| No one categorization scheme can capture all the | | | | cheeses; their curd is rinsed before it is pressed, |
| diversity of the world's cheeses. Some common | | | | washing away some acidity and calcium. A similar |
| systems used are: | | | | curd-washing takes place when making the Dutch |
| Length of aging. | | | | cheeses Edam and Gouda. |
| Texture (hard or soft); this is correlated to the | | | | Swiss-style cheeses like Emmental and Gruyere |
| moisture content: the more moist a cheese, the | | | | are generally quite firm. The same bacteria that |
| softer. This classification is common in the US, but | | | | give Emmental its holes contribute to their |
| is inaccurate: many types of cheese are made in | | | | aromatic and sharp flavors. The hardest cheeses |
| softer or firmer variations. | | | | — "grating cheeses" such as Parmesan, |
| Methods of making: pressed or unpressed curd, | | | | Pecorino, and Romano — are quite |
| heated or unheated curd, mold growth, etc. | | | | firmly packed into large forms and aged for |
| Fat content. | | | | months or years. |
| Kind of milk (cow's milk, goat's milk cheese, etc.) | | | | Methods |
| Aging period | | | | Use of mold |
| Fresh | | | | Soft-ripened cheeses such as Brie and |
| For these simplest cheeses, milk is curdled and | | | | Camembert are made by allowing white Penicillium |
| drained, with little other processing. Examples | | | | candida or P. camemberti mold to grow on the |
| include cottage cheese, Romanian Caº, | | | | outside of a soft cheese for a few days or |
| Neufchâtel (the model for American-style | | | | weeks. The mold forms a white crust and |
| cream cheese), and fresh goat's milk chevre. Such | | | | contributes to the smooth, runny, or gooey |
| cheeses are soft and spreadable, with a mild | | | | textures and more intense flavors of these aged |
| taste. Fresh cheeses without additional | | | | cheeses. Goats' milk cheeses are often treated in |
| preservatives can spoil in a matter of days. | | | | a similar manner, sometimes with white molds |
| Whey cheeses are fresh cheeses made from the | | | | (Chevre-Boîte) and sometimes with blue. |
| whey discarded while producing other cheeses. | | | | Blue-mold cheeses like Roquefort, Gorgonzola, and |
| Provencal Brousse, Corsican Brocciu, Italian | | | | Stilton are produced by inoculating loosely pressed |
| Ricotta, Romanian Urda and Norwegian Geitost | | | | curds with Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium |
| are examples. Brocciu is mostly eaten fresh, and | | | | glaucum molds. The mold grows within the cheese |
| is as such a major ingredient in Corsican cuisine, | | | | as it ages. These cheeses have distinct blue veins |
| but it can be aged too. | | | | and, often, assertive flavors. Their texture can be |
| Traditional Mozzarella also falls into the fresh | | | | soft or firm. |
| cheese category. Fresh curds are stretched and | | | | Washing |
| kneaded in hot water to form a ball of Mozzarella, | | | | Washed-rind cheeses are periodically bathed in a |
| which in southern Italy is usually eaten within a | | | | saltwater brine as they age, making their surfaces |
| few hours of being made. Other firm fresh | | | | amenable to a class of bacteria (the |
| cheeses include paneer and queso fresco. | | | | reddish-orange "smear bacteria") which impart |
| Texture | | | | pungent odors and distinctive flavors. Washed-rind |
| Categorizing cheeses by firmness is a common | | | | cheeses can be soft (Limburger), semi-hard |
| but inexact practice. The lines between "soft", | | | | (Munster), or hard (Appenzeller). |
| "semi-soft", "semi-hard", and "hard" are arbitrary, | | | | Processed cheese is made from traditional cheese |
| and many types of cheese are made in softer or | | | | and emulsifying salts, often with the addition of |
| firmer variations. Harder cheeses have a lower | | | | milk, more salt, preservatives, and food coloring. |
| moisture content than softer cheeses. They are | | | | It is inexpensive, consistent, and melts smoothly. |
| generally packed into molds under more pressure | | | | This is the most-consumed category of cheese in |
| and aged for a longer time. | | | | the United States. The most familiar processed |
| The familiar cheddar is one of a family of | | | | cheese may be pre-sliced mild yellow American |
| semi-hard or hard cheeses (including Cheshire and | | | | Cheese or Velveeta. Many other varieties exist, |
| Gloucester) whose curd is cut, gently heated, | | | | including Easy Cheese, a Kraft Foods brand sold in |
| piled, and stirred before being pressed into forms. | | | | a spray can. |
| Colby and Monterey Jack are similar but milder | | | | |