List of cheeses

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.
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.
There are two types of Mongolian cheese (бяслаг). They are similar in taste and are like a cross between mozzarella and an unsalted feta cheese.
Germany's cheese production accounts for approximately one-third of all European-produced cheeses.
The Netherlands is one of the major cheese producing countries of Europe, with a tradition of cheesemaking as shown by the Dutch cheese markets.
The history of cheesemaking in Poland goes back to 5500 BC, when cheese similar to mozzarella was produced in Neolithic times in Kujawy (north-central Poland).
Poland is the 7th largest cheese producer in the world and has the 18th highest cheese consumption.
Marek Kosmulski described over 600 types of Polish cheeses manufactured between 1948 and 2019.
Switzerland is home to over 450 varieties of cheese. Cows milk is used in about 99 percent of the cheeses produced. The remaining share is made up of sheep milk and goat milk.
The British Cheese Board states that there are over 700 named British cheeses produced in the UK.
The Levant is a geographical region east of the Mediterranean Sea which includes the countries of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Palestine and sometimes it includes Cyprus and the Turkish province of Hatay
Some types of cheese were either developed in various locales independently (usually as un-aged products from the beginning stages of dairy processing and cheesemaking), or are not actually cheese products. Examples include: