What are the cheeses from your country?

[Mopi Licinius Crassus]

We have this atrocity lol

there must be some nice cheeses in colorado surely ?

with all the cattle there

and perhaps goat milk cheese too ?

[JosephK]

I live in Wisconsin now, which seems to have this reputation for cheese. But I couldn't tell you just what cheeses they're referring to.

[Celestia]

there must be some nice cheeses in colorado surely ?

with all the cattle there

and perhaps goat milk cheese too ?

I’m sure there is.
I actually haven’t gotten around to trying local cheese yet.
When I think of “American” cheese though, I think of Kraft.

[Laly]

Belgium

Maredsous



Wallonia has maintained traditional cheese production practices throughout the ages. It was monks who greatly contributed to the special character of Belgian cheese: for which, as for Belgian beer, they were renowned artisans. In the medieval times monks and nuns developed products to nourish themselves as well as sell them to sustain the monasteries. Since most of them raised their own cows, goats and sheep, cheese was an obvious place to start. Most, though not all, were a soft or semi-soft cow’s milk cheese washed or rubbed with brine or alcohol. The flavours of the real thing are pungent, though the factory imitations tend to be quite mild and bland. Maredsous Abbey has been making the cheese since 1953; it is matured in the abbey cellars under an even temperature of 12 °C.

Germany

Tilsiter



Smile and say “Käse”! The cheese loving Teutons tend to eat many different sorts of cheese from all over Europe. But if you are looking for a genuine German cheese, just titillate your tastebuds with some Tilsiter. This is one of Germany’s native cheeses from the former province of East Prussia. It was created in the mid-19th century by Prussian-Swiss settlers, the Westphal family, from the Emmental valley. They didn’t have the exact same ingredients as they used back home, and the cheese became colonised by different moulds, yeasts, and bacteria in the humid climate – resulting in a cheese more intense and full-flavoured. Mainly produced in northern Germany, Tilsiter has a medium-firm texture with irregular holes or cracks, a moist and creamy texture and a mild taste with a distinctive tang. Some brands of Tilsiter are produced with herbs, pepper and caraway seeds.

Austria

Bergkäse



The family of Bergkäse, or “mountain cheeses”, enjoy one crucial benefit: the cows that spend their summers on Europe’s alpine pastures. Each Austrian region offers its own specialities, which are often based upon century-old recipes and have been adapted to suit the spirit of the times. Semi-hard cheese is the cheese style that features in most cheese types. The choice ranges from soft through to firm, from aromatic through to mild. Semi-hard cheese has centuries of tradition in Austria. As a result manufacturing is widespread throughout the country and often has a strong regional base. This is reflected in the names of the cheese; specialities such as Dachsteiner, Arlberger or Gmundner Bergkäse are to be found here. Semi-hard cheeses are evenly ripened cheeses with a firm, smooth consistency and small slit- or grain-shaped eyes, or a broken eye formation, depending upon the breaking strength of the cheese.

Switzerland

Emmentaler



What else? This is obviously a very popular cheese – one of the best from Switzerland – and one you are sure to enjoy! Among the rich variety of Swiss cheese, we couldn’t obviously pick any other cheese, whose name comes from the valley of the Emme in the canton of Berne. It has been produced there since the 13th century – and each kilo needs approximately twelve litres of milk. The most typical characteristic of Emmentaler is probably its holes. They are the size of cherries or nuts, and appear during the maturing process. The diameter of the wheel is between 80 to 100 cm, its height is 16 to 27 cm and it weighs from 75 to 120 kg. Its authenticity, its character and its excellent quality make it the uncontested “King of the world’s cheeses”. Well, uncontested by any Swiss patrtiots.

