Cheeses for snacks
Cheese curds, string cheese, crackers and cheese eaten between meals.
Cheese is a natural snack: portable, filling and good with almost anything. Quebec's squeaky cheese curds, string cheese in a lunch box, Dogra kalari fried in its own fat in Jammu, hard churpi chewed on Himalayan paths, kurt in Central Asian bazaars, cheese straws at tea time and paneer pakoras on a rainy Indian afternoon all fill the space between meals.
Squeaky and stringy
Fresh cheddar curds squeak against the teeth when they are only hours old, because their protein network is still springy. Wisconsin, Quebec and Ontario sell them by the bag, and they are fried in batter at fairs. String cheese, mozzarella pulled into sticks, peels into threads and is a staple of North American lunch boxes. The squeak fades within a day or two in the fridge, though a few seconds of gentle warming can bring some of it back.
Fried snacks
Many cheese snacks are fried. Indian paneer pakoras are dipped in spiced gram-flour batter, and in Jammu, kalari is fried until crisp outside and stretchy within, then eaten with salt or in a kalari kulcha. Venezuelan tequeños wrap sticks of white cheese in dough. Italian mozzarella in carrozza and arancini hide cheese inside bread or rice, and Turkish sigara böreği rolls white cheese and parsley in thin pastry like a cigarette.
Chewed and nibbled
Hard churpi is held in the mouth for an hour, softening slowly, and kurt and aaruul are eaten as a salty, sour snack across Central Asia and Mongolia. Cheese straws, made with grated cheddar or Parmesan, are a tea-time snack in Britain and a party staple in the American South. In the Netherlands, cubes of Gouda with mustard are served with a drink, and in Spain, a few slices of Manchego come with a glass of wine.
Worth knowing
- Cheese curds: Squeaky fresh curds of Quebec and Wisconsin
- String cheese: Mozzarella sticks that peel into threads
- Pakora: Paneer dipped in gram-flour batter and fried
- Kalari: Jammu cheese fried in its own fat
- Tequeño: Venezuelan cheese stick in dough
- Mozzarella in carrozza: Fried mozzarella sandwich of Naples
- Sigara böreği: Turkish cheese pastry rolled like a cigarette
- Chhurpi: Hard Himalayan cheese chewed slowly
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.
Snacks on EveryCheese
The cheeses written up so far, best known first.
🇫🇷 FranceCamembert
A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese from Normandy with a white mould rindCow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar
🇫🇷 FranceClochette
A small bell-shaped goat cheese from France with a wrinkled white rind and firm texture.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇺🇸 United StatesBig Woods Blue
A firm, creamy sheep's-milk blue cheese aged six to eight months in Minnesota.Sheep · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceRoule cheese
A soft, herb and garlic flavoured cow's milk cheese rolled into a spiral shape.Cow · Bloomy rind · Herbal and grassy
🇮🇳 IndiaKalari
A semi-soft cow or buffalo milk cheese from Jammu and Kashmir, dried and sautéed until gooey.Cow · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy
🇺🇸 United StatesCold-pack cheese
A chilled blend of natural cheeses mixed with flavorings without cooking.Mixed · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇪 IrelandCoolea
A wax-rinded cow's milk cheese from County Cork with sweet, caramelly notes.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel
🇺🇸 United StatesMorcella
A Minnesota sheep-milk cheese coated with morel mushrooms and aged in autumn.Sheep · Semi-soft · Earthy and cellar
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreEmmentalEmmentaler
A yellow, medium-hard Swiss cheese with natural holes, aged for several months.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇦🇺 AustraliaCheer
A mature cheddar cheese made in Australia by Warrnambool Cheese and Butter.Cow · Semi-hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇺🇸 United StatesCup cheese
A pungent, spreadable Pennsylvania Dutch cheese sold in cupsCow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky
🇾🇪 YemenYemeni cheeseجبنة تعز
A smoked semi-hard sheep or goat milk cheese from Taiz Governorate in Yemen.Sheep · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy
🇨🇳 ChinaKefir cheese
A tangy, creamy cheese set using kefir culture rather than rennet or acid.Mixed · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇬🇪 GeorgiaDambalkhachoდამბალხაჭო
A pungent, semi-soft Georgian cheese aged in clay pots with sour buttermilk curdsCow · Semi-soft · Pungent and funky
🇳🇴 NorwayNøkkelost
A Norwegian cow's-milk cheese flavoured with cumin and cloves, aged for three months.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇦🇹 AustriaLüneberg
A saffron-tinted cow's-milk cheese from the Austrian Alps, bridging Swiss and German styles.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
🇮🇪 IrelandWicklow Farmhouse Cheese
A range of handmade cow's milk cheeses from Arklow, Ireland, spanning soft bries to hard cheddars.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty
🇬🇧 United KingdomStinking Bishop
A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Gloucestershire, ripened in perry.Cow · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇪 IrelandSt Tola
Handmade goat's milk cheese from Inagh, County Clare, ranging from fresh logs to aged wheels.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreMarble cheese
A processed cow's milk cheese with distinct colored marbling patterns.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇪 IrelandBay Lough Cheese
A self-taught Irish cheddar-style cheese aged in waxed wheels.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇲🇽 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
