Of the four main varieties of Pecorino, all of which have Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status under European Union law, Pecorino Romano is probably the best known outside Italy, especially in the United States which has been an important export market for the cheese since the 19th century. Most Pecorino Romano is produced on the island of Sardinia, though its production is also allowed in Lazio and in the Tuscan Province of Grosseto. Pecorino Romano is not especially appreciated in Italy, where it can be hard to find, as it is considered too salty.

Ultra-Seasoned Pecora cheese produced and distributed from Genova, Liguria, made from Sardinian cheese
The other three mature PDO cheeses are the Pecorino Sardo from Sardinia; Pecorino Toscano, the Tuscan relative of Pecorino Sardo (made almost exclusively by Sardinians who emigrated to Southern Tuscany with their flocks in the 1950s); and Pecorino Siciliano (or Picurinu Sicilianu in Sicilian) from Sicily. All come in a variety of styles depending on how long they have been aged. The more matured cheeses, referred to as stagionato (“seasoned” or “aged” ), are harder but still crumbly in texture and have a decisive buttery and nutty flavours. The other two types “semi-stagionato” and “fresco” have softer texture and milder cream and milk tastes.

In the South it is traditional to add black peppercorns or red chilli flakes to Pecorino. Today many other additions are made, for example walnuts or rucola or tiny pieces of white or black truffle. In Sardinia, the larvae of the cheese fly are intentionally introduced into Pecorino Sardo to produce a local delicacy called casu marzu.

A good Pecorino Stagionato is often the finish of a meal, served with pears and walnuts or drizzled with strong chestnut honey. Pecorino is also often used to finish pasta dishes, and used to be the natural choice for most Italian regions from Umbria down to Sicily, rather than the more expensive Parmigiano-Reggiano. It is still preferred today for the pasta dishes of Rome and Lazio, for example Pasta dressed with sugo all’amatriciana, Pasta Cacio e Pepe, and Pasta alla Gricia.

Prior to Malta’s accession to the European Union, the EU accepted Malta’s request to protect the traditional Maltese ġbejna, along with the traditional variant of ricotta.

Ġbejniet are a key element of Maltese cuisine. They are used as an ingredient in the traditional Maltese form of minestrone soup, soppa tal-armla (widow’s soup). They are also served with the fresh, local sourdough bread (ħobża tal-Malti) or unleavened bread (ftira) for breakfast, and are a staple component in the ubiquitous Maltese appetizer platter, along with bigilla, a savoury spread or dip based on dried broad beans, sun-dried or fresh tomatoes, capers, olives, Maltese sausage, traditional Maltese water crackers, Kapunata and grilled vegetables.

Lately, Maltese restaurants have revived the custom of using ġbejniet rather than ricotta cheese as a filling for qassatat and ravioli.

Ġbejniet are formed in cheese hurdles made of local, dried reeds, although now plastic ones are used. They are traditionally dried in small ventilated rooms, with windows protected by a special mesh mosquito net.

Gaperon is a French cheese of the Auvergne region. The Gaperon has been produced for over 1200 years in Auvergne.Gaperon is a cow’s milk cheese flavored with cracked peppercorns and garlic. It has a fluffy coat and is shaped into a dome. The inside is from and ivory to a pale yellow color depending on the season. Gaperon is available all year round with no particular best season, principally because of the pepper and garlic flavoring. The flavor is tart when the cheese is young and under ripe. As it matures, it turns to a soft and buttery consistency and an intense garlic and pepper flavor.

Raclette is both a type of cheese and, informally, a dish featuring this cheese

Traditional Raclette is a semi-firm, salted cheese made from cow’s milk. However, varieties exist made with white wine, pepper, herbs, or smoked. The cheese originated in the Swiss canton of Valais, but is today also produced in the French regions of Savoie and Franche-Comté and in Leelanau, Michigan, in the United States.

Raclette is also a dish indigenous to parts of Switzerland, Wallonia and France. The Raclette cheese round is heated, either in front of a fire or by a special machine, then scraped onto diners’ plates; the term raclette derives from the French racler, meaning “to scrape”. Traditionally, it is accompanied by small firm potatoes (Bintje, Charlotte or Raclette varieties), gherkins, pickled onions, dried meat, such as prosciutto and viande des Grisons, sliced peppers, tomato, onion, mushrooms, pears, and dusted with paprika and fresh-ground black pepper.

In the Swiss canton of Valais, raclette is typically eaten with tea or other warm beverages, or with a type of white wine called Fendant, made from the Chasselas grape. Drinking water along with your raclette is said to interfere with the digestion of the cheese, in rare occasions causing death by cheese balls forming in the stomach, although this may be an old wives’ tale as there is no scientific basis for this. It is normally accompanied by a white wine, such as the traditional Savoie wine, a Riesling or a Pinot Gris.
Raclette was mentioned in medieval writings as a particularly nutritious meal consumed by peasants in mountainous Switzerland. It was then known in the German-speaking part of Switzerland as Bratchäs, or “roasted cheese.” Traditionally, the Swiss cow herders used to take the cheese with them when they were moving cows to or from the pastures up in the mountains. In the evenings around the campfire, they would place the cheese next to the fire and, when it had reached the perfect softness, scrape it on top of some bread.

A modern way of serving raclette involves an electric table-top grill with small pans, known as coupelles, to heat slices of raclette cheese in. Generally the grill is surmounted by a hot plate or griddle. The cheese is brought to the table sliced, accompanied by platters of boiled or steamed potatoes, other vegetables, charcuterie, and perhaps seafood. Diners create their own small packages of food by cooking small amounts of meat, vegetables and seafood on the griddle. These are then mixed with potatoes and topped with cheese in the small, wedge-shaped coupelles that are placed under the grill to melt and brown the cheese. Alternatively, slices of cheese may be melted and simply poured over food on the plate. The accent in raclette dining is on relaxed and sociable eating and drinking, the meal often running to several hours. French and other European supermarkets generally stock both the grill apparatus and ready-sliced cheese and charcuterie selections for use with it. Restaurants also provide raclette evenings for parties of diners

The most common spice is thyme, thus giving the cheese its appearance somewhat resembling a dirty tennis ball. Shanklish is also sold in much smaller balls or unformed. Shanklish varies greatly in its texture and flavour. Fresh cheeses have a soft texture and mild flavour; those dried and aged for a longer period become progressively harder and can acquire an extremely pungent odour and flavour.

To make spicier cheeses, spices such as aniseed and chilli can be mixed in before the cheese is formed into balls. Spicy shanklish are often covered in chilli, especially in Syria, and thus appear red. Shanklish from the Syrian coastal plain around Tartous and the adjoining northern Lebanese region of Akkar are considered particularly delectable; these tend to be hard, with a clean strong flavour and near-white colour.

Shanklish is generally eaten with finely-chopped tomato, onion, and olive oil; and often accompanied by araq. It is a common mezze dish. Shanklish is also mashed up with eggs or crushed in a pita with cucumbers, mint, and olive oil for breakfast.