Italy

Parmigiano reggiano



This is without doubt the “King of all cheeses”, as the Italians soberly put it! Besides its delicious creamy taste, the origins of the Parmigiano reggiano are worth a story. It began in Emilia Romagna a long time ago: production dates back to the 12th century, when Benedictine monks living in the area produced large quantities of milk and needed to find a way to preserve it. They began to handcraft a large, hard cheese whose peculiarity was that, the more it aged, the more its taste and smell improved. Nine centuries later, Parmigiano Reggiano is still produced in the same area using the same technique. It’s said that French playwright Molière, seeking to prolong his life, decided to live on 12 ounces of Parmesan and three glasses of port a day. While this fad diet never really caught on, it may have had some merit from a nutritional standpoint: Parmigiano Reggiano is rich in protein and easy to digest.

Malta

Ġbejna



What is small, round, salty, and made from Maltese sheep? You got it: it’s the famous Ġbejna, the Maltese cheese par excellence! It’s actually so important in Maltese culinary culture that most of sheep’s milk produced in Malta is used for the production of these tiny cheeses. Milk in Malta was traditionally sold by milking goats on the streets and sold immediately. The unpasteurised milk sold was one of the causes of the spread of Brucellosis (“Deni Irqiq” or “The Maltese Fever”) in the late 19th to the early 20th century. But David Bruce and Sir Themistocles Zammit are credited in stopping the pandemic by improving their beloved cheese. Ġbejna is shaped in a cheese hurdle traditionally made of dried reeds, although now plastic ones are also used, and dried in small ventilated rooms, with windows protected by a special meshed mosquito net. It is said that, in the past, sea water, rather than rennet, was used as a curdling agent. The cheese is now available from both pasteurised and unpasteurised milk.

[Laly]

Czechia

Olomoucké sýrečky



First, you’ll have to pronounce it; then you’ll have to learn to like the taste… Depending on how you feel about the sharp tang, Olomoucké sýrečky cheeses, also known as Olomoucké tvarůžky, are either detested or beloved. As an important and unavoidable part of Czech cuisine, the fetid cheese is known for its strong, some may say pungent, some may even say revolting, aroma. The first written mention of this cheese dates back to the 15th century, when Olomoucké sýrečky was eaten by Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. Until the 19th century, it was produced in the villages surrounding Olomouc, but was largely regarded as peasant food. The cheese can be eaten fresh, or battered and fried. It is recommended as a good accompaniment to beer. It is made from skimmed cow’s milk without rennet, colourings, flavourings or stabilisers: and – slimmers take note – is very low in fat.

Slovakia

Bryndza



The word may sound Slovakian, but the name Bryndza actually comes from Wallachian and is the Romanian word for ‘cheese’. While most of the world’s cheese is made from cow’s milk, Bryndza comes from sheep. It is very popular in several mountainous countries of Eastern Europe, especially Slovakia and Poland. The texture, flavour and colour of Bryndza depend on how it is made or prepared. When made directly with salt, the cheese is crumbly; but some producers add saline solution instead, which makes the texture soft and spreadable. In any case, it is white to grey in colour, tangy in taste and slightly moist. Bryndza is the main ingredient in bryndzové halušky, the national favourite of Slovakia. If you’re into sheep’s milk cheese, this one is for you!

Poland

Oscypek



Are you looking for a decorative, traditional, spindle-shaped smoked sheep’s cheese? The Polish Oscypek is made for you! It’s a genuine European product: Oscypek has been produced in the Tatra mountains since the fourteenth century, when farmers from the southern Romanian province of Walachia imported dairy farming to the Polish part of the Carpathians. The most notable aspect of these smoked, hard cheeses is their shape, spindle-like with a decorative band impressed into the circumference. To give the cheese this unusual form, the cheesemaker works the curd slowly between his skilled hands, adding warm water occasionally to keep the curd soft. The cheeses differ in the ratio of their ingredients, the exact process follows, and the characteristics of the final product. If you’re going to Poland for a trip, bear in mind that Oscypek is a traditional holiday cheese in many European countries.

