Types of Cheeses

Name	Origin	Consistency and Texture	Color and Shape	Flavor	Basic Ingredient	Normal Ripening Period	Mode of Serving
Cheddar	England	Hard; smooth, firm body, can be crumbly	Nearly white to orange; varied shapes and styles	Mild to sharp	Cow’s milk,whole	60 days minimum: 3 to 6 months usually: 12 or longer for sharp flavor	As such: in sandwiches, cooked foods
Colby	United States	Hard, but softer and more open in texture than Cheddar	White to light yellow orange cylindrical	Mild to mellow	Cow’s milk,whole	1 to 3 months	As such: in sandwiches, cooked foods
Cream	United States	Soft: smooth, buttery	White foil-wrapped in rectangular portions	Mild, slightly acid; flavoring may be added	Cream and whole cow’s milk	Unripened	As such: in salads, in sandwiches, on crackers
Edam	Holland	Semisoft to hard: firm crumbly body: small eyes	Creamy yellow with natural or red paraffin coat flattened ball or loaf shape, about 4 lb.	Mild, sometimes salty	Cow’s milk,lowfat	2 months or longer	As such: on crackers: with fresh fruit
Gouda	Holland	Hard, but softer than Cheddar more open mealy body like edam, small eyes	Creamy yellow with or without red wax coat, oval or flattened sphere of about 10 to 12 lb.	Mild, nutlike, similar to edam	Cow’s milk,lowfat but more milkfat than edam	2 to 6 months	As such: on crackers with fresh fruit: in cooked dishes
Monterey Jack	United States	Semisoft (whole milk),hard (lowfat or skim milk): smooth texture with small openings throughout	Creamy, white round or rectangular	Mild to mellow	Cow’s milk,whole, lowfat or skim	3 to 6 weeks for table use: 6 months minimum for grating	As such: in sandwiches, grating cheese if made from lowfat or skim milk
Mozzarella	Italy	Semisoft: plastic	Creamy white, rectangular and spherical; may be molded into various shapes	Mild, delicate	Cow’s milk, whole or lowfat may be acidified with vinegar	From unripened to 2 months	Generally used in cooking, pizza; as such
Muenster	Germany	Semisoft smooth, waxy body numerous small mechanical openings	Yellow, tan, or white surface, creamy white interior, cylindrical and flat or loaf shaped, small wheels and blocks	Mild to mellow between brick and limburger	Cow’s milk, whole	2 to 8 weeks	As such: in sandwiches
Neufchatel	France	Soft: smooth creamy	White; foil-wrapped in rectangular retail portions	Mild	Cow’s milk, whole or skim, or a mixture of milk and cream	3 to 4 weeks or unripened	As such: in sandwiches, dips, salads
Parmesan	Italy	Very hard (grating),hard brittle rind	Light yellow with brown or black coating: cylindrical	Sharp piquant	Cow’s milk lowfat	10 months minimum	As such: as grated cheese on salads and soups
Provolone	Italy	Hard; stringy texture, cuts without crumbling, plastic	Light golden-yellow to golden brown, shiny surface bound with cord, white interior. Made in various shapes(pear, sausage, salami)and sizes	Bland acid flavor to sharp and piquant, usually smoked	Cow’s milk, whole	6 to 14 months	As such(dessert) after it has ripened for6 to 9 months: grating cheese when aged
Ricotta	Italy	Soft, moist and grainy, or dry	White; packaged fresh in paper, plastic or metal containers,or dry for grating	Bland but semisweet	Whey and whole or skim milk or whole and lowfat milk	Unripened	As such; cooked foods; as seasoning (grated) when dried
Romano	Italy	Very hard, granular interior, hard brittle rind	Round with flat sides, various sizes	Sharp piquant if aged	Cow’s(usually low fat), goat’s milk or mixtures of these	5 months minimum; usually 5 to 8 months for table cheese; 12 months minimum for grating cheese	As such; grated and used as a seasoning
Swiss	Switzerland	Hard; smooth with large gas holes or eyes	Pale yellow shiny; rindless rectangular blocks and large wheels with rind	Mild, sweet nutty	Cow’s milk lowfat	2 months minimum; 2 to 9 months usually	As such; in sandwiches; with salads; fondue

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