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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
🇪🇸 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 🇮🇹 ItalyBra A Piedmontese cow's-milk cheese made soft or hard depending on age.Cow · Hard 🇫🇷 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 🇫🇷 FranceSaint-Marcellin A small, soft cow's-milk cheese from Isère with a creamy interior and bloomy rind.Cow · Bloomy rind 🇩🇪 GermanyMilbenkäse A German quark cheese ripened with living cheese mites in rye flour.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇬🇧 United KingdomWensleydale A medium, crumbly British cheese originally from sheep's milk in North Yorkshire.Cow · Semi-soft · Sweet and caramel 🇧🇯 Benin and 1 moreWagasi A soft, mild cow's-milk cheese from West Africa, often cooked in stews.Cow 🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreRumiجبنة رومى A hard, salty Egyptian cow or buffalo milk cheese with a pungent aroma.Cow · Hard · 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 🇮🇹 ItalyToma A soft to semi-hard Italian cow's milk cheese prized for melting.Cow · Bloomy rind 🇪🇸 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 🇸🇪 SwedenGrevé A semi-hard Swedish cow's-milk cheese with a nutty, slightly sweet flavour.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreTomme A low-fat alpine cheese from France and Switzerland, often made from skimmed milk.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 🇸🇪 SwedenHushållsost A mild, semi-hard Swedish cow's-milk cheese aged for about two months.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 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 🇫🇷 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 🇵🇹 PortugalCheese of PicoQueijo do Pico A soft, salty cow's-milk cheese from the Azores island of Pico, aged for three weeks.Cow · Salty 🇬🇧 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 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandBerner AlpkäseBerner Hobelkäse A hard, hole-free Swiss cheese from the Bernese Alps, aged up to two years.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇷🇺 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 AgurSant Agur A soft, double-cream French blue cheese with olive-green veins and a mild spicy taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · 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 🇮🇹 ItalyPiave A hard Italian cow's milk cheese from the Veneto region with a sweet flavor and PDO status.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇮🇹 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 🇧🇪 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 🇬🇧 United KingdomCornish Yarg A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Cornwall wrapped in nettle leaves.Cow · Semi-hard · 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 🇫🇷 FranceFaisselle A fresh, very soft French cheese strained in a faisselle mold, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FranceChaumesPalhas A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Périgord with a tangerine-orange rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 France and 2 moreFromage blanc A mild, acid-set fresh cheese from northern France and southern Belgium.Cow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel 🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreDomiatiجبنه دمياطى A soft, salty Egyptian white cheese salted before coagulation.Buffalo · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇨🇭 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 🇮🇹 ItalyRagusano A firm stretched-curd cow's-milk cheese from Sicily with protected status.Cow · Stretched curd 🇸🇪 SwedenÄdelost A pasteurized cow's-milk blue cheese from Sweden with a creamy texture and sharp flavor.Cow · Blue · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇵🇱 PolandGołka A cylindrical cow's-milk smoked cheese from Poland, pressed in wooden molds.Cow · Smoked · Smoky 🇫🇷 FranceTomme des PyrénéesToma de Pirenèus A rustic pressed cheese from the French Pyrenees, made from cow, sheep or goat milk.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇨🇿 Czech RepublicHermelín A soft Czech brie-style cheese with a white mold rind, often marinated or fried.Cow · Bloomy rind · Mushroomy 🇳🇴 NorwayPultost A soft Norwegian sour milk cheese flavored with caraway seeds and preserved with salt.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalySilter A brined, aged cow's-milk cheese from the Brescia mountains of Italy.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇪🇸 SpainValdeónQueso de Valdeón A Spanish blue cheese from León wrapped in sycamore or chestnut leavesCow · Semi-soft · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇪🇸 SpainSan Simón da Costa A pear-shaped, smoked cow's milk cheese from Galicia with a smooth brown rind.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 🇫🇷 FranceVieux-Boulogne A soft, beer-washed cow's milk cheese from northern France known for its intense aroma.Cow · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇬🇧 United KingdomCaboc A Scottish cream cheese made from double cream and rolled in toasted oatmeal.Cow · Fresh · Buttery and creamy 🇵🇾 ParaguayParaguay cheesekesú Paraguái A soft, creamy cow's-milk cheese from the eastern wetlands of Paraguay.Cow · Fresh · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalyFormaggio di fossa A sharp Italian cheese aged in sealed underground pits for a distinct anaerobic fermentation.Cow · Semi-hard · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇫🇷 FranceSaint Albray A soft cow's-milk cheese from France with a flower-shaped rind and hollow center.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh
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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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