🇮🇳 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
🇫🇷 FranceBaguette laonnaise
A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from northern France shaped like a small loaf.Cow · Washed rind · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreCasu MarzuCasu martzu
A Sardinian fermented sheep cheese containing live fly larvae.Sheep · Savoury and brothy
🇨🇭 SwitzerlandAppenzeller
A hard, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from northeast Switzerland with a herbal brine rind.Cow · Hard · Nutty
🇩🇪 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
🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreCaciocavallo
A stretched-curd cheese from southern Italy shaped like a teardrop and aged to develop a hard rind.Cow · Stretched curd · Nutty
🇫🇷 FranceLivarot
A soft Normandy cow's-milk cheese with a pungent orange rind wrapped in reed bands.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMimolette
A bright orange cow's-milk cheese from northern France, aged with mites for a nutty flavor.Cow · Hard · Nutty
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreSbrinz
A very hard, full-fat cow's-milk cheese from Central Switzerland aged for over two years.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy
🇪🇸 SpainCabralesqueso de Cabrales
A pungent blue cheese from the Picos de Europa mountains of Asturias, Spain.Mixed · Blue · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreTête de Moine
A semi-hard Swiss cow's milk cheese shaved into rosettes with a special tool.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇬🇧 United KingdomDouble Gloucester
A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from England with a savoury flavour and natural rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceFourme d'AmbertForma d'Embèrt
A narrow cylindrical blue cheese from the Auvergne region of France.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceLangres
A washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Langres plateau in France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇮 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
🇪🇸 SpainIdiazabalIdiazabal gazta
A hard, pressed sheep's milk cheese from the Basque Country with a dark rind and optional smoke.Sheep · Hard · Nutty
🇫🇷 FranceSaint-NectaireSench-Nectari
A semi-soft washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from the volcanic Auvergne region of France.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty
🇵🇹 PortugalSão Jorge CheeseQueijo São Jorge
A hard cow's-milk cheese from the Azores with a spicy aroma and protected origin status.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceCrottin de Chavignol
A small French goat cheese from the Loire Valley, aged to develop a white or blue rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Nutty
🇳🇵 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
🇵🇹 PortugalSerra da EstrelaQueijo Serra da Estrela
A soft Portuguese sheep's milk cheese coagulated with thistle and aged for at least a month.Sheep · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy
🇫🇷 FranceBleu de Bresse
A creamy French blue cheese from the Bresse region, aged for a few weeks.Cow · Blue · Earthy and cellar
🇳🇱 NetherlandsLeyden cheeseLeidse kaas
A semi-hard Dutch cow's-milk cheese flavoured with cumin and caraway seeds.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇩🇪 GermanyHarzer
A low-fat German sour milk cheese from the Harz mountains, often spiced with caraway.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇬🇷 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
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Cabrales: PDPhoto.org, Public domain, source
- Havarti: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kalari: Zeeshanqazi786, CC0, source
- Mimolette: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bleu de Bresse: Unknown author, 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
- Double Gloucester: Jon Sullivan, Public domain, source
- Crottin de Chavignol: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saint-Nectaire: Homer Ectus, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- São Jorge Cheese: VulcaoAtlantico, CC BY 4.0, source
- Serra da Estrela: Adriao, Public domain, source
- Casu Marzu: Shardan, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Colby-Jack: Stephen Shep, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tête de Moine: The original uploader was Stucki at French Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 1.0, source
- Asadero: Megalibrarygirl, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kalimpong cheese: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Coolea: Gary Soup, CC BY 2.0, source
- St Tola: HighKing, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Stinking Bishop: Gilgongo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dambalkhacho: ბექა ბაიაშვილი (Beqabai), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sbrinz: Roy Egloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Camembert: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Livarot: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Parenica: Stanislav Doronenko, Public domain, source
- Idiazabal: Xavigivax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bread cheese: Teemu Rajala, CC BY 2.5, source
- Langres: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fourme d'Ambert: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Graviera: Catlemur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Caciocavallo: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Harzer: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Appenzeller: Ulled, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Leyden cheese: Edwtie, CC BY-SA 3.0, source