Cow's milk cheeses

Most of the world's cheese: cheddar, Gouda, Brie, Parmigiano, paneer and the great Alpine wheels.

Cow's milk makes most of the world's cheese. It is plentiful, mild and balanced in fat and protein, which lets cheesemakers turn it into everything from paneer to Parmigiano. Its fat carries carotene from grass, so cow's milk cheese is often pale yellow, deeper in summer when the herds graze fresh pasture. Cheddar, Gouda, Brie, Camembert, Emmental, Comté and mozzarella all begin here, and so does most of India's paneer.

Breeds and feed

Breed matters to a cheesemaker. Holstein-Friesians give large volumes of milk, while Jersey and Guernsey milk is richer in fat and protein. Many protected cheeses name their breeds: Comté must be made from the milk of Montbéliarde or French Simmental cows, and some Parmigiano Reggiano dairies work only with the old red Reggiana breed. Feed matters too. The rules for Comté and Parmigiano Reggiano forbid silage, because fermented feed can carry bacteria that spoil a long-aged wheel.

India and the cooperatives

India produces more milk than any other country, from cows and buffaloes together, and a great deal of it becomes paneer and chhena. The cooperative movement that began at Anand in Gujarat in 1946 grew, through the programme known as Operation Flood, into a national network of village dairies, and today it makes paneer, processed cheese and mozzarella on a large scale. Native breeds such as Gir and Sahiwal are kept for their milk, and many families still set paneer at home from the morning's delivery.

One milk, many cheeses

Cow's milk can become soft or hard, fresh or aged for years. It separates its cream easily, which suits both butter and skimmed-milk cheeses, and its curd sets firmly with rennet. Cheeses from the same milk can taste wholly different depending on the cultures, the size of the cut, the cooking, the salting and the cellar. That is why cheddar and Camembert, paneer and Parmigiano, all made from the milk of the same kind of animal, share almost nothing on the plate.

Worth knowing

Cheddar: The most widely copied cheese in the world
Parmigiano Reggiano: Grana of the Po valley, aged at least a year
Gouda: Dutch washed-curd cheese, young to very old
Camembert de Normandie: Raw-milk bloomy rind of Normandy
Comté: Jura wheel of Montbéliarde milk
Emmental: Swiss wheel with large holes
Paneer: India's fresh pressed cheese
Kalimpong cheese: Small Himalayan wheel of West Bengal

Good to know

Pale cheese in winter and golden cheese in summer is normal for pasture-fed herds.
Cow's milk cheeses suit almost any wine, beer or tea: match strength with strength.
Store firm cow's milk cheeses in paper and soft ones in a closed box.

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.

Cow on EveryCheese

The cheeses written up so far, best known first.

🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreMozzarella A semi-soft Italian stretched-curd cheese made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Semi-soft · Milky and fresh 🇺🇸 United StatesHoop cheese A simple fresh cow's milk cheese pressed in a wooden ring to remove wheyCow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇪🇬 EgyptAreeshجبنة قريش A soft, crumbly Egyptian cheese made from skimmed buffalo or cow milk.Buffalo · Fresh · Tangy and lactic

🇹🇷 Turkey and 1 moreBasket cheesesepet peyniri A fresh, unsalted or lightly salted whey and curd cheese shaped in reed baskets from the Aegean coast.Goat · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreRicotta A fresh Italian whey cheese made by reheating leftover proteins from other cheesemaking batches.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇺🇸 United StatesD'Isigny A soft American cheese modeled on French Brie and Camembert styles.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreGvina levanaגבינה לבנה A soft, unripened cow's-milk cheese spread on bread in Israel.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇺🇸 United States and 1 morePot cheese A soft, crumbly, unaged cow's-milk cheese popular in North America and Austria.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇲🇽 MexicoPanela cheeseQueso panela A fresh, white Mexican cow's-milk cheese that holds its shape when fried.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇳 India and 4 morePaneer A fresh, non-melting acid-set cheese made from cow or buffalo milk in South Asia.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreQuarkTvorog A fresh, acid-set cow's milk cheese with a smooth texture and mild taste.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇹 ItalyBurrata A fresh Italian cheese with a solid mozzarella pouch filled with cream and stracciatella.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreCottage cheese A fresh, unaged curd cheese made from skimmed milk and dressed with cream.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic

🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreKashkavalkaşkaval A semi-hard yellow cheese from cow, sheep, or goat milk, popular across the Balkans and Turkey.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh

🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreTvorogтворог A soft, white fermented cow's milk curd from Central and Eastern Europe.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreKhoa A soft South Asian cheese made by simmering whole milk until thick and dry.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreBel Paese A semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Italy with a mild buttery flavor and pale yellow color.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy

🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreCheese curds Fresh, squeaky pieces of cheddar-style curd eaten in North America.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇫🇷 France and 1 moreCancoillotte A runny French cheese made by melting metton, served hot or cold in the east.Cow · Processed · Milky and fresh

🇪🇸 SpainTetillaQueixo Tetilla A soft, conical cow's-milk cheese from Galicia with a distinctive nipple-like peak.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy

🇫🇷 FranceBrie de Meaux A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese with a white rind from the Brie region of France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChhenaଛେନ୍ନା / ছানা A fresh, acid-set cow or buffalo milk cheese from eastern India and Bangladesh.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 moreOaxaca cheesequeso Oaxaca A semi-hard, stringy cow's milk cheese from southern Mexico, made using the pasta filata method.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh

🇺🇸 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

🇫🇷 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

🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreStracciatella A fresh Italian shredded curd cheese mixed with cream, made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇪🇸 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

🇫🇷 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

🇫🇷 FranceFaisselle A fresh, very soft French cheese strained in a faisselle mold, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇬🇧 United KingdomCaboc A Scottish cream cheese made from double cream and rolled in toasted oatmeal.Cow · Fresh · Buttery and creamy

🇫🇷 FranceSaint Albray A soft cow's-milk cheese from France with a flower-shaped rind and hollow center.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh

🇫🇷 FranceSaint-Félicien A creamy cow's milk cheese from France with a flower-patterned rindCow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh

🇲🇽 MexicoCotija A salty, aged cow's milk cheese from Michoacán that crumbles but does not melt.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty

🇵🇹 Portugal and 1 moreRequeijão A versatile dairy product ranging from whey cheese to creamy spreads across Portugal and Brazil.Cow · Whey · Milky and fresh

🇮🇹 ItalyCaciotta A mild Italian cheese made from cow, sheep, goat, or buffalo milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh

🇪🇸 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 🇳🇱 NetherlandsGraskaas A fresh Dutch cheese crafted from the first spring milkings of pasture-bound cows.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇹 ItalyReblecRéblèque A fresh Aosta Valley cheese made from surfaced cream and raw milk.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

🇨🇷 Costa RicaTurrialba cheese A fresh Costa Rican cow's milk cheese with protected origin status.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇹 ItalyCaprino An Italian goat's-milk cheese made in fresh or aged styles across several regions.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic

🇭🇷 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

🇫🇷 FranceTome fraîcheToma fresca A hard-pressed, unsalted cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac region of France.Cow · Hard · Milky and fresh

🇫🇷 FranceBrousse A lumpy whey cheese from Provence and Corsica made from cow, sheep or goat milk.Cow · Whey · Milky and fresh

🇨🇦 CanadaLe Pied de Vent A soft raw cow's milk cheese from Quebec's Magdalen Islands, aged for sixty days.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇮🇹 ItalyProvatura A fresh pasta filata cheese from Lazio, shaped like an egg and made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇹 ItalyStracciata A fresh, tattered cow's-milk pasta filata cheese from the Molise region of Italy.Cow · Stretched curd · Milky and fresh

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Brie de Meaux: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Paneer: Sonja Pauen - Stanhopea, CC BY 2.0 de, source
Bel Paese: Jon Sullivan, Public domain, source
Tetilla: Tamorlan, CC BY 3.0, source
Ricotta: 8w9d, CC0, source
Petit suisse: Chtfn, CC BY 2.5, source
Saint Albray: Lyokoï88, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Tomme: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Faisselle: Véronique PAGNIER, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Cancoillotte: Popo le Chien, CC0, source
Basa: Radmila Popadić, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Basket cheese: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Turrialba cheese: Ana BR, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Tvorog: Loyna, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Mozzarella: Popo le Chien, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Stracciatella: Florixc (original version) ; Off-shell (reprocessed version), CC0, source
Afuega'l pitu: Denissf, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Quark: SKopp, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Cheese curds: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2, source
Cottage cheese: F ASTILY (T ALK ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Burrata: Popo le Chien, CC0, source
Caprino: Number55, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Kashkaval: Nnikolce, Public domain, source
Khoa: Miansari66, Public domain, source
Chhena: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
Oaxaca cheese: Javier Lastras, CC BY 2.0, source
Abbaye de Tamié: Tangopaso, Public domain, source
Colby: Jeff the quiet, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Saint-Félicien: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Cotija: Leslie Seaton, CC BY 2.0, source
Tome fraîche: Flblbl, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Requeijão: Comte0, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Reblec: F Ceragioli, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Caciotta: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Brousse: Roland Darré, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Mallorca: Tamorlan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Le Pied de Vent: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Stracciata: Desipere, Public domain, source
Panela cheese: Pyb, CC BY-SA 4.0, source