Lithuania

Varškės Sūris



Lithuania has been famous for delicious dairy products for a long time: but the white Varškės sūris won’t be found anywhere else. It is made from sour milk – which is heated, with the curd then placed into triangular bags and pressed with a special cheese press. Lithuanians sometimes add caraway or poppy seeds to these white delicacies, and almost always add salt, to make them even more delicious. Regarded as a healthy, diet food, white cheese is not only eaten with homemade bread, but also goes well with honey, and a variety of berry jams. If you can’t eat all of it, it can be dried – again, it’s pretty unusual, but a really great snack. It is believed that the production of curd cheese in the country dates back to the Middle Ages. Outside Lithuania, you can find the authentic curd cheese in Lithuanian or most Eastern European ethnic food stores.

Latvia

Jāņi Cheese



As one blogger puts it, “Cheese in Latvia is like the weather in the UK. Mostly slightly bland, often a little disappointing, but every so often it’s truly wonderful and you forget all the bad experiences, even if it is just for a day or two”. So if you want to discover a true Latvian cheese, you should opt for Jāņi – a sour milk cheese, traditionally eaten on Jāņi, the Latvian celebration of the summer solstice. The cheese is made by heating whole milk, adding quark, and then cooking the mixture until fluffy curds separate from a clear whey. The whey is discarded when the cheese mass reaches a temperature of 72–77 °C. At this point, the curds are placed into a skillet or cooking pan, and stirred with a traditional mixture of egg, butter, salt, and caraway seeds. Generally, the cheese is prepared a few days before being eaten, having been allowed to ripen in a cool place.

Estonia

Kohupiim



Every European country has its own version of Quark. But in Estonia, Kohupiim, or milk curd cheese, is very popular in various forms. They are cheese curd product with a mild flavor which is drained but not pressed and therefore still contains some whey. You can buy it plain, or seasoned with vanilla or studded with raisins. Children adore chocolate covered curd cheese bars – a good source of milk proteins. In general, curd is an important ingredient in estonian kitchen and sõir, a traditional food mainly from the sothern parts of the country, is one of the best things you can do with curd. Apart from kohuke, the dessert that would make you run amock, sõir is a cheese-like substance, that contains the best you can get out of milk products – ferments, protein, smoothe, creamy texture. You can serve it just as a snack or cut for thin slices and put on the bread.

Belarus

Клинковый (Klinkovy)



The main dairy products in Belarus include a kind of fresh white cheese called “тварог” and sour cream called “смятана“, widely used both in cooking and as a garnish. Belarusians had to wait until only mid-19th century to experience fermented cheese borrowed from the Netherlands and Switzerland, and the local version of Edam was very popular for decades in the Russian Empire. But if we had to name one cheese in particular from Belarus, we should opt for the Klinkovy cottage cheese. Traditionally, farmer cheese was made at home from curdled sour milk placed to drain in a wedge-shaped cheesecloth bag under a press. Since this kind of gauze-like bag is known as klinok in Belarusian, wedge-shaped cheese is called klinkovy. Such cheese can be sour, sweet, or flavoured with caraway seeds. Historically, cheese was almost always dried.

Ukraine

Cирники (Syrniki)



Yes, I know, this is not exactly a cheese as you would normally know it. But who am I to define the terms of membership for the great family of European cheese? And this one is certainly made from cheese – as well as being derived from the Ukrainian word сир, meaning – you guessed it – “cheese”. So no reason to complain! Syrniki are actually made from cream cheese, mixed with flour, eggs, and sugar, sometimes adding vanilla extract. The soft mixture is shaped into cakes, which are fried, generally in vegetable oil. The outside becomes crisp, and the centre is warm and creamy. They are sweet and served for breakfast or dessert. Their simplicity and delicious taste have made them very popular in eastern Europe. Simple but delicious!

[Celestia]

I see that the fact it's pasteurized is highlighted. Interesting! Do you eat cheese made with raw milk?

