There are countless varieties worldwide. But the truth is always on your tongue. We present four of the most popular types of cheese here. The following applies to everyone: Buy from a specialist dealer, because then you will receive advice – and the best quality.
Soft cheese
The stars on every cheese board
Camembert, Brie, Coulommiers, Munster, Romadur, Limburger, and many more: Soft cheese comes in countless delicious varieties. They all have a mushroomy aroma in common, which is reminiscent of mushrooms or – in the case of strong varieties – also of wild mushrooms. Depending on the milk used, connoisseurs can also taste nut, marzipan, or lamb aromas. Typical of all soft cheeses is the velvety and mostly white rind, which is very even and thick in industrially produced varieties, and often thinner and slightly reddish in places in handmade cheeses. You can eat them in general.
Hard cheese
Matured for a long time for a full aroma
With hard cheese, the older the cheese, the more complex its aroma. In the course of maturing, the water content is reduced, there are smooth, softer hard cheeses such as Emmental or Gruyère or very hard cheeses with a grainy and almost crystalline consistency such as the Italian classics Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano, which have a particularly long shelf life. By the way: Since hard cheese contains only a little water, its fat content is comparatively high.
Cream cheese
The young
They are particularly easy to recognize because cream cheese has no rind. They do not have to mature for long and – depending on the variety – can be eaten just a few hours or days after production. The high water content gives cream cheese its creamy, delicate consistency and the often milky and mild taste. Good to know: Compared to other types of cheese, cream cheese is particularly low in fat because it contains a lot of water. The best-known cream cheese varieties include mozzarella, ricotta, feta, and quark.
Blue cheese
Much loved by connoisseurs
Fans of blue cheese know that mold is not always a bad thing. Originally, the marbled cheeses matured in damp caves. The mold growth was probably an accident at the time – today it is precisely this that is appreciated by gourmets all over the world. For the production, noble mold is added to the milk or injected into the unripe cheese, which then gradually develops fine traces of mold. Blue cheeses have a very complex taste and are particularly aromatic. The most popular varieties include Roquefort, Gorgonzola, and Stilton. By the way: many varieties are firm enough to be sliced and soft enough to be spread and therefore fall into the “semi-hard cheese” category.
