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.

Wensleydale cheese is a cheese produced in the town of Hawes in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, England. There are five main types:

• Real Yorkshire Wensleydale is usually shaped into a variety of weights in a range of moulds from a small flat disc known as a “truckle” that is highly pressed, and preserved in wax, to several larger cheeses—it is a mild cheese with an acidic-honeyed flavour
• Mature Wensleydale is a harder, more highly-flavoured version of the Real Yorkshire Wensleydale and highly prized by cheese connoisseurs
• Extra Mature Wensleydale the strongest Wensleydale cheese, matured for nine months
• Blue Wensleydale has blue veins and is produced in range of sizes. It is highly flavoured but less salty than the classic British blue Stilton
• Oak Smoked Wensleydale is cold smoked to produce a cheese with a special tang and texture

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.