Cheese, Please - Different Types of Cheese

I am personally a big cheese fan and so is my husband. We love trying different types of cheese and anytime we travel we always go to different cheese shops. These days, it's pretty expensive to buy cheese, especially if you eat a lot of it, but it's so good, who could say no? Here is just a brief look at the different types, maybe you can add some to your next meal. The best thing about it is, it seems to make almost every thing taste better!

Blue-Veined Cheeses
Gorgonzola: An aged, distinctively sharp semisoft cheese with a creamy interior streaked with blue-green veins. This is excellent for dessert, in salads, or tasting with a full-bodies red wine. It also teams up naturally with pears and walnuts. When it's aged over six months, Gorgonzola takes on a strong aroma.

Maytag Blue: The best-known American Blue cheese (made by the same Maytag people who make wahing machines)! Ivory-colored blue cheese marbled with blue-grey veins. It has a tangy, slightly sweet flavor with a firm, crumbly texture.

Stilton: A blue cheese first sold in the small village of Stilton in Huntingdonshire, England. Stilton is made from whole milk and is allowed to ripen between four to six months. It has a creamy blue-green veined interior that is slightly crumbly. It's a rich creamy, cheese with a pungent bite. It's best enjoyed with a glass of port or full-bodied red wine.

Soft Cheeses
Goat Cheese: The French call this pure white goat's milk cheese chevre. It's sold in many shapes, but logs are most common. It has a distinct tart flavor and is sometimes coated in edible ash, herbs, or pepper. Store this cheese tightly wrapped for two weeks in the refrigerator.

Feta: The classic Greek cheese. It's salty and sharp, firm and crumbly. Feta is usually sold pressed into a square cake and packed in brine. It's great crumbled over a salad or on pizza!

Brie: A soft-ripened cheese that is known for it's oozing, buttery interior and snow white edible rind. Once it's ripe, Brie has a short shelf life and should be used within a few days. It's a popular appetizer wrapped in pastry and baked.

Mascarpone: A soft and fresh triple cream dessert cheese with fluffy texture. It's best known for its use in tiramisu, which combines this sweet cheese with ladyfingers soaked in espresso.

Semisoft Cheeses
Fontina: One of Italy's great cheeses with a pronounced flavor and smooth, creamy texture. A superb melting cheese. A Sweedinsh-style fontina is also available, it's firmer and milder flavored.

String Mozzarella: A type of mozzarella shaped into ropes or sticks that "string" when pulled apart. This one makes great pizza cheese also.

Pepper Jack: A creamy, smooth and pliable version of Monterey Jack cheese flecked with bits of hot peppers. It slices well and melts readily. This cheese is used often in Mexican dishes.

Gouda: America's favorite Dutch cheese with a buttery, nutlike flavor. You can enjoy this one cubed as a snack or in a salad or sandwich. The smoked version of this cheese is also rather popular. Gouda's a great match for beer and dark bread.

Hard or Firm Cheeses
Asiago: A popular pale yellow Italian cheese with rich, nutty flavor. A great snack cheese when young, accompanied with beer or a full-bodied wine. It's also good for grating when it's aged over a year.

Smoked Cheddar: A deep golden Cheddar with an edible brown rind. It is creamy with a nutty flavor and a smooth, firm texture. One of my personal favorites!

Jarlsberg: A buttery rich cheese from Norway with a creamy texture and mellow, nutty flavor. This is an all-purpose cheese, good for salads, snacking, and cooking.

Very Hard Cheeses
Romano: A sharp and tangy, slightly salty, hard cheese. Available as pepato with black peppercorns throughout it's white interior. A great cheese for grating for the same uses as parmesan.

Parmigiano-Reggiano: Italy's luxurious hard grating cheese that's typically aged at least two years. With a prized granular texture (from long aging) and complex sharp flavor, this cheese is best eaten unadorned and with fresh fruit.

No matter what type of cheese it is, it's good! For anyone who loves cheese (believe me there are millions of cheese lovers) this is the perfect guide for you to check out. See what cheeses you want to try cooking with, snacking on, or putting on a sandwich. Most cheese do go well with red wines and many go well with beer. These are not all of the cheeses listed above, but it is quite a bit! Enjoy your cheesy experience!