This is a list of cheeses by place of origin. Cheese is a milk-based food that is produced in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms. Hundreds of types of cheese from various countries are produced. Their styles, textures and flavors depend on the origin of the milk (including the animal's diet), whether they have been pasteurized, the butterfat content, the bacteria and mold, the processing, and aging.
Herbs, spices, or wood smoke may be used as flavoring agents. The yellow to red color of many cheeses, such as Red Leicester, is normally formed from adding annatto. While most current varieties of cheese may be traced to a particular locale, or culture, within a single country, some have a more diffuse origin, and cannot be considered to have originated in a particular place, but are associated with a whole region, such as queso blanco in Latin America.
Cheese is an ancient food whose origins predate recorded history. There is no conclusive evidence indicating where cheesemaking originated, either in Europe, Central Asia or the Middle East, but the practice had spread within Europe prior to Roman times and, according to Pliny the Elder, had become a sophisticated enterprise by the time the Roman Empire came into existence.
In this list, types of cheeses are included; brand names are only included if they apply to a distinct variety of cheese.
Cheese production involves several steps, including curdling, coagulation, separation, shaping, and aging. The type of milk used, as well as factors like temperature, humidity, and bacterial cultures, can greatly impact the final product's flavor, texture, and appearance. Artisanal cheesemakers often employ traditional techniques and recipes passed down through generations, while larger commercial operations may utilize more modern and mechanized processes to produce cheese on a larger scale.
Africa
Algeria
Name ImageRegionDescriptionBouhezzaAurès MountainsBouhezza is a ripened cheese that has traditionally been prepared by the Chaouia community between March and June. It has historically been made from raw goat or sheep milk (and is also now made with cow's milk) with the addition of leben (fermented milk), salt, and additional raw milk. It has a soft, smooth, and spreadable texture and is slightly salty, spicy, and acidic, with an intense acidic lactic odor and aroma.KemariyaGhardaia and NaâmaProduced by local women from the indigenous Wilaya community in southern Algeria, kemariya is a variety of smooth white cheese that is traditionally made with goat milk and can alternatively be made with cow’s milk or camel’s milk. It is also referred to as takkmerit by local Berbers.
Benin
Name ImageRegionDescriptionWagasiNorthern BeninA soft cow's milk cheese commonly made by the Fulani people that is sold in many units in Parakou, a city in Central Benin.
Egypt
Name ImageRegionDescriptionAreeshA type of white, soft, lactic, crumbly cheese made from laban rayeb.DomiatiA soft white cheese usually made from cow or buffalo milk. It is salted, heated, coagulated using rennet and then ladled into wooden molds where the whey is drained away for three days. The cheese may be eaten fresh, or stored in salted whey for up to eight months, then matured in brine. Domiati cheese accounts for about three-quarters of the cheese made and consumed in Egypt. The cheese takes its name from the city of Damietta and is thought to have been made as early as 332 BC.HalumiSimilar to Cypriot halloumi, yet a different cheese. It may be eaten fresh or brined and spiced. The name comes from the Coptic word for cheese, "halum".IstanbollyA type of white cheese made from cow or buffalo milk, similar to feta cheese.MishA sharp and salty product made by fermenting cheese for several months in salted whey. It is an important part of the diet of farmers. Mish is often made at home from areesh cheese. Products similar to mish are made commercially from different types of Egyptian cheese such as domiati or rumi, with different ages.RumiA hard, bacterially ripened variety of cheese. It belongs to the same family as Pecorino Romano and Manchego. It is salty, with a crumbly texture, and is sold at different stages of aging. Although the texture and taste of Rumi cheese differ according to the aging period, it is usually sharp, strong, and pungent.
Ethiopia
Name ImageRegionDescriptionAyibeA local cheese that is mild and crumbly. It has little flavor on its own, and is often served as a side dish to soften the effect of very spicy food.
Mauritania
Name ImageRegionDescriptionCaravane cheeseThe brand name of a camel milk cheese produced in Mauritania by Tiviski, a company founded by Nancy Abeiderrhamane in 1987. The milk used to make the cheese is collected from the local animals of a thousand nomadic herdsmen, and is very difficult to produce, but yields a product that is low in lactose. It is also available and consumed in Senegal.
Nigeria
Name ImageRegionDescriptionWarankasi A Yoruba cheese made from cow's milk.
South Africa
Name ImageRegionDescriptionKwaitoKwaito is a South African gouda-style cheese made from cow's milk. It has a creamy texture and mild flavor. Apart from plain and smoked varieties, it may be flavored with peppercorns or other peppers.
