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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
🇮🇹 Italy and 3 moreParmesanParmigiano Reggiano A hard, granular cow's-milk cheese aged at least a year in northern Italy.Cow · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇮🇪 IrelandCoolea A wax-rinded cow's milk cheese from County Cork with sweet, caramelly notes.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇮🇪 IrelandWicklow Farmhouse Cheese A range of handmade cow's milk cheeses from Arklow, Ireland, spanning soft bries to hard cheddars.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇮🇪 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 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 2 moreGruyère A hard, pressed Swiss cheese made from raw cow's milk, aged for several months.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇫🇷 France and 2 moreBlue cheese A family of cheeses defined by blue-green mold veins created through deliberate inoculation and piercing.Cow · Semi-soft · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇮🇹 ItalyPecorino A family of Italian hard sheep's-milk cheeses with protected status.Sheep · Hard · Buttery and creamy 🇮🇹 ItalyGrana Padano A hard, grainy Italian cow's-milk cheese aged for at least nine months in the Po Valley.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandAppenzeller A hard, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from northeast Switzerland with a herbal brine rind.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇮🇹 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 🇫🇷 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 🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreKefalotyriκεφαλοτύρι A hard, salty Greek cheese made from sheep or goat milk, aged for grating or frying.Sheep · Hard · Salty 🇬🇧 United KingdomCaerphilly A hard, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from South Wales with a mild lemony taste.Cow · Hard · Tangy and lactic 🇵🇹 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 🇪🇸 SpainIdiazabalIdiazabal gazta A hard, pressed sheep's milk cheese from the Basque Country with a dark rind and optional smoke.Sheep · Hard · 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 🇬🇧 United KingdomRed Leicester A hard, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from England, aged for months and coloured with annatto.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇬🇷 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 🇸🇪 SwedenVästerbottenVästerbottensost A hard, salty Swedish cow's milk cheese aged at least a year in VästerbottenCow · Hard · Salty 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandSchabziger A hard, green whey cheese from Switzerland flavored with blue fenugreek.Cow · Hard · Herbal and grassy 🇬🇧 United KingdomDunlopcàise Dhùn Lùib A mild Scottish cheese from Ayrshire made with unskimmed cow's milk.Cow · Semi-soft · 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 🇪🇸 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 🇪🇸 SpainZamoranoQueso zamorano A hard, dark-rinded sheep's milk cheese from the province of Zamora in Spain.Sheep · Hard · Nutty 🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreRumiجبنة رومى A hard, salty Egyptian cow or buffalo milk cheese with a pungent aroma.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandBerner AlpkäseBerner Hobelkäse A hard, hole-free Swiss cheese from the Bernese Alps, aged up to two years.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalyPiave A hard Italian cow's milk cheese from the Veneto region with a sweet flavor and PDO status.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇫🇷 FranceTomme des PyrénéesToma de Pirenèus A rustic pressed cheese from the French Pyrenees, made from cow, sheep or goat milk.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalySilter A brined, aged cow's-milk cheese from the Brescia mountains of Italy.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇬🇷 GreeceLadotyri MytilinisΛαδοτύρι Μυτιλήνης A hard Greek cheese from Lesbos preserved in olive oil since ancient times.Sheep · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇦🇹 Austria and 2 moreVorarlberger Bergkäse A hard, nutty cow's-milk cheese from the Austrian Alps, aged for months or years.Cow · 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 🇲🇽 MexicoCotija A salty, aged cow's milk cheese from Michoacán that crumbles but does not melt.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇧🇷 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 🇨🇿 Czech RepublicAbertam cheese A hard, pressed sheep's-milk cheese from the Bohemian mountains of the Czech Republic.Sheep · Hard 🇩🇪 GermanyNieheimer Käse A sour milk cheese from North Rhine-Westphalia ripened in hops and flavored with caraway.Cow · Hard · Tangy and lactic 🇳🇱 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 🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreDubliner A hard, granular Irish cow's-milk cheese aged for at least a year.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇫🇮 Finland and 1 moreAura A Finnish cow's-milk blue cheese aged for six or twelve weeks.Cow · Blue · Salty 🇽🇰 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 🇫🇷 FranceTome fraîcheToma fresca A hard-pressed, unsalted cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac region of France.Cow · Hard · Milky and fresh 🇧🇦 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 🇩🇪 GermanyHirtenkäse A German hard cheese aged for eight months, known for its golden color and savory flavor.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇮🇹 ItalyCanestrato A hard Italian cheese from sheep and goat milk, aged in traditional baskets.Mixed · Hard · Salty 🇨🇿 Czech Republic and 1 moreGran Moravia A hard, long-aged cow's-milk grana-style cheese from the Czech Republic.Cow · Hard · Nutty
More 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.