Everyday use: cheeses that mark them
The cheeses of the working kitchen, reached for every day.
Most cheese is not for feasts but for every day: the block of cheddar in a British fridge, paneer bought fresh from an Indian dairy, Gouda sliced each morning in the Netherlands, feta on a Greek table at every meal and queso fresco in a Mexican kitchen. These are the working cheeses, chosen because they are reliable, easy to find and good in many dishes.
The everyday cheese of each country
Each country has its default cheese. In Britain and Ireland it is cheddar; in the Netherlands, Gouda; in Greece, feta, eaten with almost every meal; in Turkey, beyaz peynir; in Mexico, queso fresco and Oaxaca; in Brazil, queijo Minas; in India, paneer, and in many cities, processed cheese. Greece is among the countries that eat the most cheese per person in the world, and a large share of it is feta.
Buying and keeping
Buy fresh cheeses in small amounts and use them quickly; firm cheeses keep for weeks if they are well wrapped. Wrap cut cheese in waxed paper or cheese paper and then a loose bag, so it can breathe without drying out. Keep it in the vegetable drawer of the fridge, where it is cool and a little humid. Grate the leftover ends of hard cheese and freeze them for cooking, and save Parmigiano rinds for soup.
Making it at home
Paneer is made at home in many Indian kitchens: milk brought to the boil, lemon juice or vinegar stirred in, and the curds tied in muslin and pressed under a heavy pan. The same method makes queso blanco in Latin America. Quark, strained yoghurt cheese and ricotta are just as easy. Making a fresh cheese at home takes less than an hour and shows how all cheese begins: milk, a way to set it, and time.
Worth knowing
- Cheddar: The everyday cheese of Britain and Ireland
- Gouda: Sliced each morning in the Netherlands
- Feta: On the Greek table at every meal
- Beyaz peynir: Turkey's daily white cheese
- Queso fresco: Crumbled over Mexican food
- Minas cheese: Brazil's daily fresh cheese
- Paneer: Bought fresh or made at home in India
Sources and further reading
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.
Everyday use on EveryCheese
The cheeses written up so far, best known first.
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreFetaφέτα
A crumbly Greek brined cheese made from sheep and goat milk.Sheep · Brined · Tangy and lactic
🇾🇪 YemenYemeni cheeseجبنة تعز
A smoked semi-hard sheep or goat milk cheese from Taiz Governorate in Yemen.Sheep · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy
🇹🇷 TurkeyVan herbed cheeseVan otlu peyniri
A semi-hard sheep's-milk cheese from eastern Turkey, infused with wild herbs and brined.Sheep · Semi-soft · Salty
🇲🇹 MaltaĠbejna
A small Maltese sheep's-milk cheese shaped in reed hurdles and sold fresh, dried, or peppered.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 ItalyPecorino
A family of Italian hard sheep's-milk cheeses with protected status.Sheep · Hard · Buttery and creamy
🇧🇬 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
🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreCaciocavallo
A stretched-curd cheese from southern Italy shaped like a teardrop and aged to develop a hard rind.Cow · Stretched curd · Nutty
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 morePecorino Romano
A hard, salty sheep's-milk cheese from Italy, aged at least five months and protected by EU law.Sheep · Hard · Salty
🇫🇷 FranceBrocciu
A fresh Corsican cheese made from sheep milk and whey, drained in rush baskets.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇪🇸 SpainIdiazabalIdiazabal gazta
A hard, pressed sheep's milk cheese from the Basque Country with a dark rind and optional smoke.Sheep · Hard · Nutty
🇵🇹 PortugalSerra da EstrelaQueijo Serra da Estrela
A soft Portuguese sheep's milk cheese coagulated with thistle and aged for at least a month.Sheep · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy
🇵🇸 Palestine and 1 moreNabulsi cheeseجبنة نابلسية
A white brined semi-hard cheese from Nablus, flavored with mahleb and mastic.Sheep · Brined · Salty
🇮🇹 ItalyPecorino Sardoberveghinu sardu
A hard, pressed sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia with two distinct age profiles.Sheep · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreMizithraμυζήθρα
A fresh Greek whey cheese made from sheep or goat milk, eaten soft or dried for grating.Sheep · Fresh · Sweet and caramel
🇭🇷 CroatiaPag cheesePaški sir
A hard sheep's-milk cheese from Croatia's Pag island, aged up to eighteen months.Sheep · Hard · Salty
🇪🇸 SpainMató
