Cheese news
TradeCheese, butter lead cash dairy prices Thursday at CMEHeritageI Cooked Professionally for Years—This Creamy, Tangy Cheese Is One of My Favorite Grocery Store FindsIndiaHow To Make A Luxurious Festive Season Paneer Kheer Recipe In Under Twenty MinutesTradeUpper Midwest Dairy Production Rises as Global Expansion Pressures Commodity PricesMakersCampus Creamery’s new owners are learning business in real timeIndiaHC seeks replies on plea against non-dairy products sold as paneerMakersThis New Jersey Creamery Is Absolutely GoatedTradeCME Cheese Prices Mixed: Blocks Up, Barrels Flat on October 14, 2026 - News and StatisticsHeritageThe Murray’s Cheese Advent Calendar Is A Two Week Charcuterie PartyMakersDid Maroons Creamery Close in Hoboken? Here’s What We KnowTradeCheese, butter lead cash dairy prices Thursday at CMEHeritageI Cooked Professionally for Years—This Creamy, Tangy Cheese Is One of My Favorite Grocery Store FindsIndiaHow To Make A Luxurious Festive Season Paneer Kheer Recipe In Under Twenty MinutesTradeUpper Midwest Dairy Production Rises as Global Expansion Pressures Commodity PricesMakersCampus Creamery’s new owners are learning business in real timeIndiaHC seeks replies on plea against non-dairy products sold as paneerMakersThis New Jersey Creamery Is Absolutely GoatedTradeCME Cheese Prices Mixed: Blocks Up, Barrels Flat on October 14, 2026 - News and StatisticsHeritageThe Murray’s Cheese Advent Calendar Is A Two Week Charcuterie PartyMakersDid Maroons Creamery Close in Hoboken? Here’s What We Know
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
🇦🇹 Austria and 2 moreVorarlberger Bergkäse A hard, nutty cow's-milk cheese from the Austrian Alps, aged for months or years.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇲🇽 MexicoCotija A salty, aged cow's milk cheese from Michoacán that crumbles but does not melt.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇧🇷 BrazilQueijo Coalho A squeaky, semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from Brazil, often grilled on sticks.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇫🇷 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 🇬🇷 GreeceMetsovoneΜετσοβόνε A semi-hard smoked pasta filata cheese from the Greek village of Metsovo.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceSaint-Félicien A creamy cow's milk cheese from France with a flower-patterned rindCow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇵🇭 PhilippinesKesong putiKesong putî A soft, unaged Filipino white cheese made from carabao or cow milk and curdled with acid.Cow · Fresh · Salty 🇺🇸 United StatesColby-Jack A mild American semi-hard cheese made by blending Colby and Monterey Jack curds.Cow · Semi-hard 🇵🇹 Portugal and 1 moreRequeijão A versatile dairy product ranging from whey cheese to creamy spreads across Portugal and Brazil.Cow · Whey · Milky and fresh 🇬🇧 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 🇮🇹 ItalyCaciotta A mild Italian cheese made from cow, sheep, goat, or buffalo milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇮🇹 ItalyRobiola A soft-ripened Italian cheese from Piedmont and Lombardy, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel 🇳🇱 NetherlandsBoerenkaas A Dutch semi-hard raw milk cheese with TSG protection, often spiced and farm-made.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇩🇪 GermanySpundekäs A spiced cream cheese spread from Northern Rhenish Hesse in Germany.Cow · Fresh · Salty 🇳🇴 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 🇪🇸 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 🇧🇷 BrazilCanastra cheese A raw cow's-milk cheese from Brazil's Serra da Canastra highlands.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇭🇺 HungaryPálpusztai cheese A pungent Hungarian soft cow's milk cheese aged for two to three weeks.Cow · Piquant and spicy 🇮🇳 IndiaBandel cheese A small, smoked cow's-milk cheese from West Bengal with a crumbly texture and tangy taste.Cow · Fresh · Salty 🇫🇷 FranceMottin charentais A cylindrical French soft cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk with a creamy taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy 🇫🇷 FranceDélice de Bourgogne A soft triple-cream cow's milk cheese from Burgundy with a bloomy rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇨🇳 ChinaRushan乳扇 A stretched cow's milk cheese from Yunnan dried into thin yellow sheets.Cow · Dried · Savoury and brothy 🇮🇹 ItalySquacquerone A soft, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from Romagna with a short maturation.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel 🇺🇸 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 🇩🇪 GermanyNieheimer Käse A sour milk cheese from North Rhine-Westphalia ripened in hops and flavored with caraway.Cow · Hard · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇧 United KingdomCrowdiegruth A soft, fresh Scottish cow's-milk cheese set by lactic acid without rennet.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇽🇰 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 🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreDubliner A hard, granular Irish cow's-milk cheese aged for at least a year.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇳🇱 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 🇲🇽 MexicoQueso Chihuahua A soft, melting cow's-milk cheese from the Mexican state of Chihuahua.Cow · Semi-soft 🇮🇹 ItalyDolcelatte A mild, sweet Italian blue cheese made from cow's milk with a soft texture.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel 🇮🇹 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 🇫🇮 Finland and 1 moreAura A Finnish cow's-milk blue cheese aged for six or twelve weeks.Cow · Blue · Salty 🇺🇾 UruguayColoniaQueso Colonia A semi-hard Uruguayan cheese with pale yellow paste and small eyes, inspired by Emmental.Cow · Semi-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 🇳🇱 Netherlands and 1 moreMaaslander A mild Dutch cow's milk Gouda with reduced salt and distinctive striped rinds.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalyCaprino An Italian goat's-milk cheese made in fresh or aged styles across several regions.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FranceTrou du Cru A pungent washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Burgundy, aged with local brandy.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇬🇧 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 🇫🇷 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 🇭🇷 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 🇨🇷 Costa RicaTurrialba cheese A fresh Costa Rican cow's milk cheese with protected origin status.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FranceExplorateur A soft-ripened triple cream cow's milk cheese from France with a squat cylindrical shape.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy 🇬🇧 United KingdomDerby A mild, semi-firm cow's milk cheese from Derbyshire with a buttery taste and smooth texture.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy
PreviousMore cheeses

Photo credits on this page

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.