Cheeses for lunch
Sandwiches, salads, ploughman's plates and the midday meal.
Lunch is where cheese meets bread most often. The British ploughman's lunch of cheddar, pickle and bread, the French baguette with Comté or ham and butter, the Italian panino with mozzarella, the Greek salad with its slab of feta, the Indian paneer roll and the American grilled cheese all build a midday meal on cheese. It is food that travels well in a box or a pocket.
Bread and cheese
The simplest lunch in many countries is bread and cheese, and many have given it a name. The ploughman's lunch, made popular in English pubs in the 1950s and 1960s, sets cheddar or Stilton beside crusty bread, butter, pickle, apple and raw onion. In France, a casse-croûte might be a baguette with Comté or Camembert, and in Spain a bocadillo de queso. In Georgia, a slice of khachapuri and a plate of fresh cheese with herbs makes a working lunch.
Salads
Greek horiatiki salad sets a slab of feta on tomato, cucumber, onion and olives. Bulgaria's shopska salad is buried under grated sirene. Italy's insalata caprese layers mozzarella with tomato and basil in the colours of the national flag. In the Levant, halloumi is grilled and laid over leaves and herbs, and in Mexico, salads of nopales, the tender pads of the prickly pear cactus, are finished with crumbled queso fresco.
Hot lunches
Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup are an American lunch pairing. Welsh rarebit, cheese melted with mustard and ale and poured over toast, is a British pub lunch. Indian kathi rolls and Mumbai frankies wrap spiced paneer in paratha for busy streets and office canteens. Mexican quesadillas fold cheese into a tortilla, and in Italy, a slice of pizza or a toasted panino with mozzarella fills the lunch hour.
Worth knowing
- Ploughman's lunch: Cheddar, bread, pickle and apple
- Greek salad: Horiatiki with a slab of feta
- Shopska salad: Bulgarian salad under grated sirene
- Caprese salad: Mozzarella, tomato and basil
- Grilled cheese: Melted cheese between toasted bread
- Welsh rarebit: Cheese sauce with mustard and ale on toast
- Quesadilla: Tortilla folded over cheese
- Kathi roll: Paratha wrapped round spiced paneer
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.
Lunch on EveryCheese
The cheeses written up so far, best known first.
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreMozzarella
A semi-soft Italian stretched-curd cheese made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Semi-soft · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 Italy and 3 moreParmesanParmigiano Reggiano
A hard, granular cow's-milk cheese aged at least a year in northern Italy.Cow · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇫🇷 FranceCamembert
A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese from Normandy with a white mould rindCow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreFetaφέτα
A crumbly Greek brined cheese made from sheep and goat milk.Sheep · Brined · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreRicotta
A fresh Italian whey cheese made by reheating leftover proteins from other cheesemaking batches.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇮🇪 IrelandSt Tola
Handmade goat's milk cheese from Inagh, County Clare, ranging from fresh logs to aged wheels.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇪 IrelandBay Lough Cheese
A self-taught Irish cheddar-style cheese aged in waxed wheels.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇩🇪 GermanyHandkäse
A small, sour cow's-milk cheese from Hesse, traditionally marinated in vinegar and oil.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky
🇺🇸 United StatesAmablu
A creamy American blue cheese aged in sandstone caves since 1936.Cow · Blue
🇦🇹 AustriaSura Kees
A low-fat sour milk cheese from the Montafon valley in Austria.Cow · Tangy and lactic
🇲🇹 MaltaĠbejna
A small Maltese sheep's-milk cheese shaped in reed hurdles and sold fresh, dried, or peppered.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreEmmentalEmmentaler
A yellow, medium-hard Swiss cheese with natural holes, aged for several months.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇲🇽 MexicoPanela cheeseQueso panela
A fresh, white Mexican cow's-milk cheese that holds its shape when fried.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇺🇸 United StatesCold-pack cheese
A chilled blend of natural cheeses mixed with flavorings without cooking.Mixed · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇮 FinlandRaejuusto
A low-fat Finnish fresh cheese with a granular texture similar to cottage cheese.Cow · Fresh
🇮🇳 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
🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreGorgonzola
A creamy Italian blue cheese from Lombardy with two distinct styles.Cow · Bloomy rind · Salty
🇲🇽 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
🇨🇾 Cyprus and 3 moreHalloumiχαλούμι
A squeaky, brined cheese from Cyprus that holds its shape when fried.Mixed · Brined · Salty
🇾🇪 YemenYemeni cheeseجبنة تعز
A smoked semi-hard sheep or goat milk cheese from Taiz Governorate in Yemen.Sheep · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 2 moreGruyère
A hard, pressed Swiss cheese made from raw cow's milk, aged for several months.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel
🇮🇳 India and 4 morePaneer
A fresh, non-melting acid-set cheese made from cow or buffalo milk in South Asia.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 ItalyBurrata
A fresh Italian cheese with a solid mozzarella pouch filled with cream and stracciatella.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
🇸🇰 Slovakia and 5 moreBryndza
A tangy, crumbly sheep's milk cheese from Central and Eastern Europe.Sheep · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇧🇪 Belgium and 2 moreLimburger
