Chhurpi is made from the milk of a yak or chauri (a hybrid of yak and cattle). Both types are hard. It is prepared in a local dairy or at home from a material extracted out of buttermilk called sergem . The sergem is wrapped in cloth, usually jute bags, and pressed hard to get rid of water. Then, it dries out and becomes similar to cheese. Finally, in this cheese-like stage; it is cut into pieces, and hung over the smoke to make it stone hard.

Today, Laguiole is made in three different départements: Aveyron, Cantal and Lozère by the coopérative Jeune Montagne. They are the only ones who are licensed to produce this cheese. With a 45% fat content, Laguiole has a pressed, uncooked paste made exclusively from raw, unpasteurized French Simmental or Aubrac cow’s milk collected between May and October at more than 800m altitude. 666 tonnes were produced in 1998 (-9.14% since 1996) from 20,000 – 30,000 litres of milk furnished from 79 different farms.

The Tome weighs 40-50kg and is distinguished by a bull sign and its name stamped on the rind, as well as by an aluminum identification plaque. Its production process starts with renneting before the curd is pressed in two consecutive stages. Maturing takes at least six months and may be as long as twelve months. The rind is natural and thick, the straw-colored paste supple and firm, and the texture rich and creamy. Recommended wines: Fruity red wines such as the Marcillac, Cahors or Etraygues.

In its earliest form, Monterey Jack was made by the Mexican Franciscan friars of Monterey, California, during the 1800s. A Californian businessman by the name of David Jack first began to mass market the cheese. He produced a mild, white cheese, which came to be known at first as “Jack’s Cheese”, and eventually “Monterey Jack”.

Most of the softer types generally found in American markets are aged for only one month, while another variety of Monterey Jack is aged for up to six months.

An aged version of this cheese, known as Dry jack, can be churned or grated and used much like Parmesan cheese. Dry Jack was originally developed during World War II by Peter Vella as the Italian styled cheeses became increasingly difficult to obtain due to the embargo imposed on Italy during the war.

Another version called Pepper jack mixes hot peppers with Monterey Jack for a zesty flavor. Pepper jack is often used as an alternative cheese in dishes such as quesadillas, but can be eaten with bread or crackers as a snack.

A common misspelling is ‘Monterrey Jack’, presumably in confusion with the Mexican city of Monterrey.
Because of its low content of tyramine, an organic compound thought to be associated with headaches, it is frequently recommended as one of the few cheeses that are safe to eat for migraine sufferers.

The small cylindrical goat cheese from the area around Chavignol has been produced since the 16th century, but it wasn’t until 1829 that it was first written about. The etymology is dubious: the word “Crot” described a small oil lamp made from burned clay, which resembles the mold used to prepare the cheese. Another explanation is that old “Crottin” gets harder and browner and tends to look like dung.

Protected by the AOC Seal, Crottin de Chavignol is produced today with traditional methods. If a cheese is found at a cheese counter labeled “Crottin”, it is of the Crottin type, but to be labeled “Crottin de Chavignol”, it has to be from the area around Chavignol, and it has to meet the stringent AOC production criteria.

The flavour of Crottin de Chavignol is subtle and slightly nutty. In its youth, its dough is solid and compact, and its rind is white. As it ripens, the dough becomes crumbly and the mould on the rind matures into a bluish colour. The bluish colour doesn’t mean that the cheese is no longer edible – quite the opposite.

Olomoucké tvarůžky is the only original Czech cheese with a distinctive, pungent taste. This natural matured soft cheese is free of any chemical additives. The first written mention of this cheese dates back to the 15th century. The A. W. Company has been making this cheese since 1876. There is a small museum devoted to the cheese at the A. W. Company production plant in Loštice.

The oldest references to the manufacture of cheese in Olomouc date from the 16th Century, but it is likely they refered to a more traditional cheese than the present Olomoucké tvarůžky. Olomoucké tvarůžky was eaten by Emperor Rudolf II. Until the 19th century, Olomoucké tvarůžky was produced in the villages surrounding Olomouc, and was generally regarded as a peasant food. It was at this time that the cheese began to be referred to as Olomouc cheese. The organized manufacture of Olomoucké tvarůžky is affiliated with Joseph Wessels and his son Alois, who industrialized production of the cheese in 1892.

The cheese is from milk that is cultured and heated until the curd is separate from the whey. Some of the whey is then drained, and water is added. This is called “washing the curd”, and creates a sweeter cheese, as the washing removes some of the lactic acid. About ten percent of the mixture is curd which are pressed into circular moulds for several hours. These moulds are the essential reason behind its traditional, characteristic shape. The cheese is then soaked in a brine solution which gives the cheese and its rind a distinctive taste. The cheese is then dried for a couple of days before being coated to prevent it from drying out, then it is aged. Depending on age classification, it can be any time between a number of weeks to over 7 years before it is ready to be eaten. As it ages it develops a caramel sweetness and sometimes has a slight crunchiness from salt-like calcium lactate or tyrosine crystals that form in older cheeses.

