Most of us will have encountered at least five kinds of cheese that we can probably identify. But did you know that all over the world, there are over 500 cheese varieties? Here we will get to know some, based on the country from which it originated.

Afghanistan

• Kadchgall - it’s a hard cheese made from sheep or camel’s milk, and is cylindrical in shape.
• Serat - this is made from sheep’s milk, where the curds are formed into a ball, before it undergoes smoking and waxing.

Argentina

• Reggianito - it looks like a smaller version of the Italian Reggiano, and is ideal for cooking or as a pasta topping.
• Sardo - this is made from cow’s milk and is shaped like a small loaf, with a rich and slightly salty taste.

Australia

• Blue Vein - thus named, because the Penicillum mold mixed at the first part of its production creates blue-gray or blue-green spots or veins on the resulting cheese.
• Fresh Pyramid - this is a soft, white cheese made from goat’s milk, with a creamy and crumbly texture.
• Grabetto - made from goat’s milk, its taste will vary as it ages. The texture will also become hard and flaky, with a straw color.
• Heidi Gruyere - one of the finest farmhouse cheese varieties and is made from pasteurized cow’s milk.
• Pyengana Cheddar - it’s a hard cheese made from cow’s milk, and falls under the cheddar category but is neither as hard or soft as a regular cheddar.

Austria

• Butterkase - this is a semi-soft cheese made from cow’s milk, and does not actually contain butter, even if its name is translated as “butter cheese.”
• Mondseer - it’s usually made from pasteurized cow or goat’s milk, with a pale yellow color. This is one of the most popular cheese used in Austrian cuisine.
• Schloss - this is a semi-hard cheese made from cow’s milk, with a tangy and pungent taste.

Bangladesh

• Paneer - this is a fresh, firm white cheese, with a soft and crumbly texture.

Belgium

• Herve - this is brick-shaped, with a pale yellow and smooth texture. Its taste will vary from sweet to spicy, as it ages.
• Limburger - it’s a semi-soft cheese made from cow’s milk, with a stinky scent, but a mild taste.
• Remedou - this is a hard cheese with a yellow color, and is also called “the stinking cheese” due to its very strong odor.

Canada

Richelieu - this soft, creamy cheese is made from cow’s milk and is known as buttercheese in Canada.

Denmark

• Cream Havarti - the most famous cheese in Denmark. It comes in a variety of flavors such as cranberry, basil, garlic, red pepper or coconut.
• Danbo - it’s a semi-soft and smear-ripened cheese with an ivory color.
• Mycella - its name is derived from the fungal filament, Mycelium. It has blue-green veins and aromatic taste.

Egypt

• Sardo Egyptian - it’s a hard cheese made from sheep’s milk, and can last a long time.

England

• Cheddar - the most popular cheese around the world, and is shaped like a drum with a pale yellow color.
• Cheshire - it’s a hard cheese with a red-orange color. It will darken in time, but the taste will have no traces of bitterness.
• Creamy Lancashire - its creamy and smooth texture makes it an ideal spread for toasts, thus it is also called “toastie.”
• Curworthy - it’s a full fat and semi-hard vegetarian cheese.

Finland

Juustoleipa - otherwise known as “Finnish squeaky cheese”, because it produces a squeaky sound against the teeth.
Lappi - this is a semi-soft and semi-sweet cheese which is great for melting.

France

• Abbaye de Belloc - made by the Benedictine monks, this is a semi-hard cheese with a creamy and yellow appearance.
• Ambert - this is one of France’s oldest cheese varieties. It is blue-veined and is great as a snack, together with fruits or bread.
• Babybel - this is a semi-hard cheese that comes in a net bag, and sporting a red wax coating.
• Banon - this cheese is wrapped in chestnut leaves, which were gathered during the autumn, right after falling from the trees.
• Camembert - at the early stages, it will have a milky sweet taste, which will become rich and buttery as it ages.

Holland

• Smoked Gouda - one of the world’s most popular cheeses, it goes perfectly well with burgers and sandwiches.
• Leerdammer - it’s a creamy, semi-hard cheese made from cow’s milk, and is shaped like a boulder.

Spain

Burgos - from sheep’s milk in the early days, it is now made from cow’s milk, with a creamy and white appearance.
Castigliano - this yellow, hard cheese is made from cow, sheep or goat’s milk.

Switzerland

• Tete de Moine - literally means “Monk’s head”, because it is believed that the first producers of this cheese are the monks at Moutier.
• Tommes - this low fat cheese has a buttery aroma, and a white to yellow coloring.

There you have some types of cheese made from 15 countries. Do you know what kind of cheese your country produces? Let me know in the comments.