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EveryCheese

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.

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
🇬🇷 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 🇫🇷 FrancePélardon A small, round soft-ripened goat cheese from the Cévennes mountains of southern France.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalyCastelmagno A semi-hard Italian cheese from Piedmont with blue veining and a sharp taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreWhey cheese A dairy product made from the liquid remaining after curds are separated during cheesemaking.Mixed · Whey · Sweet and caramel 🇪🇸 SpainAfuega'l pitu A soft, unpasteurised cow's milk cheese from Asturias, shaped like a mitre or sphere and often dusted with paprika.Cow · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FranceSaint AgurSant Agur A soft, double-cream French blue cheese with olive-green veins and a mild spicy taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalyPiave A hard Italian cow's milk cheese from the Veneto region with a sweet flavor and PDO status.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇫🇷 FranceChaumesPalhas A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Périgord with a tangerine-orange rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy 🇮🇹 ItalyMonte Veronese A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from Verona with fresh and aged varieties.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇪🇸 SpainGamonéuQueso de Gamonéu A lightly smoked, mixed-milk cheese from the mountains of Asturias with a moulded rind.Mixed · Smoked · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceChabichou A cylindrical French goat cheese with a natural rind, aged for two to three weeks.Goat · Semi-soft · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalySilter A brined, aged cow's-milk cheese from the Brescia mountains of Italy.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceVieux-Boulogne A soft, beer-washed cow's milk cheese from northern France known for its intense aroma.Cow · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇬🇪 GeorgiaTeniliტენილი ყველი A stuffed string cheese from Georgia's Meskheti region, made from sheep's milk and aged in clay pots.Sheep · Stretched curd · Savoury and brothy 🇮🇹 ItalySalvaSalva cremasco A washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Lombardy, aged for several months.Cow · Washed rind · Savoury and brothy 🇬🇷 GreeceLadotyri MytilinisΛαδοτύρι Μυτιλήνης A hard Greek cheese from Lesbos preserved in olive oil since ancient times.Sheep · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇪🇸 SpainValdeónQueso de Valdeón A Spanish blue cheese from León wrapped in sycamore or chestnut leavesCow · Semi-soft · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇬🇷 GreeceMetsovoneΜετσοβόνε A semi-hard smoked pasta filata cheese from the Greek village of Metsovo.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceAisy cendré A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese rolled in wood ash and aged for two weeks.Cow · Washed rind · Smoky 🇮🇹 ItalySpressa delle Giudicarie A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the Giudicarie valley in Trentino-Alto Adige.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇬🇧 United KingdomDorset Blue Vinny A hard, crumbly cow's-milk blue cheese from Dorset with a strong taste and protected status.Cow · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇪🇸 SpainCasín cheesequeso Casin A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from southern Asturias with a protected origin status.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇧🇷 BrazilColony cheesequeijo de colônia A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from southern Brazil with a yellow crust and creamy interior.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇳🇴 NorwaySnøfrisk A soft, spreadable Norwegian goat cheese with a fresh, sour taste.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalyCacioricotta A southern Italian cheese made from milk and whey using a hybrid method.Sheep · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇮🇹 ItalyRobiola A soft-ripened Italian cheese from Piedmont and Lombardy, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel 🇧🇷 BrazilCanastra cheese A raw cow's-milk cheese from Brazil's Serra da Canastra highlands.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇬🇧 United KingdomLanark Blue A semi-hard blue cheese made from raw sheep's milk in Scotland.Sheep · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇨🇳 ChinaRushan乳扇 A stretched cow's milk cheese from Yunnan dried into thin yellow sheets.Cow · Dried · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceCharolais A soft, natural-rind goat cheese from Burgundy with an AOC and PDO status.Goat · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇳🇱 Netherlands and 1 moreKanterkaas A hard Dutch cow's milk cheese flavored with cumin and cloves, aged in Friesland.Cow · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇫🇷 FranceCathareCatara A soft goat cheese from southern France with a charcoal-dusted rind marked by the Occitan cross.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalyBastardo del Grappa A semi-fat cow's milk cheese from the Veneto foothills with a soft crumbly texture.Cow · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy 🇮🇹 ItalyRed Pecorinopicurinu rusu A red, stretched-curd sheep's milk cheese from Sicily, coloured with tomato sauce.Sheep · Stretched curd · Savoury and brothy 🇬🇧 United KingdomLittle Derby A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from England with a washed red wine rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceBucheronBûcheron A semi-aged goat's milk cheese from France shaped like a short log with a white rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇨🇦 CanadaPikauba A semi-firm washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Quebec with a buttery taste and orange rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇧🇦 Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnian smoked cheeseSuhi dimljeni sir A very dry, piquant low-fat smoked cheese from Bosnia and Herzegovina.Mixed · Smoked · Piquant and spicy 🇬🇷 GreeceXynotyro A hard, sour whey cheese from Greece made with sheep or goat milk.Mixed · Hard · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇧 United KingdomLymeswold cheese A short-lived English soft blue cheese with a white rind, made from cow's milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy 🇬🇧 United KingdomBanbury cheese A historic English cow's-milk cheese from Oxfordshire, known for its thin rounds and sharp taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇮🇹 ItalySottocenere al tartufo A semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Venice with an ash rind and black truffle slices.Cow · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy 🇬🇧 United KingdomOxford Blue A soft, creamy English blue cheese with spicy and chocolate notes, made in Oxfordshire.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇷🇺 RussiaKorallКоралл A pink, shrimp-flavoured processed cheese made in Russia with fish paste and spices.Mixed · Processed · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceBoursin A soft, herb-flecked French spread made from pasteurized cow's milk and cream.Cow · Fresh · Herbal and grassy 🇬🇧 United KingdomStinking Bishop A washed-rind Gloucestershire cheese ripened in perry from the Stinking Bishop pear.Cow · Washed rind · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FranceBrie de Melun A small, strong cow's-milk cheese from Seine-et-Marne with an AOC label.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇦🇷 ArgentinaProvoleta A firm Argentine pulled-curd provolone cheese shaped for grilling and served with spices.Cow · Stretched curd · Savoury and brothy
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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.