A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Belgium known for its strong aroma and soft texture.Cow · Semi-soft · Salty
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMunsterMunster-géromé
A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from the Vosges mountains of eastern France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreProcessed cheese
A meltable cheese blend made with emulsifying salts for stability and long shelf life.Mixed · Processed · Salty
🇩🇪 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
🇫🇷 FranceBeaufort
A firm, hole-free Alpine cow's milk cheese from the French Savoie region.Cow · Alpine · Buttery and creamy
🇳🇴 Norway and 1 moreBrunost
A sweet, caramelized whey cheese from Norway, often sliced thin for lunch.Mixed · Whey · Sweet and caramel
🇳🇱 NetherlandsMaasdam
A semi-hard Dutch cow's milk cheese with holes, aged for one to three months.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreAsiago
A pressed cow's milk cheese from the Veneto plateau, sold fresh or aged.Cow · Semi-soft · Sweet and caramel
🇺🇸 United StatesAmerican cheese
A mild, meltable processed cheese made from cheddar or Colby with sodium citrate.Cow · Processed · Salty
🇮🇹 ItalyScamorza
A stretched-curd cow's-milk cheese from southern Italy, often smoked and tied with string.Cow · Stretched curd
🇫🇷 FranceBrocciu
A fresh Corsican cheese made from sheep milk and whey, drained in rush baskets.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceSaint-NectaireSench-Nectari
A semi-soft washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from the volcanic Auvergne region of France.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty
🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreBuffalo mozzarellamozzarella di bufala
A fresh, soft pasta filata cheese made from Italian Mediterranean buffalo milk.Buffalo · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceRocamadourRòcamador
A small, soft goat's-milk cheese from southwest France with a protected status.Goat · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh
🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreKasseriκασέρι
A pasta filata sheep's milk cheese aged for at least three months in Greece and Turkey.Sheep · 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
🇸🇾 Syria and 5 moreAkkawiجبنة عكاوي
A white brined cow's milk cheese from the Levant named after Acre.Cow · Brined · Salty
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMonterey Jack
A mild, semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from California with a creamy texture and slight sweetness.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreCancoillotte
A runny French cheese made by melting metton, served hot or cold in the east.Cow · Processed · Milky and fresh
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreCheese curds
Fresh, squeaky pieces of cheddar-style curd eaten in North America.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇳🇵 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
🇫🇷 FranceBrie de Meaux
A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese with a white rind from the Brie region of France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Handkäse: User:Elya + User:Fotandi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Havarti: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Brie de Meaux: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Brocciu: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Buffalo mozzarella: Luigi Versaggi, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Salers: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Paneer: Sonja Pauen - Stanhopea, CC BY 2.0 de, source
- Rocamadour: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Beaufort: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Monterey Jack: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chhurpi: Arijit Dasgupta, CC BY 2.0, source
- Akkawi: Paul Joseph, CC BY 2.0, source
- Emmental: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ricotta: 8w9d, CC0, source
- Scamorza: Yozh, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Saint-Nectaire: Homer Ectus, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gruyère: Rolf Krahl ( Rotkraut ), CC BY 4.0, source
- American cheese: jeffreyw, CC BY 2.0, source
- Parmesan: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Feta: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Brunost: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cancoillotte: Popo le Chien, CC0, source
- Halloumi: Rainer Zenz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Asadero: Megalibrarygirl, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kalimpong cheese: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ġbejna: Chattacha, CC BY 3.0, source
- St Tola: HighKing, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sura Kees: Clemens M. Brandstetter, Buers, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Amablu: Loganh7, CC0, source
- Mozzarella: Popo le Chien, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Camembert: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Asiago: Shabicht, CC0, source
- Munster: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Limburger: Jon Sullivan, Public domain, source
- Bryndza: Kagor, GFDL, source
- Cheese curds: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2, source
- Cottage cheese: F ASTILY (T ALK ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gorgonzola: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cream cheese: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kasseri: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Burrata: Popo le Chien, CC0, source
- Maasdam: Arz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Processed cheese: Rainer Z ..., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Panela cheese: Pyb, CC BY-SA 4.0, source