The term “Gouda” is now a universal name, and not restricted to cheese of Dutch origin. The term “Noord-Hollandse Gouda” is registered in the EU as a Protected Geographical Status. The cheese itself was originally developed in Gouda which is in the Dutch province South Holland, hence the registered name referring to North Holland seems incorrect. However, Noord Holland is the recognised premium pasture area of Holland, being land claimed from the sea by the use of dikes.

Oka cheese has a pungent aroma and soft creamy flavour, sometimes described as nutty and fruity. Oka is covered with a copper-orange, hand-washed rind. The consistent high-quality of care lavished on this distinctively fragrant cheese options it as an excellent substitute for many semi-soft ripened cheeses in any dish — or as a component on cheese platters.

There are four types of Oka cheese, regular, classic, light and providence. ‘Regular’ Oka can be made from both pasteurized and raw cow’s milk. It is a pressed, semi-soft cheese that is surface ripened for some 30 days. The ‘Classic’ is ripened for an additional month. Aging is done in refrigerated aging cellars. The cheese rounds are placed on cypress slats and the cheeses are periodically turned and washed in a weak brine solution. ‘Providence’ Oka is of a much more creamy and soft texture then either ‘Classic’ or ‘Regular, while ‘Light’ is similar to ‘Regular’, but with a lower percentage of fat.

Oka cheese was heavily influenced by the work of the monks of the Cistercian Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac (fr. Abbaye Cistercienne d’Oka). Within a few years, through an affiliation with the Université de Montréal, the monastery created an agricultural school. Frequently called the Abbaye Notre-Dame-du-Lac, the Trappist monastery became well known for its Port-Salut cheese, made from a Breton recipe brought with them from France.

Gruyère is sweet but slightly salty, with a flavor that varies widely with age. It is often described as creamy and nutty when young, becoming with age more assertive, earthy, and complex. When fully aged (five months to a year) it tends to have small holes and cracks which impart a slightly grainy mouthfeel. To make an 80 kg (176 lb.) round of Gruyère cheese, about 800 litres (211 gallons) of milk are used.

Gruyère is generally known as one of the finest cheeses for baking, having a distinctive but not overpowering taste. In quiche, gruyère adds savoriness without overshadowing the other ingredients. It is a good melting cheese, particularly suited for fondues, along with Vacherin and emmental. It is also traditionally used in French onion soup, as well as in croque monsieur, a classic French toasted ham and cheese sandwich. Gruyere is also used in chicken and veal cordon bleu. It is a fine table cheese, and when grated, it is often used with salads and pastas. It is used, grated, atop le tourin, a type of garlic soup from France which is served on dried bread. White wines, such as riesling, pair well with gruyère. Sparkling apple cider and Bock beer are also beverage affinities.

To make Gruyère, raw milk is heated to 34 °C (93 °F) in a copper vat, and then curdled by the addition of liquid rennet. The curd is cut up into pieces the size of a grain of rice and stirred, releasing whey. The curd is cooked at 43 °C (109 °F), and raised quickly to 54 °C (129 °F). The pieces shrivel up, and the mixture is placed in molds to be pressed. After salting in brine, the cheese is ripened for two months at room temperature, generally on wooden boards. Gruyère can be cured for 3 to 10 months, with long curing producing a cheese of intense flavour.

The legend of Chabichou goes back to 732, at the time of the defeat of the Saracens in the area, in the 8th century, after the Battle of Poitiers. Many of them left the area but some settled there with their families and, in particular, their goat herds. The countryside was appropriate for grazing the “poor man’s cow”, as the pastures were excellent. The cheese was then named cheblis (“goat”, in Arabic), which would become “chabichou” thereafter. However, the domestication of the goat in this area is supposed to date back to Roman colonization, and extends up to the present.

Chabichou du Poitou, made exclusively in the Poitou-Charentes region, acquired its AOC status in 1990 with the assistance of the efforts of Ségolène Royal. It is known for its characteristic label. Its production rose to 555 tons in 2003. Since 1782, Chabichou du Poitou has been mentioned in the French “Guide du voyageur à Poitiers et aux environs”. When regional wine production slowed in the late 1800s due to the European phylloxera crisis, production of Chabichou increased; production increased again with the development of the cooperative dairies (1906 in Bougon).

The AOC production zone is limited to an area south of Haut-Poitou: the south of Vienne, the Deux-Sèvres and the north of the Charente.

The cheese is white, tangy, crumbly and slightly moist, with distinctive veins of green mould. It has characteristic odor and flavor with a notable taste of butyric acid; the green veins provide a sharp tang. The overall flavor sensation begins slightly mild, then waxes sweet, then smoky, and fades to a salty finish. It has no rind; the exterior is edible and slightly salty. A typical wheel of Roquefort weighs between 2.5 and 3 kilograms, and is about 10 cm thick. Each kilogram of finished cheese requires about 4.5 litres of milk.