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.
🇨🇴 ColombiaPaipa cheeseQueso Paipa
A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from the Valley of Sogamoso in Colombia.Cow · Semi-hard
🇨🇦 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
🇺🇦 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
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 1 moreMaaslander
A mild Dutch cow's milk Gouda with reduced salt and distinctive striped rinds.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty
🇮🇹 ItalyProvola silana
A semi-hard stretched-curd cheese from the Sila mountains of southern Italy.Cow · Semi-hard
🇬🇷 GreeceKatiki DomokouΚατίκι Δομοκού
A fresh, soft goat and sheep milk cheese from central Greece.Goat · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 ItalyPallone di Gravina
A firm pasta filata cow's milk cheese from southern Italy, aged for at least a year.Cow · Stretched curd · Nutty
🇨🇷 Costa RicaTurrialba cheese
A fresh Costa Rican cow's milk cheese with protected origin status.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceChabis
A soft, white-moulded goat cheese from western France, often spiced.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇹 ItalyReblecRéblèque
A fresh Aosta Valley cheese made from surfaced cream and raw milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇹🇷 Turkey and 1 moreCokelekçökelek
A fresh acid-set cheese from Turkey and Azerbaijan made from fermented buttermilk or yogurt.Mixed · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇹 ItalyStracciata
A fresh, tattered cow's-milk pasta filata cheese from the Molise region of Italy.Cow · Stretched curd · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 ItalyBela Badia
A soft cow's-milk cheese from the Puster Valley with small irregular holes.Cow · Semi-soft · Milky and fresh
🇳🇵 NepalTibetan cheese
A family of dairy products from Tibet, ranging from fresh curds to extra-hard aged blocks.Mixed · Fresh · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇹 ItalyHyblean ricottaRicotta iblea
A whey cheese from Sicily made with Modicana cow's milk and used in local pastries.Cow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel
🇷🇴 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
🇨🇿 Czech Republic and 1 moreGran Moravia
A hard, long-aged cow's-milk grana-style cheese from the Czech Republic.Cow · Hard · Nutty
🇨🇷 Costa Rica and 1 morePalmitoQueso palmito
A Costa Rican stretched-curd cheese shaped like a knotted ball of string cheese.Cow · Fresh · Salty
🇩🇪 GermanyHirtenkäse
A German hard cheese aged for eight months, known for its golden color and savory flavor.Cow · Hard · Nutty
🇫🇷 FranceCouronne lochoise
A soft, ash-coated goat cheese from the Loire Valley shaped like a ring.Goat · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy
🇮🇹 ItalyTuma
A fresh, unsalted sheep's milk cheese from southern Italy, eaten within days of curd formation.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 ItalyCanestrato
A hard Italian cheese from sheep and goat milk, aged in traditional baskets.Mixed · Hard · Salty
🇬🇧 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
🇫🇷 FranceBoursin
A soft, herb-flecked French spread made from pasteurized cow's milk and cream.Cow · Fresh · Herbal and grassy
🇫🇷 FranceBrie de Melun
A small, strong cow's-milk cheese from Seine-et-Marne with an AOC label.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇦🇷 ArgentinaProvoleta
A firm Argentine pulled-curd provolone cheese shaped for grilling and served with spices.Cow · Stretched curd · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreMozzarella
A semi-soft Italian stretched-curd cheese made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Semi-soft · 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
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreVacherin Mont d'Or
A soft, seasonal cow's-milk cheese from the Jura wrapped in spruce bark and served warm.Cow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar
🇬🇧 United KingdomCheddar
A pressed cow's-milk cheese from England, defined by the cheddaring process and long aging.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
🇬🇧 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.
- Provola: Enzian44, CC BY 3.0, source
- Lancashire cheese: Jon Sullivan, Public domain, source
- Vacherin Mont d'Or: Arnaud 25, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Turrialba cheese: Ana BR, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pallone di Gravina: Antucco at Italian Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Katiki Domokou: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Reblec: F Ceragioli, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Paipa cheese: Lácteos CampoReal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Le Pied de Vent: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hutsul sheep bryndzya: Ukrinform TV, CC BY 3.0, source
- Stracciata: Desipere, Public domain, source
- Bela Badia: Boboseiptu, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tibetan cheese: Alpha, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Hyblean ricotta: Micniosi, Public domain, source
- Palmito: LittleT889, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cokelek: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hirtenkäse: Heinrich von Zügel, Public domain, source
- Couronne lochoise: Thomon, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Banbury cheese: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Provoleta: Horacio Cambeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Brie de Melun: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Egyptian cheese: Tour d'Afrique, CC BY 2.0, source
- Mozzarella: Photograph by Greg O'Beirne, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cheddar: Gary Bembridge, CC BY 2.0, source