A fresh, unsalted Catalan cheese from sheep or goat milk, served with honey.Sheep · Fresh · Sweet and caramel
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreTomme
A low-fat alpine cheese from France and Switzerland, often made from skimmed milk.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh
🇨🇾 CyprusAnariαναρή
A fresh whey cheese from Cyprus made from sheep or goat milk.Sheep · Fresh · 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
🇫🇷 FranceFaisselle
A fresh, very soft French cheese strained in a faisselle mold, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇦🇲 ArmeniaMotalմոթալ
A soft, brined Armenian cheese aged in leather bags with wild thyme.Sheep · Brined · Milky and fresh
🇬🇷 GreeceAnthotyrosΑνθότυρος
A traditional Greek whey cheese made from sheep or goat milk, available in fresh and dry forms.Sheep · Fresh · Sweet and caramel
🇬🇪 GeorgiaTeniliტენილი ყველი
A stuffed string cheese from Georgia's Meskheti region, made from sheep's milk and aged in clay pots.Sheep · Stretched curd · Savoury and brothy
🇳🇱 NetherlandsBoerenkaas
A Dutch semi-hard raw milk cheese with TSG protection, often spiced and farm-made.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty
🇮🇱 IsraelTzfat Cheeseגבינה צפתית
A semi-hard salty cheese from Safed, originally made with sheep's milk and molded in baskets.Sheep · Semi-hard · Salty
🇨🇿 Czech RepublicAbertam cheese
A hard, pressed sheep's-milk cheese from the Bohemian mountains of the Czech Republic.Sheep · Hard
🇬🇧 United KingdomLanark Blue
A semi-hard blue cheese made from raw sheep's milk in Scotland.Sheep · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇹🇳 TunisiaRigouta
A fresh Tunisian whey cheese from Béja, made with Sicilo-Sarda sheep milk.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇽🇰 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
🇬🇷 GreeceKatiki DomokouΚατίκι Δομοκού
A fresh, soft goat and sheep milk cheese from central Greece.Goat · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇺🇦 UkraineHutsul sheep bryndzyaгуцульська овеча бриндзя
A soft, crumbly sheep's-milk cheese from the Ukrainian Carpathians, ripened and salted by hand.Sheep · Bloomy rind · Salty
🇧🇬 BulgariaCherni VitЧерни Вит
A soft sheep's milk cheese from Bulgaria with a naturally green mold crust.Sheep · Salty
🇮🇹 ItalyTuma
A fresh, unsalted sheep's milk cheese from southern Italy, eaten within days of curd formation.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇪🇬 EgyptEgyptian cheeseجبنة (gebna)
A broad category of cheeses central to Egyptian cuisine, ranging from fresh white types to aged blue varieties.Cow · Fresh · Salty
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Brocciu: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tenili: Georgian Recipes at Georgia About, CC BY 3.0, source
- Pecorino Romano: Jon Sullivan, Public domain, source
- Friesian Clove: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Akkawi: Paul Joseph, CC BY 2.0, source
- Anthotyros: Giorgos ab1234, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mizithra: grongar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Circassian cheese: Tetk200, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pecorino Sardo: The original uploader was Frankie816 at English Wikipedia ., Public domain, source
- Pecorino: Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pag cheese: Silverije, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tomme: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Faisselle: Véronique PAGNIER, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Anari: Zlerman, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mató: Eabayar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sharr cheese: ThinkTank123, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Serra da Estrela: Adriao, Public domain, source
- Feta: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Motal: Barseghian Lilia, CC0, source
- Nabulsi cheese: رائد عزمي حموده, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ġbejna: Chattacha, CC BY 3.0, source
- Van herbed cheese: Tanyel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Idiazabal: Xavigivax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Caciocavallo: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kashkaval: Nnikolce, Public domain, source
- Katiki Domokou: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tzfat Cheese: Myself, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rigouta: Habib M ' henni, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hutsul sheep bryndzya: Ukrinform TV, CC BY 3.0, source
- Egyptian cheese: Tour d'Afrique, CC BY 2.0, source