Types Of Cheeses

There are more than 400 different types of cheeses—with more than 2,000 different names—and several different ways to classify them. Sometimes cheeses are classified according to their ripening methods. Cheeses ripened by microbes added to the curds, such as Gorgonzola and Roquefort, are called interior-ripened cheeses. Cheeses ripened by the action of microbes rubbed on their surfaces, such as Brie and Camembert, are called surface-ripened cheeses.

Cheeses are often grouped by their moisture content into fresh, soft, semisoft, hard, and very hard cheeses. Many of these classifications overlap because the texture of a cheese changes as it ages. Fresh cheeses, such as cottage cheese, are the soft, moist curds that have been cut and drained of their whey but never cooked or ripened. Cottage cheese is simply drained, mixed with cream or milk, and seasoned. However, some fresh cheeses, such as cream cheese and ricotta, are lightly pressed or molded to improve their shape and consistency.

Soft cheeses, such as Brie and Camembert, have a creamy consistency with a cardboard-like rind and are usually surface-ripened. Semisoft cheeses have a smooth texture and are usually uncooked. The interior-ripened blue-veined cheeses—such as Blue cheese, Roquefort, and Gorgonzola—fall under the semisoft category. Washed-rind cheeses, or cheeses that are rubbed with brine-soaked cloths during ripening, are also considered semisoft cheeses. Well known semisoft, washed-rind cheeses include Muenster and Limburger.