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TradeUpper Midwest Dairy Production Rises as Global Expansion Pressures Commodity PricesIndiaHC seeks replies on plea against non-dairy products sold as paneerMakersThis New Jersey Creamery Is Absolutely GoatedHeritageThe Murray’s Cheese Advent Calendar Is A Two Week Charcuterie PartyIndiaDelhi High Court seeks FSSAI stand on PIL against non-dairy, analogous 'paneer'AwardsSimply Better: six generations of cheesemaking at Gubbeen Farmhouse Cheese 13 October 2026 FreeAwardsSwiss Cheese Awards: Zwei Kategoriensiege für Käse aus der RegionIndiaThe great ‘paneer’ fraud: PIL in Delhi HC seeks clear disclosure by hotels on non-dairy substitutesTradeCOUNTRY LIFE: Benchmark falls 60 cents from August, $1.55 less than September 2025MakersThey know cheese better than anyone else. Meet the Master Cheesemakers at SartoriTradeUpper Midwest Dairy Production Rises as Global Expansion Pressures Commodity PricesIndiaHC seeks replies on plea against non-dairy products sold as paneerMakersThis New Jersey Creamery Is Absolutely GoatedHeritageThe Murray’s Cheese Advent Calendar Is A Two Week Charcuterie PartyIndiaDelhi High Court seeks FSSAI stand on PIL against non-dairy, analogous 'paneer'AwardsSimply Better: six generations of cheesemaking at Gubbeen Farmhouse Cheese 13 October 2026 FreeAwardsSwiss Cheese Awards: Zwei Kategoriensiege für Käse aus der RegionIndiaThe great ‘paneer’ fraud: PIL in Delhi HC seeks clear disclosure by hotels on non-dairy substitutesTradeCOUNTRY LIFE: Benchmark falls 60 cents from August, $1.55 less than September 2025MakersThey know cheese better than anyone else. Meet the Master Cheesemakers at Sartori
EveryCheese

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

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.

Everyday use on EveryCheese

The cheeses written up so far, best known first.

StyleFreshBrinedStretched curdBloomy rindLacticWashed rindSemi-softSemi-hardAlpineHardBlueSmokedWheyDriedProcessed
MilkCowGoatSheepBuffaloYakCamelMixedOther
FlavourMilky and freshButtery and creamyNuttySweet and caramelTangy and lacticSaltySharp and tangy-agedSavoury and brothyEarthy and cellarMushroomyPungent and funkySmokyHerbal and grassyPiquant and spicy
🇮🇪 IrelandCoolea A wax-rinded cow's milk cheese from County Cork with sweet, caramelly notes.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇮🇪 IrelandWicklow Farmhouse Cheese A range of handmade cow's milk cheeses from Arklow, Ireland, spanning soft bries to hard cheddars.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇮🇪 IrelandSt Tola Handmade goat's milk cheese from Inagh, County Clare, ranging from fresh logs to aged wheels.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalyPecorino A family of Italian hard sheep's-milk cheeses with protected status.Sheep · Hard · Buttery and creamy 🇮🇹 ItalyGrana Padano A hard, grainy Italian cow's-milk cheese aged for at least nine months in the Po Valley.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandAppenzeller A hard, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from northeast Switzerland with a herbal brine rind.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇮🇹 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 🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreAsiago A pressed cow's milk cheese from the Veneto plateau, sold fresh or aged.Cow · Semi-soft · Sweet and caramel 🇬🇧 United KingdomCaerphilly A hard, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from South Wales with a mild lemony taste.Cow · Hard · Tangy and lactic 🇪🇸 SpainIdiazabalIdiazabal gazta A hard, pressed sheep's milk cheese from the Basque Country with a dark rind and optional smoke.Sheep · Hard · Nutty 🇳🇵 Nepal and 2 moreChhurpiछुर्पी A smoked yak and cow milk cheese from the Himalayas, available in soft or hard forms.Yak · Smoked · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇧 United KingdomRed Leicester A hard, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from England, aged for months and coloured with annatto.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandSchabziger A hard, green whey cheese from Switzerland flavored with blue fenugreek.Cow · Hard · Herbal and grassy 🇮🇹 ItalyPecorino Sardoberveghinu sardu A hard, pressed sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia with two distinct age profiles.Sheep · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇭🇷 CroatiaPag cheesePaški sir A hard sheep's-milk cheese from Croatia's Pag island, aged up to eighteen months.Sheep · Hard · Salty 🇪🇸 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 🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreRumiجبنة رومى A hard, salty Egyptian cow or buffalo milk cheese with a pungent aroma.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalySilter A brined, aged cow's-milk cheese from the Brescia mountains of Italy.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇲🇽 MexicoCotija A salty, aged cow's milk cheese from Michoacán that crumbles but does not melt.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇧🇷 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 🇨🇿 Czech RepublicAbertam cheese A hard, pressed sheep's-milk cheese from the Bohemian mountains of the Czech Republic.Sheep · Hard 🇩🇪 GermanyNieheimer Käse A sour milk cheese from North Rhine-Westphalia ripened in hops and flavored with caraway.Cow · Hard · Tangy and lactic 🇽🇰 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 🇨🇿 Czech Republic and 1 moreGran Moravia A hard, long-aged cow's-milk grana-style cheese from the Czech Republic.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇩🇪 GermanyHirtenkäse A German hard cheese aged for eight months, known for its golden color and savory flavor.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇮🇹 ItalyCanestrato A hard Italian cheese from sheep and goat milk, aged in traditional baskets.Mixed · Hard · Salty

Photo credits on this page

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

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven cheeses you may not know, the cheese days of the week ahead, and one dish explained step by step.