Best Cheeses Around The World: One of my favourite things about traveling is food. Cheese can be served as an hors d’ oeuvre or in mixed into salads, soups, pastas, and several other preparations. It is highly nutritious and made from milk from a variety of mammals like goats, water buffalo, sheep, reindeer, camels, yaks, and others. There are a plethora of different types of cheeses, all with their own distinct taste and character. I think choosing a place where you are a fan of the cuisine is a great and usual way to travel. Here I’ve outlined some of my favourite cheeses and where they are from which might get you excited about going there!
One which is very close to my heart and simply has to be in my list of is cheddar. In olden days, cheddar was made only in England (my home). Today, cheddar cheeses are made in several countries all over the world. It is the most popular cheese worldwide. Always made from cow’s milk, cheddar cheese is hard and natural with a crumbly texture if properly cured. If too young, it is smooth. Its taste sharpens further with age.
Another great cheese I’ve encountered on my travels would be parmesan cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano. It is made in the Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, and Mantua. It is usually served grated over pastas and used in soups and risottos. It has a hard texture with a strong and rich nutty taste.
Camembert cheese was created with raw milk in 1971 by Marie Harel in the Normandy region of France. It has a bland, hard, crumbly texture and, when young, is milky and sweet. As it matures it develops a smooth, runny interior and a rich, buttery flavor. This cheese is a perfect match to light red wines.
Feta has to be the most popular Greek cheese. It is traditionally made with a mixture of goat’s milk mixed with sheep’s milk. It is a salty, tangy cheese, soaked in a brine solution which is what gives it the salty taste. This makes it a good pair for beer, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, and zinfandel wines.
Of course mozzarella is on my list of favourites. This Italian cheese has a springy, stringy, and supple texture. It is most popularly known as the ideal cheese used with cooking pizzas. It was originally made from milk of water buffalos herded in Italy or Bulgaria. These days, though, they are made mostly from cow’s milk.
Boursin cheese is a creamy and spreadable cheese first made in the Normandy region of France in 1957 by Francois Boursin. This cheese now comes in several flavours spiced up with a variety of herbs like tomato, onion, chive, nuts, garlic, shallot, and cranberry. Boursin cheese can be used with salads and pastas. It is also eaten as a starter spread out on a cracker.
Of course there are so many cheeses that I haven’t managed to list. Practically every country has its own delicacy when it comes to cheese. This list is simply to whet your appetite. Next time you go travelling don’t forget to pack some crackers!
James is a food enthusiast who runs Adventurous James – a travel blog that documents his adventures.