Yes more often than pasteurized

[Laly]

Romania

Telemea



You will love this traditional and yummy Romanian cheese made from sheep’s milk! Sharing similarities to Feta, Telemea is a soft, white cheese with a creamy texture and tangy aftertaste. When put through an ageing process, it becomes crisper and more flavoured. It is used as a table cheese for snacks, in salads and in a variety of dishes. As Telemea is stored in brine, it gets saltier with age. The cheese-making technique – and the tools – follows the olden times rules . The ripening period of the cheese is an important step which concludes the manufacturing process and runs for at least 20 days. The cheese was originally produced only in Romania, until the Vlach population started spreading beyond their native country. Since 2005, the name Telemea is a protected designation of origin.

Moldova

Bryndza



It has a strong smell and taste… but what did you expect? We are talking about cheeses here! Bryndza is white, tangy, crumbly and slightly moist. It has characteristic odour and flavour with a notable taste of butyric acid. The overall flavour sensation begins slightly mild, then goes strong and finally fades to a salty finish… a taste sensation! The word Bryndza was first recorded as brençe, described as “Vlach cheese”, in the Croatian port of Dubrovnik in 1370. Bryndza was first recorded in Kingdom of Hungary, in 1470 and in the adjacent Polish Podhale in 1527. The modern version of the soft spreadable bryndza is believed to have been developed in Western Slovakia toward the end of the 18th century and popularised all around the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy. Genuinely European, it’s latterday Erasmus student of dairy.

Hungary

Trappista



This is quite probably the most popular magyar cheese. Made by Trappist monks, it is mild in flavour and melts easily. The origins of the cheese can be traced back to the 18th century monks of the French Notre Dame de Port-du-Salut abbey. The secret recipe found its way to Hungary through the Bosnian Mariastern monastery. The original French recipe is still manufactured today, under the trademark name of Port-Salut. Trappista cheese is a pale yellowish colour and has 3–5 mm, sparsely distributed, holes. It typically comes packaged in red plastic foil, regardless of the manufacturer. Typical packaging sizes include 1.5 kg large and 1/2 kg small “wheels”, as well as various slices and “bricks”. This cheese is best consumed with fruits, wine, or as a melted topping on hot vegetable or meat. It can be eaten as is, in sandwiches or incorporated into recipes like the Hungarian ham croissants known as Sonkás Kifli.

Slovenia

Trnič



This is maybe the most romantic cheese on this list. Romantic, verging on creepy. Trnič is a pear-shaped hard cheese made in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps which resembles… a lady’s breast. It is made of cottage cheese, cream and salt and is embellished with special decorations. Due to its special natural flavour, grated Trnič is perfect for varying the flavours of different dishes, even desserts. According to tradition, the shepherds gave Trnič to their wives and girlfriends at the end of the pasture season in autumn as a sign of love and faithfulness, and also as a promise of marriage. If the girl accepted the cheese, it meant that she consented to the shepherd’s courtship. Trnič was thus an expression of a man’s love, desire and admiration of a girl and also their commitment to be faithful to each other. Some offer flowers or rings, Slovenians offer cheeses…

Croatia

Paški sir



One of the most well-known cheeses from the Croatian Island of Pag, Paški sir is produced from a unique breed of small sheep, Paska Ovca – known for their intensely salty and limited milk output. Since Croatia doesn’t allow the production of animal rennet, Paški sir is made with the help of microbial rennet, thus making it a vegetarian cheese. Until early in the 20th century, the inhabitants of Pag had their own dry stone huts in which they milked the sheep and made Pag cheese. These stone houses are adorned in sedge and reeds from the nearby fields, the huts were built out of town on the rocky hills above the pastures. Over time, Paški sir slowly but surely gained importance not only as a food for the locals but also as a commodity to market across Croatia, thus Paški sir became an important source of income for the villagers. Paški sir tastes best when served with fresh fruit such as grapes, prosciutto, wildflower honey or olive oil. Bon Appétit!

