Emmental is also known as a ‘mountain cheese' as it is prepared with the milk of cows that are led up to the Alps to graze over multiple seasons. Know more interesting facts about a variety from across the globe
Roquefort
Country of origin: France
Milk type: Sheep
Tasting notes: It has a moist, crumbly paste along with sweet and nutty flavour of the yeast with distinct grassiness from the sheep’s milk. It’s best eaten in the fall, when cheese made from early spring milk is just coming to market. It can be had as it is or with nuts and honey.
Camembert
Country of origin: France (Normandy)
Milk type: Cow
Tasting notes: The outer rind is a layer of penicillium candidum. It is also known as a “bloomy rind” cheese occasionally because it appears like dandelion under a microscope. As one of the most widely produced French cheeses, its quality varies significantly. Some Camemberts are handmade and name-protected, while others are mass-produced from pasteurised milk. Because of their short aging period (just over three weeks), you will not find any raw milk Camembert in the US rich, buttery and spreadable. Camembert has a mild, mushroomy aroma.
Cotija
Country of origin: Mexico
Milk type: Cow
Tasting notes: Younger cheese is mild and salty, somewhat like a young feta. As the cheese ages, it acquires nuttier, tangier flavours with a drier and coarser texture. It can be had with tacos, salads, in soups, over rice, on casseroles, over beans, in guacamole, on sandwiches, baked in a crust, breaded and deep fried.
Chèvre
Country of origin: France
Milk type: Goat
Tasting notes: The French word chèvre literally translates to “goat” and is used to refer to any cheese made from goat’s milk. It is unaged and eaten almost immediately after it is made. Fresh chèvre tends to be moist, bright and acidic, with a lemony flavor and slightly chalky finish in the mouth. You’ll find it sold in vacuum sealed logs, sometimes flavored with herbs, spices or garlic. It is used in the crumbled in salads, breaded and fried, in sandwiches, in macaroni and cheese.
Feta
Country of Origin: Greece
Milk type: Sheep and goat
Tasting notes: Feta is one of the many cheese worldwide to have a protected designation of origin product, meaning that a cheese may only bear the label “feta” in the EU if it comes from either mainland Greece or lesbos, and is made with at least 70 per cent sheep’s milk (the remainder must be goat’s milk). A brined cheese, it is made by soaking freshly pressed curds in salt water. Tangy and moist, feta can range from completely crumbly to moderately creamy and pairs well with fresh summer fruit. It is used on fried with olive oil, crumbled in salads and sandwiches. It is also used in place of Cotija in tacos and other Mexican dishes.
Mozzarella
Country of Origin: Italy (Campania)
Milk type: Cow or water buffalo
Tasting notes:Mozzarella is a fresh, pulled-curd cheese made from the milk of water buffalo or cows. The curds are heated in warm water and stretched by hand before being rolled into moist balls. The balls of cheese can either be sold fresh, or packed in a salty brine to add flavor. Fresh and dairy rich, mozzarella is prized for its texture and mild creamy flavour. It is eaten fresh with a drizzle of olive oil, coarse salt and pepper. We can also have it with tomatoes in a sandwich and pizza.
Emmental
Country of origin: Switzerland
Milk type: Cow
Tasting notes: Emmental is what many people think of when they hear “Swiss cheese.” It’s is considered an Alpine-Style or “mountain” cheese, meaning it originated from the milk of cows that are led up the Alps to graze over multiple seasons and its curd is cooked and pressed together firmly. The holes you find are bubbles of carbon dioxide gas created as the Propionibacterium freudenreichii consumes lactic acid. This cheese has a certain sweetness with a piquancy that hits the back of the tongue on the finish. What is more, like all Alpine cheeses, it is a great melter. It is best used for fondue, grilled cheese, casseroles.
Cheddar
Country of Origin: England
Milk type: Cow
Tasting notes: Cheddar is a cow’s milk cheese that originated in Somerset, England. Cheddar is also a verb, “to cheddar” which refers to a cheese making process whereby the curds of the cow’s milk are cooked and then milled into rice-sized pieces. The pieces are then pressed into large blocks, and the blocks are stacked on top of another to press out any remaining moisture. Cheddar cheese made in this traditional fashion are dry and crumbly in texture, with a deep, tangy and nutty flavour. A far cry from the smooth mild American-style cheddars you might find on top of a burger. Cheddar-style cheeses vary dramatically in quality. The color ranges from ivory to straw to deep yellow in color, depending on the season and the feed of the cattle. It is eaten as it is, in sandwiches, grilled cheese and casseroles.
Gouda
Country of origin: Netherlands
Milk type: Cow
Tasting notes: Gouda is a semi-hard to hard cow’s milk cheese from Holland. like cheddar, its quality and flavour can vary wildly from the mild, creamy wax-coated lunchbox versions of our youth to those specimens that are hard, crumbly, and deeply flavorful. long-aged goudas will have a crunchy texture due to crystals of concentrated calcium lactate or the amino acid tyrosine that form as the cheese loses moisture, just like a good parmesan.
Taleggio
Country of origin: Italy (lombardy)
Milk type: Cow
Tasting Notes: Taleggio is one of the world’s oldest soft cheese. The washed rind cheese is in a family of cheese created by monks who made cheese from the milk of their grazing cows in order to eliminate waste. The story is that the monks repeatedly washed the wheels clean of any mold that began to grow on their surfaces. little did they know, they were actually fostering the growth of a slew of new bacteria on the inside and outside of the cheese, contributing to pungent flavours and even more pungent surface smells.