Asia
Armenia
Name ImageRegionDescription Aragatsyan panir Aragatsotn A semi-hard cheese made from high-quality sheep's milk or its mixture with cow's or goat's milk. It has a mild nutty flavor, soft texture, and a natural rind. Less salty than brined cheeses, with a fat content of 50% or higher.ChanakhArmenian Highlands A traditional brined cheese with a sharp, salty flavor and firm, slightly brittle texture, aged in brine and shaped into blocks or truncated cones.ChechilArmenian HighlandsA brined string cheese that originated either in Armenia or in Georgia, it has a consistency approximating that of suluguni or mozzarella and is produced in the form of dense strings, rolled up in a figure eight of thick braid-shaped ropes.Kanach panirShirak A mold-ripened cheese known for its greenish appearance and crumbly texture. It is aged in clay pots or leather bags, where natural or introduced mold develops, giving the cheese a sharp flavor and soft texture. Commonly consumed in the Shirak Province, it is typically served fresh and not used in cooked dishes.LoriLoriA semi-soft Armenian cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk. Similar to halloumi, its curds are boiled during production and the cheese is preserved in brine.MotalSyunik and ArtsakhA traditional Armenian brined cheese made primarily from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk. It is aged for several months in tki, leather containers made from animal hides, and may include herbs such as wild thyme. The cheese has a crumbly texture and a strong, distinctive flavor.Tel panirArmenian HighlandsTel panir is a traditional Armenian string cheese made from strained, fermented milk. A type of chechil cheese, it’s known for its distinctive braided or threaded form.YeghegnadzorVayots DzorA semi-soft, aromatic cheese traditionally aged in clay vessels buried underground. Made from cow's or goat's milk with local herbs and seeds, it develops a sharp, salty flavor and creamy, slightly crumbly texture after at least six months of underground maturation. Also known as horats panir.
China
The dominant Han Chinese culture is not dairy-centric, in part due to low rates of lactase persistence. However, some indigenous sociolinguistic groups in regions of the country, such as Inner Mongolia, Tibet and Yunnan, have strong cheese traditions. Name ImageRegionDescriptionByaslagMild, unripened Mongolian cheese made from yak or cow milk.Chura kampo(Tibetan dried cheese) is a Tibetan cheese and important within the cuisine of Tibet. Chura kampo is made from the curds that are left over from boiling buttermilk.Chura loenpaA Tibetan cheese that is significant within the cuisine of Tibet. It is a soft cheese, similar to cottage cheese, made from the curds that are left over from boiling buttermilk.KurutA Central Asian cheese made from the solids of naturally soured milk which are then rolled into balls and allowed to air-dry. It is used in Uyghur cuisine, among others, and was also found as a grave good for some of the Tarim mummies.NguriA buffalo's milk cheese of Fujian province, China. It is in a ball-shape approximately the size of a table tennis ball and has a soft, leathery texture.RubingA firm, fresh goat milk cheese made in the Yunnan Province of China by people of the Bai and Sani (recognized as a branch of the Yi in China) minorities. Pictured is fried rubing cheese.RushanThe name means "milk fan" as it is said to resemble a folding fan. It is traditionally made by the Bai people.
Georgia
Name ImageRegionDescriptionImeruliImeretiA "quick cheese" made from cow's milk. It has a soft "springy" texture and a salty, slightly sour flavour.SulguniSamegreloA pickled Georgian cheese from the Samegrelo region. It has a sour, moderately salty flavor, a dimpled texture, and an elastic consistency; these attributes are the result of the process used, as is the source of its moniker "pickle cheese". Its color ranges from white to pale yellow. Sulguni is often deep-fried, which masks its odor. It is often served in wedges.TeniliMeskhetiA string cheese made from either ewe's or cow's milk. It has been included in the Intangible cultural heritage of Georgia since 2013.
India
Name ImageRegionDescriptionBandelAn Asian cheese that originated in a Portuguese colony Bandel located in eastern India. Today, production is concentrated in the towns of Tarakeswar and Bishnupur, Bankura, near Kolkata, West Bengal, India.Made by separating the curds from the whey with lemon juice. It is then molded, drained in small baskets, and smoked.Paneer The origin of paneer is debated. Ancient Indian, Afghan-Iranian and Portuguese-Bengali origins have been proposed for paneer. Paneer is now widespread in most of the Indian subcontinent.A fresh cheese common in South Asian cuisine. In eastern parts of Indian subcontinent, it is generally called Chhana. It is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese made by curdling heated full-fat milk(mostly buffalo) with lemon juice, yogurt, vinegar, or any other food acids.Khoa Batti Chikna Daane Pindi DhapA dairy food widely used in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, encompassing India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Punjab, and PakistanKhoa is a type of cheese made by boiling and reducing milk until it becomes a thick, sticky mass. It is often used in Indian sweets such as barfi and gulab jamun and has a sweet, nutty taste.ChhanaProduced mostly in eastern Indian states of Odisha and West Bengal; it is the chief ingredient of many Bengali sweets.A fresh, unripened curd cheese made from cow or water buffalo milk. A crumbly and moist form of paneer, it is used to make desserts such as rosogolla (রসগোল্লা). It is used in various Hindu religious rituals. The earliest reference of cheese in India dates back to 1400 BCE.Dahi ChhanaIt was generally homemade in Odisha households of the Cuttack region, but its production has now become very rare.Very similar to chhana in texture, it has a deep, reddish-brown color, and is more distinctly flavorful. It is rich in whey protein. It is produced from traditional buttermilk, and a large quantity of milk is required to produce even small amounts of Dahi Chhana. It has a long shelf life, and can be kept in earthen sikkas for months.KalariOriginated from Chenani in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.Also known as Kiladi or Maish Krej (Kashmiri: ميش کريج,).Kalimpong cheeseOriginates from Kalimpong, a hill station in the Indian state of West Bengal.When unripe, Kalimpong cheese is a little like the Welsh Caerphilly, slightly acidic and a little crumbly with a relatively smooth (edible) rind and not particularly strong-smelling.QudamOriginates from the Gujjar tribes of Kashmir.
Indonesia