Say Cheese

Need help identifying the multitude of “fancy” cheeses? We’ve got you covered. Cheeses fall into one of four categories: hard, semi-hard, semi-soft and soft — and in each of those, there are several common varieties. getta!Table breaks it down for you below with some of the most popular options, so you’ll be well informed to make your next cheesy choice!

HARD CHEESES
	Asiago
	Country of Origin: Italy
	Asiago is made in the region of Vicenza and Trento. It is a traditional, farmhouse and creamery, unpasteurized hard cheese. Originally made of ewes milk, now is made entirely of cows milk. There are two types of Asiago: first one (mistakenly taken for Pressato) is a lightly pressed cheese made from whole milk matured for 20-30 days. Another one (Asiago dAllevo) is the mature cheese made from skimmed milk. Long and slow maturation process creates fruity, slightly sharp cheese with a compact, granular interior full of small holes. Matured over 2 years, becomes intensely flavored. Can be grated and used as a condiment.
	Blue
	Country of Origin: USA
	It is a white cheese with blue veins and sometimes-crumbly interior. This cheese usually has tangy, piquant, spicy, and peppery flavor. Use is salad dressings with cream cheese for spreads.
	Gruyere
	Country of Origin: Switzerland
	Gruyere is named after a Swiss village. It is a traditional, creamy, unpasteurized, semi-soft cheese. The natural, rusty brown rind is hard, dry, and pitted with tiny holes. The cheese is darker yellow than Emmental but the texture is more dense and compact. Slightly grainy, the cheese has a wonderful complexity of flavors- at first fruity, later becomes more earthy and nutty. To make Gruyere, raw milk is heated to 93 degrees F and liquid rennet is added for curdling. The resulting curd is cut into small pieces, which release whey while being stirred. Curd is cooked at 110 degrees F and raised quickly to 130 degrees F. The pieces become shriveled which is the cue to place the curd in molds for pressing. The cheese is salted in brine for 8 days and ripened for two months at room temperature or a quick method: 10 days at 50 degrees F. Curing lasts from 3 to 10 months (the longer the curing period the better the cheese).
	Parmesan (Parmigiano)
	Country of Origin: Italy
	Named after an area in Italy (Parma). Parmesan is one of the worlds most popular and widely enjoyed cheeses. Milk used for Parmesan is heated and curdled in copper containers but not before most of the milks cream has been separated and removed. Curd is cut and then heated to 125 degrees F, all the while stirring the curd to encourage whey runoff. The curd is further cooked at temperatures of up to 131 degrees F, and the pressed in cheesecloth-lined moulds. After two days, the cheeses are removed and salted in brine for a month, then allowed to mature for up to two years in very humid conditions.
SEMI-HARD CHEESES
	Chevres
	Country of Origin: France
	These cheeses are made from goats milk. They come in many sizes and shapes, such as round patties, log-shapes, drum-shapes, pyramids, round loaves, etc; their textures vary from soft, but firm like cream cheese to extremely hard. Chevres are excellent dessert cheeses, often served as snacks or before dinner drinks. Goat cheese is often served as an ingredient in many fine dishes.
	Gouda
	Country of Origin: Holland
	Named after the Dutch town of Gouda, just outside Rotterdam. It accounts for more than 60 percent of the cheese produced in Holland, and it has a very long history. Gouda is a traditional, creamery, hard cheese. It is round with a very smooth, yellow, waxed rind. The flavor is sweet and fruity. As time passes, the taste intensifies and becomes more complex. Mature Gouda (18 months plus) is coated in a black wax, which provides a stark contrast to the deep yellow interior. Gouda is considered to one of the worlds great cheeses. It is both a table cheese and a dessert cheese, excellent with fruit and wine. Gouda is now made globally in style similar to the creation of Edam.
	Monterey Jack
	Country of Origin: USA
	Monterey Jack was developed by a California Scot, David Jacks in 1882 (some sources state 1916). Monterey Jacks consistency depends on its maturity; mostly softer varieties (common in American supermarkets) is aged for one month, while grating Jack is aged for upwards of 6 months. Older Jacks are smeared with oil and pepper to maintain softer rinds. Monterey Jack has a buttery, bland taste and melts easily.
