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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
🇫🇷 FrancePélardon A small, round soft-ripened goat cheese from the Cévennes mountains of southern France.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇹🇷 TurkeyBeyaz peynir A salty Turkish brine cheese made from sheep, cow, or goat milk.Mixed · Brined · Salty 🇸🇰 Slovakia and 1 moreKorbáčikkorbáčik (Slovak), korbacz (Polish) A braided string cheese from the Orava region of Slovakia and Poland.Cow · Stretched curd · Salty 🇫🇷 FranceTome des Bauges A pressed cow's-milk cheese from the French Alps with a grey-brown rind and hazelnut aroma.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreWeisslackerWeißlacker A pungent German cow's-milk cheese aged seven months with a whitewashed rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Pungent and funky 🇪🇸 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 🇮🇹 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 🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreRumiجبنة رومى A hard, salty Egyptian cow or buffalo milk cheese with a pungent aroma.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇪🇸 SpainZamoranoQueso zamorano A hard, dark-rinded sheep's milk cheese from the province of Zamora in Spain.Sheep · Hard · Nutty 🇫🇷 FrancePetit suisse A fresh, creamy French cow's milk cheese from Normandy, often sold in small cups.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreTomme A low-fat alpine cheese from France and Switzerland, often made from skimmed milk.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh 🇨🇾 CyprusAnariαναρή A fresh whey cheese from Cyprus made from sheep or goat milk.Sheep · Fresh · Salty 🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreStracciatella A fresh Italian shredded curd cheese mixed with cream, made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇩🇪 GermanyMilbenkäse A German quark cheese ripened with living cheese mites in rye flour.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇪🇸 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 🇬🇧 United KingdomWensleydale A medium, crumbly British cheese originally from sheep's milk in North Yorkshire.Cow · Semi-soft · Sweet and caramel 🇵🇹 PortugalCheese of PicoQueijo do Pico A soft, salty cow's-milk cheese from the Azores island of Pico, aged for three weeks.Cow · Salty 🇹🇷 TurkeyTulumtulum peyniri A traditional Turkish goat's milk cheese ripened inside a goatskin casing.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FranceAbbaye de Tamié A soft cow's-milk cheese aged in the cellars of a Savoyard abbey by monks.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandBerner AlpkäseBerner Hobelkäse A hard, hole-free Swiss cheese from the Bernese Alps, aged up to two years.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇸🇪 SwedenHushållsost A mild, semi-hard Swedish cow's-milk cheese aged for about two months.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇷🇺 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 🇫🇷 FranceSaint-PaulinSaint Paulin A semi-soft French cow's milk cheese with a washed orange rind and buttery flavour.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇫🇷 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 🇬🇧 United KingdomSage Derby A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from England with a mottled green rind and sage flavour.Cow · Semi-hard · Herbal and grassy 🇸🇪 SwedenPrästost A semi-hard Swedish cow's-milk cheese with a mild, nutty flavour and a washed rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreKopanistiΚοπανιστή A soft, spicy Greek cheese from the Cyclades, made by kneading ripening curds.Mixed · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreDomiatiجبنه دمياطى A soft, salty Egyptian white cheese salted before coagulation.Buffalo · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇫🇷 FranceRigotte de Condrieu A small, soft goat cheese from the Lyonnaise region with a white mold rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇧 United KingdomCornish Yarg A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Cornwall wrapped in nettle leaves.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 France and 2 moreFromage blanc A mild, acid-set fresh cheese from northern France and southern Belgium.Cow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel 🇫🇷 FranceChabichou A cylindrical French goat cheese with a natural rind, aged for two to three weeks.Goat · Semi-soft · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 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 🇫🇷 FranceChaumesPalhas A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Périgord with a tangerine-orange rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceFaisselle A fresh, very soft French cheese strained in a faisselle mold, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇮🇹 ItalyPiave A hard Italian cow's milk cheese from the Veneto region with a sweet flavor and PDO status.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇪🇸 SpainIboresQueso Ibores A firm, salty goat cheese from Extremadura with a natural or paprika-rubbed rind.Goat · Semi-hard · Salty 🇵🇱 PolandRedykołka A smoked, salted sheep's milk cheese from Poland's Podhale region, shaped like animals or hearts.Sheep · Semi-hard · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalySilter A brined, aged cow's-milk cheese from the Brescia mountains of Italy.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇳🇴 NorwayPultost A soft Norwegian sour milk cheese flavored with caraway seeds and preserved with salt.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇨🇿 Czech RepublicHermelín A soft Czech brie-style cheese with a white mold rind, often marinated or fried.Cow · Bloomy rind · Mushroomy 🇫🇷 FranceTomme des PyrénéesToma de Pirenèus A rustic pressed cheese from the French Pyrenees, made from cow, sheep or goat milk.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalySalvaSalva cremasco A washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Lombardy, aged for several months.Cow · Washed rind · Savoury and brothy 🇬🇪 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 🇪🇸 SpainValdeónQueso de Valdeón A Spanish blue cheese from León wrapped in sycamore or chestnut leavesCow · Semi-soft · Sharp and tangy-aged
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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.