Serbia

Pule



Get out your wallets: it’s time to be introduced to the world’s most expensive cheese! A distinctive product of Serbian cuisine, pule reportedly fetches 1,000 euros per kilogram. It is so expensive because of its rarity: there are only about 100 female donkeys in the strain of Balkan donkeys that are milked for pule-making; each can be hand-milked three times a day. It takes 25 litres of milk to create one kilogram of cheese, and the cheese is then smoked. To put that in perspective, one kilogram of cheddar needs just 9.5 litres of milk (which cost around 30p each). Price tag and rarity aside, the key thing about this cheese are the supposed health benefits that are attached to it. It’s exceptionally high in protein, calcium and omega 3 fatty acids – all crucial for maintaining good cardiovascular health. It also contains anti-allergenics and has 60 times more vitamin C than cows’ milk.

[Laly]

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Livanjski sir



Livanjski sir is the most famous cheese and the top selling product from one of the main cheese producers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Livanjski sir was first produced in the 19th century in the area of Livno, on the basis of French technology of making the Gruyère cheese. Originally, it was made from sheep’s milk and nowadays it is mainly made from a mixture of sheep’s and cow’s milk. Its maturation period is between 60 and 66 days in a controlled environment. The flavor is robust, and in more aged cheeses the taste is slightly tangy. It has a regular shape, mostly cylindrical. In cheese that is not fully matured, the skin is thin, typically light yellow that cannot be found in other Bosnian cheeses. This is something that the manufactures are very proud of. Cheese paste is also yellow, featuring small irregular holes after which the Livanjski sir has been nicknamed “Balkan Emmental.”

Montenegro

Njeguški sir



Montenegro is maybe a small country. But it’s home to an incredible cheese : the Njeguški sir. This cheese, made solely in the area around Njeguši, is a genuine contribution to Montenegrin cuisine. It is kept in oil in airy places up to 3 months before consumption. Dried and rich in milk fats, it’s simply exquisite. With its altitude of around 900m by the sea, Njegusi has a remarkable air where the two climates intersect. It is also an almost untouched virgin area without any industry, the cradle of the people who bear the name and with a significant role in history, giving prominent bishops and rulers to the Montenegrin state. The natural environment (the quality of land, pastures, communes and water) determined the basic occupation of the area as agriculture and livestock farming. Every piece of land was farmed carefully. Houses were built at the sides and edges as there was constant struggle to tear off as much farming land as possible from stone.

Kosovo

Шарски сир (Šarski sir)



Šar cheese is a Tsar cheese in Kosovo! The hallmarks of this cheese, made in the Šar Mountains of Kosovo, are its saltiness, and the fact that it is a treat for any time of the day or year. It is made of sheep and cow milk and usually added to salads and main dishes, pitas, served with bread or eaten alone. The tradition of producing Šar cheese has been passed on to generations for centuries. By the 1890s, the cheese became popular; the Serbian newspaper Carigradski glasnik of 28 July 1901 said that the cheese had overwhelmed the neighbouring markets because of its yellow fatty look and taste which had not been seen in other cheeses. Traditionally, Šar cheese was produced on sheep milk. Another reason why sheep milk was usually used was because cows were not able to climb the highland and reach the favorite grass and herbs which give Šar cheese its main characteristics. In Kosovo, quantities of Šar cheese consumed per month vary from 2-3 to 10 kg!

Albania

Kaçkavalli



We can’t say if Albanians are the most smiley people in the world, but what we can certainly affirm is that they do love good cheese. They even consume about 11.5 kg cheese per capita per year! Some argue that Kaçkavalli has been produced since 1800. Cham Albanians are thought to have been the first to bring over from Greece to the south of the country, the tradition of making feta and Kaçkavalli. It is a type of yellow cheese made of cow milk, sheep milk, or both and can be found in Albania, Bulgaria, Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Romania. The nameKaçkavalli comes from Latin caseus (cheese) and caballus (horse). The widely accepted explanation of the word “cavallo” (horse in English) comes from the cheese being traditionally dried by attaching two gourd shaped balls of caciocavallo with a single rope and hanging them to a wooden pole as if placed on a horse’s back.