SEMI-SOFT CHEESES
	Butterkase
	Country of Origin: Germany
	Butterkase is a loaf or wheel-shaped cheese with golden to red, natural rind. It is a creamery, semi-soft cheese made both in Germany and Austria. As the name says, it has a buttery taste and color. It is very good with a glass of beer. This cheese ripens in one month and has fat content of 50 percent.
	Fontina
	Country of Origin: Italy
	Genuine Fontina comes from the Val dAosta region of Italy in the Alps near the French and Swiss borders. Fontina is dense, smooth, and slightly elastic. The straw-colored interior with its small round holes has a delicate nuttiness with a hint of mild honey. When melted, as it frequently is, the flavor is earthy with a taste of mushrooms and a fresh acidity. Fontina is the primary ingredient of Italian fonduta and is a pristine table or dessert cheese. Fontina ripens in about three months and has a fat content of 45 percent.
	Havarti
	Country of Origin: Denmark
	Havarti is a traditional, creamy, and semi-soft cheese. It is a simple, washed-rind cheese with irregular holes throughout. There is an enriched version, with added cream, which is softer and feels more luxurious in the mouth. There is also a version with caraway seeds. Havarti is named after the farm in Denmark where Hanne Nielsen first made it.
SOFT CHEESES
	Brie
	Country of Origin: France
	Brie is the best known French cheese and has a nickname The Queen of Cheeses. In France, Brie is very different from the cheese exported to the United States. Real French Brie is unstabilized and the flavor is complex when the surface turns slightly brown. When the cheese is still pure-white, it is not matured. If the cheese is cut before the maturing process is finished, it will never develop properly. Exported Brie, however, is stabilized and never matures. Stabilized Brie has a much longer shelf life and is not susceptible to bacteriological infections. Brie, one of the great dessert cheeses, comes as either a 1 or 2 kilogram wheel and is packed in a wooden box. In order to enjoy the taste fully, Brie must be served at room temperature.
	Camembert
	Country of Origin: France
	A very famous French cheese, Camembert dates back to the 18th century and is named for a Norman village in which there is a statue of the creator of this particular variety (Marie Harel). Originally, this cheese was dry and yellow-brown, but after a few modifications it became softer and more earthy. In 1855 one of Marie Harels daughters presented Napoleon with a piece of that cheese, saying that it came from the village called Camembert. He liked it a lot and from that moment Camembert became known by it contemporary name. At the beginning of its ripening, Camembert is crumbly and soft and gets creamier over time (usually 2-3 weeks). A genuine Camembert has a delicate, salty taste.
	Gorgonzola
	Country of Origin: Italy
	Gorgonzola is a traditional, creamery and co-operative, blue cheese. The greenish-blue penicillin mould imparts a sharp, spicy flavor and provides an excellent contrast to the rich, creamy cheese. Gorgonzola is made in the northern Italian village, according to which the cheese has its name, either from unpasteurized or pasteurized milk to which the mould is added. At about four weeks the cheeses are pierced with thick needles to encourage the spread of mould. Gorgonzola ripens in three to six months. The cheese is usually wrapped in foil to keep it moist. Its color ranges from white to straw-yellow with an unmistakable marbled green or bluish-green mould. The taste ranges from mild to sharp, depending on age. Gorgonzola is also excellent in salads and dips.
	Munster
	Country of Origin: France
	Munster is a creamery, washed-rind cheese made from cows milk. It has a round shape with sticky, orange, washed skin. The cheese is very smooth, fairly soft and has a mildly piquant flavor that can become pungent with regular washings. Munster is dark yellow with a strong flavor. It should be served with dark bread and beer. Munster is made with pasteurized milk, which is cooled to 90 degrees F, inoculated with starter cultures and curdled with rennet. Cut curd is heated in whey for 30 minutes, stirred often to accelerate whey run off. Curd is lightly salted, molded and drained for half a day and soon thereafter is sent to market. French Munster is one of the few cheeses which ripen from the inside out. French Munster has nothing in common with Domestic Munster, which is a white, mild cheese. In the USA, this cheese is known as Muenster.