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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
🇽🇰 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 🇮🇪 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 🇵🇱 PolandRokpol A pungent, salty Polish blue cheese made from cow's milk.Cow · Blue · Pungent and funky 🇹🇷 TurkeyKars gravyer cheese A Turkish hard cheese from Kars Province made with cow or goat milk in large wheels.Cow · Hard 🇨🇦 CanadaOka A semi-soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Quebec with a copper-orange rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Pungent and funky 🇷🇺 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 🇮🇹 ItalyPallone di Gravina A firm pasta filata cow's milk cheese from southern Italy, aged for at least a year.Cow · Stretched curd · Nutty 🇮🇹 ItalyReblecRéblèque A fresh Aosta Valley cheese made from surfaced cream and raw milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FranceBrousse A lumpy whey cheese from Provence and Corsica made from cow, sheep or goat milk.Cow · Whey · Milky and fresh 🇨🇴 ColombiaPaipa cheeseQueso Paipa A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from the Valley of Sogamoso in Colombia.Cow · Semi-hard 🇳🇱 NetherlandsParrano A semi-firm Dutch cow's milk cheese aged five months with a nutty, salty-sweet profile.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇳🇱 Netherlands and 1 moreMaaslander A mild Dutch cow's milk Gouda with reduced salt and distinctive striped rinds.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇳🇴 NorwayKraftkar A Norwegian blue cheese made from cow's milk and cream in Nordmøre.Cow · Blue · Salty 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMaredsous A semi-hard cow's milk washed-rind cheese with an orange crust and pungent aroma.Cow · Semi-hard · Pungent and funky 🇨🇦 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 🇫🇷 FranceTome fraîcheToma fresca A hard-pressed, unsalted cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac region of France.Cow · Hard · Milky and fresh 🇬🇧 United KingdomDovedale A soft, brine-dipped cow's milk blue cheese from the English Peak District.Cow · Blue · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceExplorateur A soft-ripened triple cream cow's milk cheese from France with a squat cylindrical shape.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy 🇬🇧 United KingdomTintern A soft, blended cow's milk Cheddar flavoured with chives and shallots, wrapped in lime green wax.Cow · Semi-soft · Herbal and grassy 🇺🇸 United StatesBrick cheese A Wisconsin cow's-milk cheese shaped like a brick with an orange rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇮🇹 ItalyCaprino An Italian goat's-milk cheese made in fresh or aged styles across several regions.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FranceTrou du Cru A pungent washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Burgundy, aged with local brandy.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇭🇷 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 🇨🇷 Costa RicaTurrialba cheese A fresh Costa Rican cow's milk cheese with protected origin status.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇧🇷 BrazilQueijo prato A mild, semi-hard Brazilian cow's milk cheese with a yellow paste and low salt content.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇬🇧 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 🇮🇹 ItalyProvola silana A semi-hard stretched-curd cheese from the Sila mountains of southern Italy.Cow · Semi-hard 🇮🇹 ItalyMorlaccoMorlac A soft, low-fat cow's milk cheese from the Monte Grappa hills in Veneto.Cow 🇺🇸 United StatesPinconning cheese A semi-hard American Colby-style cow's milk cheese aged to various sharpness levels.Cow · Semi-hard · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇬🇧 United KingdomLittle Derby A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from England with a washed red wine rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇦🇹 AustriaMondseer A semi-hard Austrian cow's milk cheese with a washed rind and mild sharp taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel 🇬🇪 Georgia and 1 moreAbkhazian cheeseაფხაზური ყველი A stretched-curd cheese made from sheep or cow milk, kept by the Abkhaz diaspora in Turkey.Sheep · Stretched curd 🇷🇴 Romania and 1 moreBrânză de vaci A fresh, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from Romania and Moldova, similar to quark.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇬🇧 United KingdomSuffolk Bang A hard, heavily salted skimmed-milk cheese from Suffolk, England.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalyHyblean ricottaRicotta iblea A whey cheese from Sicily made with Modicana cow's milk and used in local pastries.Cow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel 🇨🇦 CanadaLe Riopelle de l'Isle A soft triple-cream cow's milk cheese from Isle-aux-Grues in Quebec.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy 🇮🇹 Italy and 3 moreAlpkäse A seasonal hard cow's-milk cheese made on high Alpine pastures in summer.Cow · Hard · Tangy and lactic 🇺🇸 United StatesProvel cheese A white processed cheese blend of cheddar, Swiss and provolone with liquid smoke, made in St. Louis.Cow · Processed · Buttery and creamy 🇮🇹 ItalyRicotta di fuscella A fresh cow's milk ricotta from Campania, shaped in a truncated cone basket.Cow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel 🇨🇦 CanadaDragon's Breath Blue A soft, wax-coated blue cheese from Nova Scotia with a pungent aroma and briny liquid.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇨🇦 CanadaPikauba A semi-firm washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Quebec with a buttery taste and orange rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇬🇧 United KingdomBanbury cheese A historic English cow's-milk cheese from Oxfordshire, known for its thin rounds and sharp taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇦🇷 ArgentinaCremoso A mild, semi-soft Argentine cow's milk cheese with no rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇬🇧 United KingdomSuffolk Gold A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Suffolk with a buttery taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Buttery and creamy 🇮🇹 ItalyProvatura A fresh pasta filata cheese from Lazio, shaped like an egg and made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇬🇧 United KingdomOxford Blue A soft, creamy English blue cheese with spicy and chocolate notes, made in Oxfordshire.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇨🇦 CanadaFriulano A rindless Canadian cow's-milk cheese with a salty hazelnut flavour, aged to improve its character.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty
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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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