Bulgaria

Cирене (Sirene)



Bulgarian white cheese is a variety of feta cheese. The unique taste of sirene is due to a specific lactose tolerant bacteria which converts the milk into yoghurt and then to cheese. In general, Bulgarian sirene is brined goat, sheep, or cow cheese and can be enjoyed as a side dish or as a part in other meals. It is soft, wet, and crumbly with a fat content of about 44-48%. It has a slightly grainy texture with a fresh lemony taste. This tasty cheese is served with soups and salads, as a table cheese and also used in baking. It originated on the Balkan Peninsula in a region called Trakia, which is the current day Southern Bulgaria. Used in many traditional Bulgarian dishes, this cheese is well worth trying and is exceptionally cheap to buy, so next time you are wandering past the dairy counter at your local Bulgarian supermarket, ask for a half kilo of sirene.

North Macedonia

Urdă



Like ricotta, Urdă is made with the whey of the cheese and is relatively high protein and low in fat. Urdă is produced by heating the whey resulting from the draining of any type of cheese. It is often made into molds to the shape of a half sphere. The paste is finely grained, silky and palatable. It contains 18 grams of protein per 100 grams. In Macedonia, the recipe of Urdă cheese has been passed from generation to generation in most households. Like Telemea it is eaten fresh and considered a delicacy although its fine, crumbly dry texture is not universally appreciated. It is often eaten in puddings or with fruit compote, rather than on its own. Clatite (pancakes) are often stuffed with Urda, mixed with finely chopped dill and a little sugar, while another dish consists of a mixture of milk, Urda and polenta.

Greece

Feta



The Feta cheese has a unique place in Greek (and European) culinary and cultural history. It even dates back to Homer’s day, when the poet described in his Odyssey how the giant Polyphemus made it from goat’s and ewe’s milk. Its history is then as old as humanity itself, and is connected to the taming of domestic animals 10,000 years B.C ago. Some say that its discovery was completely accidental, during transport of milk in stomachs of young animals. To the modern consumer, the word Feta means brine cheese, produced in Greece, using specific technology from sheep and goat’s milk. Feta is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads and pastries. Most notable is its use in the popular filo-based dishes spanakopita (“spinach pie”) and tyropita (“cheese pie”), or served with some olive oil or olives and sprinkled with aromatic herbs such as oregano. It can also be served cooked or grilled, as part of a sandwich, in omelettes, or as a salty alternative to other cheeses in a variety of dishes.

Cyprus

χαλλούμι (Halloumi)



I hope you already tried once Halloumi! This delicious white cheese has a distinctive layered texture, similar to mozzarella and has a salty flavour. It is stored in its natural juices with salt-water and can keep for up to a year if frozen below −18 °C. Traditional halloumi is made from unpasteurised sheep and goat milk. It is often garnished with mint, a practice based in the belief that Halloumi keeps better and stays fresher and more flavoursome when wrapped with mint leaves. In accordance with this tradition, many packages of halloumi contain fragments of mint leaves on the surface of the cheese. Halloumi has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled. For History lovers, Halloumi cheese originated in Cyprus in the Medieval Byzantine period (AD 395 – 1191), and was subsequently eaten throughout the Middle East.

[Laly]

Yes more often than pasteurized

In Belgium or France for ex,. America is seen as being rather opposed to raw milk, while we consider that the best cheeses are those made with raw milk.

I have found a State law summary. Is it correct?








https://milk.procon.org/raw-milk-laws-state-by-state/

According to the charts, in Texas only on-farm sales of raw milk are allowed.

[Celestia]

In Belgium or France for ex,. America is seen as being rather opposed to raw milk, while we consider that the best cheeses are those made with raw milk.

I have found a State law summary. Is it correct?








https://milk.procon.org/raw-milk-laws-state-by-state/

According to the charts, in Texas only on-farm sales of raw milk are allowed.

Tbh I’m not sure about laws regarding cheese
But chain markets do not sell them. You can’t go to a local store and purchase them. I usually waited for farmers markets and would buy them there.