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EveryCheese

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.

StyleFreshBrinedStretched curdBloomy rindLacticWashed rindSemi-softSemi-hardAlpineHardBlueSmokedWheyDriedProcessed
MilkCowGoatSheepBuffaloYakCamelMixedOther
FlavourMilky and freshButtery and creamyNuttySweet and caramelTangy and lacticSaltySharp and tangy-agedSavoury and brothyEarthy and cellarMushroomyPungent and funkySmokyHerbal and grassyPiquant and spicy
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreSireneбяло саламурено сирене A crumbly, brined white cheese from Bulgaria made with sheep or goat milk.Mixed · Brined · Salty 🇬🇷 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 🇸🇰 SlovakiaParenica A semi-firm Slovak cheese made from steamed curds, often smoked and woven into spirals.Sheep · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇧🇷 BrazilMinas cheesequeijo minas A semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Brazil with fresh and aged varieties.Cow · Semi-soft · Salty 🇬🇧 United KingdomLancashire cheese A cow's-milk cheese from England with creamy, nutty, or crumbly varieties.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreMizithraμυζήθρα A fresh Greek whey cheese made from sheep or goat milk, eaten soft or dried for grating.Sheep · Fresh · Sweet and caramel 🇭🇷 CroatiaPag cheesePaški sir A hard sheep's-milk cheese from Croatia's Pag island, aged up to eighteen months.Sheep · Hard · Salty 🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 moreOaxaca cheesequeso Oaxaca A semi-hard, stringy cow's milk cheese from southern Mexico, made using the pasta filata method.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh 🇹🇷 TurkeyBeyaz peynir A salty Turkish brine cheese made from sheep, cow, or goat milk.Mixed · Brined · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalyCastelmagno A semi-hard Italian cheese from Piedmont with blue veining and a sharp taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇪🇸 SpainMahónformatge de Maó / queso de Mahón A cow's-milk cheese from Menorca that ranges from soft and mild to hard and sharp.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇺🇸 United StatesColby A semi-hard American cow's-milk cheese with a mild flavor and orange hue from annatto.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh 🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreWeisslackerWeißlacker A pungent German cow's-milk cheese aged seven months with a whitewashed rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Pungent and funky 🇧🇯 Benin and 1 moreWagasi A soft, mild cow's-milk cheese from West Africa, often cooked in stews.Cow 🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreCircassian cheeseадыгейский сыр A fresh, basket-molded cow's milk cheese from the North Caucasus that holds its shape when heated.Cow · Fresh 🇪🇸 SpainIboresQueso Ibores A firm, salty goat cheese from Extremadura with a natural or paprika-rubbed rind.Goat · Semi-hard · Salty 🇸🇪 SwedenPrästost A semi-hard Swedish cow's-milk cheese with a mild, nutty flavour and a washed rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇮🇹 ItalyValtellina CaseraCasera de la Valtolina A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the Sondrio province of Italy, aged for a complex flavour.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FranceChaumesPalhas A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Périgord with a tangerine-orange rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy 🇳🇴 NorwayPultost A soft Norwegian sour milk cheese flavored with caraway seeds and preserved with salt.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇷 GreeceLadotyri MytilinisΛαδοτύρι Μυτιλήνης A hard Greek cheese from Lesbos preserved in olive oil since ancient times.Sheep · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇪🇸 SpainMajorero A semi-hard goat milk cheese from Fuerteventura with a nutty, buttery taste.Goat · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh 🇮🇹 ItalySalvaSalva cremasco A washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Lombardy, aged for several months.Cow · Washed rind · Savoury and brothy 🇬🇷 GreeceAnthotyrosΑνθότυρος A traditional Greek whey cheese made from sheep or goat milk, available in fresh and dry forms.Sheep · Fresh · Sweet and caramel 🇺🇸 United StatesColby-Jack A mild American semi-hard cheese made by blending Colby and Monterey Jack curds.Cow · Semi-hard 🇲🇽 MexicoCotija A salty, aged cow's milk cheese from Michoacán that crumbles but does not melt.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇩🇪 GermanySpundekäs A spiced cream cheese spread from Northern Rhenish Hesse in Germany.Cow · Fresh · Salty 🇪🇸 SpainTupíformatge de tupí A soft, creamy Catalan cheese fermented in a ceramic jar with strong liquor.Mixed · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇷 GreeceFormaelaΦορμαέλα A hard, pungent sheep or goat milk cheese from Arachova, Greece.Sheep · Hard · Pungent and funky 🇮🇱 IsraelTzfat Cheeseגבינה צפתית A semi-hard salty cheese from Safed, originally made with sheep's milk and molded in baskets.Sheep · Semi-hard · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalyFormai de Mut dell'Alta Valle Brembana A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the high pastures of Lombardy, Italy.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇧🇹 BhutanDatshiདར་ཚི A fresh Bhutanese cottage cheese made from cow milk, central to daily meals and curries.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇳 IndiaBandel cheese A small, smoked cow's-milk cheese from West Bengal with a crumbly texture and tangy taste.Cow · Fresh · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalyPrescinsêua A sour, semi-liquid cow's milk cheese from Liguria used in savory pies and focaccia.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇺🇸 United StatesMuenster A semi-soft American cow's-milk cheese with a smooth texture and an orange rind dyed with annatto.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty 🇨🇳 ChinaRubing乳饼 A firm, acid-set fresh goat cheese from Yunnan that holds its shape when cooked.Goat · Fresh · Salty 🇲🇽 MexicoQueso Chihuahua A soft, melting cow's-milk cheese from the Mexican state of Chihuahua.Cow · Semi-soft 🇽🇰 Kosovo and 2 moreSharr cheeseDjathë i Sharrit / Шарски сир A hard, salty cow and sheep milk cheese from the Šar Mountains of Kosovo.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇹🇷 TurkeyMihaliç Peyniri A hard, brined sheep’s milk cheese shaped into rounds or slices for Turkish cookingSheep · Hard 🇪🇸 SpainMallorcaformatge mallorquí A semi-hard cow, goat or sheep milk cheese from the Balearic Islands with an olive-oiled rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FranceChavroux A soft goat's milk cheese sold in small pyramid or cylinder containers.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇧 United KingdomTintern A soft, blended cow's milk Cheddar flavoured with chives and shallots, wrapped in lime green wax.Cow · Semi-soft · Herbal and grassy 🇧🇷 BrazilQueijo prato A mild, semi-hard Brazilian cow's milk cheese with a yellow paste and low salt content.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇫🇷 FranceTome fraîcheToma fresca A hard-pressed, unsalted cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac region of France.Cow · Hard · Milky and fresh 🇮🇹 ItalyProvola silana A semi-hard stretched-curd cheese from the Sila mountains of southern Italy.Cow · Semi-hard 🇬🇷 GreeceKatiki DomokouΚατίκι Δομοκού A fresh, soft goat and sheep milk cheese from central Greece.Goat · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇪🇸 SpainMurcian wine cheesequeso de Murcia al vino A fatty goat cheese from Spain with a red-wine-stained rind and Protected Designation of Origin status.Goat · Semi-hard · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalyProvatura A fresh pasta filata cheese from Lazio, shaped like an egg and made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven cheeses you may not know, the cheese days of the week ahead, and one dish explained step by step.