Cheese

Cheese is a foodstuff made from the curdled milk of various animals including cows, goats, sheep, and water buffalo. Rennet is often used to induce milk to curdle, although some cheeses are curdled with acids like vinegar or lemon juice. Rennet is an enzyme obtained from the stomach lining of cows, although a microbiological (laboratory produced) substitute is often used. Bacteria are added to cheese to add flavor, and some cheeses also have molds, either on the outer skin or thoughout. Cheese is naturally white so it is common to add color, for example hard cheeses often have annatto[?] or carotene added to make them yellow.

The families of cheese molds include:

• white cheese molds[?] (e.g. Camembert)
• blue cheese molds[?] (e.g. Roquefort)
• red cheese molds[?] (all "stinky" cheeses)

In addition, there is a class of foodstuff known as processed cheese or "cheese food[?]". The most common form is the individual slices of a yellow cheese-like substance commonly used on cheeseburgers. These are generally based on cheese, but with modified fats and other additives that help stabilize the product to extend its shelf life, though often at the expense of flavor.

The first commercial cheese factory was founded on February 3, 1815 in Switzerland.

Cheeses by nation of origin:

Austrian

• Smoked Austrian cheese[?]

Basque

• Idiazabal cheese[?]
• Ronkari cheese[?]

Belgian

• Beauvoorde cheese[?]
• Brussels' cheese[?]
• Herve cheese[?]
• Limburger cheese
• Maredsous cheese[?]
• Passendale cheese[?]
• Plateau de Herve cheese[?]
• Postel cheese[?]
• Prince-Jean cheese[?]
• Remedou cheese[?]
• Rubens cheese[?]

British

• Caithness cheese[?]
• Colby cheese[?]
• Cornish Yarg cheese
• Dorset Blue Vinney cheese
• Double Gloucester cheese[?]
• Gubbin cheese[?] (Irish)
• Ilchester cheese[?]
• Lincolnshire Poacher cheese[?]
• Red Windsor cheese[?]
• Waterloo cheese[?]
• Cheddar family:
  • Caerphilly cheese[?]
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Cheshire cheese[?]
  • Derby cheese[?]
  • Gloucester cheese[?]
  • Lancashire cheese[?]
  • Leicester cheese[?]
  • Stilton cheese[?]
  • Wensleydale cheese
  • White Stilton cheese[?]

Catalan

• Mató cheese (Catalonia)
• Serrat cheese[?] (Pallars, Catalonia)
• Tupí cheese[?] (Catalonia)

Danish

• Danish blue cheese[?]
• Havarti cheese[?] or Cream Havarti
• Saga cheese[?]

Dutch

• Edam cheese
• Frisian cheese[?]
• Gouda cheese and Smoked Gouda[?]
• Leyden cheese[?]
• Maasdam cheese[?]

French (List of French cheeses)

• Bleu d'Auvergne cheese[?] (AOC, Auvergne)
• Cantal cheese[?] (AOC, Auvergne)
• Saint-Nectaire cheese (AOC, Auvergne)
• Salers cheese[?] (AOC, Auvergne)
• Fourme d'Ambert cheese[?] (AOC, Auvergne)

• Abbaye de Citeaux cheese[?]
• Babybel cheese[?]
• Boursin cheese[?]
• Bleu de Bresse cheese[?]
• Brie cheese
• Brillat-Savarin cheese

• Camembert cheese[?]
• Carré de l'Est cheese[?]
• Chaource cheese[?]
• Chaumes cheese
• Chevre cheese[?]
• Couloumiers cheese[?]
• Fromage Blanc cheese[?]
• Morbier cheese[?]
• Munster cheese
• Pont-l'Eveque cheese[?]
• Port-Salut cheese
• Port-du-Salut cheese (or "Entrammes")
• Pouligny-Saint-Pierre cheese[?]
• Roquefort cheese
• Saint-Agur cheese[?]
• Saint-Paulin cheese[?]
• Tome de Savoie cheese[?]
• Vieux Lille cheese[?]

German

• Cambozola cheese[?]
• Limburger cheese
• Tilsit cheese[?]

Greek/Mediterranean

• Feta cheese[?]
• Halloumi cheese (Cyprus)
• Kasseri cheese[?]
• Kefalotyri cheese[?]
• Mizithra cheese[?]

Italian

• Asiago cheese[?]
• Bel paese cheese[?]
• Caciocavallo cheese[?]
• Caciotta Di Urbano cheese[?]
• Casu modde cheese
• Fiore Sardo cheese[?]
• Gorgonzola cheese[?]
• Grana Padano cheese[?]
• Joddu[?]
• Mascarpone cheese[?]
• Montasio cheese[?]
• Mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese[?] or Parmigiano Reggiano
• Provolone cheese[?] (also in smoked version)
• Quagliato[?]
• Ricotta cheese[?]
• Robiola cheese[?]
• Romano cheese[?] or Pecorino cheese[?]
• Taleggio cheese[?]

North American

• Asadero cheese[?] (Mexican)
• American cheese[?] (USA)
• Brick cheese[?] (USA)
• Cottage cheese (USA)
• Monterey Jack cheese[?] (USA)
• Oka cheese[?] (Canada)
• Pinconning cheese (USA)
• Pizza cheese (USA)
• Queso Quesidillo[?] (Mexican)
• String cheese (USA)
• Washington Valley Swiss cheese[?] (USA)

Polish

• Oscypki cheese[?]

Scandinavian

• Cabrales cheese
• Gjetost cheese
• Graddost cheese[?]
• Herrgard cheese[?]
• Jarlsberg cheese[?]

Spanish

• Burgos cheese[?]
• Cabrales cheese (Asturias)
• Manchego cheese (Castile-La Mancha)
• Maó cheese[?] (Minorca, Balearic Islands)
• Tetilla cheese[?] (Galicia)

Swiss

• Appenzell cheese[?]
• Emmenthal cheese[?], generally known in the U.S. as Swiss cheese
• Gruyere cheese
• Raclette cheese
• Sap Sago[?]

Other

• Farmer cheese[?] (many local varieties)

The following cheeses couldn't be classified. Can anyone help out?

• Duncan Drake Bleu cheese[?]
• St. Joseph Sweet cheese[?]

Further Reading

• Cheese Primer, Steven Jenkins, Workman Publishing Company, 1996, hardcover, ISBN 0894807625

External link

• Cheese.com (http://www.cheese.com)