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EveryCheese

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.

StyleFreshBrinedStretched curdBloomy rindLacticWashed rindSemi-softSemi-hardAlpineHardBlueSmokedWheyDriedProcessed
FlavourMilky and freshButtery and creamyNuttySweet and caramelTangy and lacticSaltySharp and tangy-agedSavoury and brothyEarthy and cellarMushroomyPungent and funkySmokyHerbal and grassyPiquant and spicy
🇮🇹 ItalyCastelrosso A rare semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Piedmont with a gray rind and mild lactic flavor.Cow · Semi-hard · Buttery and creamy 🇮🇪 IrelandWicklow Farmhouse Cheese A range of handmade cow's milk cheeses from Arklow, Ireland, spanning soft bries to hard cheddars.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇮🇳 IndiaKalimpong cheese A mild, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from a West Bengal hill station, started by a Jesuit priest.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreTilsitTilsiter A semi-hard smear-ripened cow's milk cheese from East Prussia with a dark yellow rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreTête de Moine A semi-hard Swiss cow's milk cheese shaved into rosettes with a special tool.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceFourme d'AmbertForma d'Embèrt A narrow cylindrical blue cheese from the Auvergne region of France.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceLaguioleLa Guiòla A semi-hard pressed cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac plateau in southern France.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇳🇴 NorwayGamalostgammelost A firm, sour Norwegian cheese made from skimmed cow's milk and aged for several weeks.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇧 United KingdomLancashire cheese A cow's-milk cheese from England with creamy, nutty, or crumbly varieties.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇪🇸 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 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreTomme A low-fat alpine cheese from France and Switzerland, often made from skimmed milk.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh 🇸🇪 SwedenHushållsost A mild, semi-hard Swedish cow's-milk cheese aged for about two months.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalyValtellina CaseraCasera de la Valtolina A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the Sondrio province of Italy, aged for a complex flavour.Cow · Semi-hard · 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 🇸🇪 SwedenPrästost A semi-hard Swedish cow's-milk cheese with a mild, nutty flavour and a washed rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreVacherin Fribourgeois A Swiss semi-hard washed-rind cheese from the canton of Fribourg with a resiny taste.Cow · Semi-hard · 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 🇪🇸 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 🇷🇺 RussiaRussian cheeseРоссийский сыр A semi-hard cow's milk cheese aged for two months, developed in the Soviet Union.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalyCaprino An Italian goat's-milk cheese made in fresh or aged styles across several regions.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇪🇬 EgyptEgyptian cheeseجبنة (gebna) A broad category of cheeses central to Egyptian cuisine, ranging from fresh white types to aged blue varieties.Cow · Fresh · Salty 🇬🇧 United KingdomLancashire cheese A cow's-milk cheese from England with three main styles: creamy, tasty, and crumbly.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty

Photo credits on this page

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

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