Salty
🇳🇴 NorwaySnøfrisk
A soft, spreadable Norwegian goat cheese with a fresh, sour taste.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇱🇧 Lebanon and 4 moreBaladi cheeseجبنة بلدي
A soft, white Middle Eastern cheese made from mixed milks and sold in brine.Mixed · Fresh · Salty
🇮🇹 ItalyPrescinsêua
A sour, semi-liquid cow's milk cheese from Liguria used in savory pies and focaccia.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇹🇳 TunisiaRigouta
A fresh Tunisian whey cheese from Béja, made with Sicilo-Sarda sheep milk.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 ItalyReblecRéblèque
A fresh Aosta Valley cheese made from surfaced cream and raw milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceBrousse
A lumpy whey cheese from Provence and Corsica made from cow, sheep or goat milk.Cow · Whey · Milky and fresh
🇨🇷 Costa RicaTurrialba cheese
A fresh Costa Rican cow's milk cheese with protected origin status.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇭🇷 Croatia and 1 moreBasa
A soft, white cow's-milk cheese from Lika and Bosnian Krajina, often eaten as a spread.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.
- Dunlop: Rosser1954 Roger Griffith, Public domain, source
- Minas cheese: The original uploader was Hellkt at German Wikipedia . ( Original text, Public domain, source
- Akkawi: Paul Joseph, CC BY 2.0, source
- Lighvan cheese: farsnews.ir, CC BY 4.0, source
- Anthotyros: Giorgos ab1234, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gamalost: Quick fix, CC BY 2.0, source
- Petit suisse: Chtfn, CC BY 2.5, source
- Beyaz peynir: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Faisselle: Véronique PAGNIER, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Anari: Zlerman, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- American cheese: jeffreyw, CC BY 2.0, source
- Fromage blanc: Pancrat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sirene: Иван, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Whey cheese: Illustratedjc, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kopanisti: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pultost: Jan-Tore Egge, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Urda: Mngck, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Domiati: MartinKassemJ120, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Basa: Radmila Popadić, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Turrialba cheese: Ana BR, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ġbejna: Chattacha, CC BY 3.0, source
- Van herbed cheese: Tanyel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tvorog: Loyna, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Chevrotin: Benoît Prieur, CC0, source
- Bread cheese: Teemu Rajala, CC BY 2.5, source
- Quark: SKopp, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cottage cheese: F ASTILY (T ALK ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cream cheese: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kashkaval: Nnikolce, Public domain, source
- Tulum: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kesong puti: Shubert Ciencia, CC BY 3.0, source
- Reblec: F Ceragioli, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Prescinsêua: Own work, CC0, source
- Brousse: Roland Darré, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Baladi cheese: Jon Lebensold, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Rigouta: Habib M ' henni, CC BY-SA 4.0, source