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.

🇳🇱 NetherlandsRoomano An aged hard cow's-milk cheese from Friesland with less butterfat than standard Gouda.Cow · Hard · Salty

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreRicotta A fresh Italian whey cheese made by reheating leftover proteins from other cheesemaking batches.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇳🇴 NorwayFløtemysost A mild brown cheese from Norway made with cow's milk and cream.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel

🇮🇪 IrelandCoolea A wax-rinded cow's milk cheese from County Cork with sweet, caramelly notes.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel

🇨🇭 Switzerland and 2 moreGruyère A hard, pressed Swiss cheese made from raw cow's milk, aged for several months.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel

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

🇫🇷 FranceComté A hard, cooked-pressed cow's milk cheese from eastern France, aged up to three years.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty

🇳🇱 NetherlandsMaasdam A semi-hard Dutch cow's milk cheese with holes, aged for one to three months.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty

🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreAsiago A pressed cow's milk cheese from the Veneto plateau, sold fresh or aged.Cow · Semi-soft · Sweet and caramel

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

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreHavartiflødehavarti A semi-soft Danish cow's-milk cheese with a buttery taste and small irregular eyes.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy

🇫🇷 FranceBleu du Vercors-Sassenage A mild, semi-soft cow's milk blue cheese from the French Alps.Cow · Semi-soft · Sweet and caramel

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMonterey Jack A mild, semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from California with a creamy texture and slight sweetness.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel

🇳🇱 Netherlands and 1 moreLeerdammer A Dutch semihard cow's-milk cheese with holes and a sweet nutty taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel

🇬🇧 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

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSwiss cheese A yellow, medium-hard cheese with characteristic holes, produced globally in various styles.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty

🇬🇧 United KingdomDunlopcàise Dhùn Lùib A mild Scottish cheese from Ayrshire made with unskimmed cow's milk.Cow · Semi-soft · Sweet and caramel

🇸🇪 SwedenGrevé A semi-hard Swedish cow's-milk cheese with a nutty, slightly sweet flavour.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty

🇬🇧 United KingdomWensleydale A medium, crumbly British cheese originally from sheep's milk in North Yorkshire.Cow · Semi-soft · Sweet and caramel

🇫🇷 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

🇮🇹 ItalyPiave A hard Italian cow's milk cheese from the Veneto region with a sweet flavor and PDO status.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel

🇫🇷 FranceFaisselle A fresh, very soft French cheese strained in a faisselle mold, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇹 ItalyMonte Veronese A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from Verona with fresh and aged varieties.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇧🇪 BelgiumPassendale A semi-soft cow's-milk cheese from Belgium with a golden paste and mild, slightly sweet flavor.Cow · Semi-soft · Sweet and caramel

🇫🇷 France and 2 moreFromage blanc A mild, acid-set fresh cheese from northern France and southern Belgium.Cow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel

🇷🇴 RomaniaNăsal A smear-ripened cow's-milk cheese from Romania aged in a natural cave.Cow · Washed rind · Sweet and caramel

🇮🇹 ItalyFormai de Mut dell'Alta Valle Brembana A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the high pastures of Lombardy, Italy.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel

🇮🇹 ItalyRobiola A soft-ripened Italian cheese from Piedmont and Lombardy, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel

🇨🇳 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

🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreDubliner A hard, granular Irish cow's-milk cheese aged for at least a year.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel

🇮🇹 ItalyDolcelatte A mild, sweet Italian blue cheese made from cow's milk with a soft texture.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel 🇳🇱 NetherlandsParrano A semi-firm Dutch cow's milk cheese aged five months with a nutty, salty-sweet profile.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty

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

🇬🇧 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 🇺🇸 United StatesBrick cheese A Wisconsin cow's-milk cheese shaped like a brick with an orange rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel

🇩🇪 GermanyHirtenkäse A German hard cheese aged for eight months, known for its golden color and savory flavor.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇮🇹 ItalyRicotta di fuscella A fresh cow's milk ricotta from Campania, shaped in a truncated cone basket.Cow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel

🇮🇹 ItalyHyblean ricottaRicotta iblea A whey cheese from Sicily made with Modicana cow's milk and used in local pastries.Cow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel

🇮🇹 ItalyProvola A semi-hard stretched curd cheese from southern Italy, often smoked or aged.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇦🇹 AustriaMondseer A semi-hard Austrian cow's milk cheese with a washed rind and mild sharp taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel

🇬🇧 United KingdomOxford Blue A soft, creamy English blue cheese with spicy and chocolate notes, made in Oxfordshire.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic

🇷🇺 Russia and 2 morePaskhaпа́сха A sweet, molded East Slavic Easter cheese made from tvorog and dairy.Cow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel

🇵🇱 PolandHomogenized cheeseserek homogenizowany A smooth Polish fresh cheese made from acid-set curd and cream.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇳 IndiaChhena Podaଛେନାପୋଡ଼ A baked Odisha dessert of caramelised cottage cheese and sugarCow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel

🇺🇸 United StatesMonterey Jack A mild, semi-hard cow's milk cheese from California with a creamy texture and slight sweetness.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel

Photo credits on this page

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

Provola: Enzian44, CC BY 3.0, source
Dunlop: Rosser1954 Roger Griffith, Public domain, source
Havarti: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Piave: J.P.Lon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage: Damouns, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Monterey Jack: Daniel Olsen ( talk ), CC BY 1.0, source
Năsal: Vlad Trifa, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Monterey Jack: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Ricotta: 8w9d, CC0, source
Leerdammer: M.Minderhoud, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Grevé: Ankara, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Monte Veronese: La Casara Caseificio Dal 1920, CC BY 2.0, source
Red Leicester: Jon Sullivan, Public domain, source
Faisselle: Véronique PAGNIER, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Gruyère: Rolf Krahl ( Rotkraut ), CC BY 4.0, source
Fromage blanc: Pancrat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Comté: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Coolea: Gary Soup, CC BY 2.0, source
Asiago: Shabicht, CC0, source
Quark: SKopp, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Graviera: Catlemur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Khoa: Miansari66, Public domain, source
Maasdam: Arz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Swiss cheese: Renee Comet (photographer), Public domain, source
Saint-Paulin: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Wensleydale: Jon Sullivan, Public domain, source
Dolcelatte: Richard Rutter, CC BY 2.0, source
Formai de Mut dell'Alta Valle Brembana: MOs810, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Reblec: F Ceragioli, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Derby: Compro, Public domain, source
Robiola: Andrea Marchisio, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Rushan: Zhangmoon618, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Squacquerone: WILO-MA, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Dubliner: B137, CC0, source
Hyblean ricotta: Micniosi, Public domain, source
Hirtenkäse: Heinrich von Zügel, Public domain, source
Oxford Blue: Amanda Slater, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Homogenized cheese: Kaworu1992, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Chhena Poda: http://recipes.oriyaonline.com/content_images/chhena%20poda.JPG, FAL, source
Paskha: Mitrius, Public domain, source