Cheese Classifications: Texture, Covering, Ripening or Cooking Types

There are many ways to classify cheese. Some classify cheese by the texture of it, whether it's hard or soft, or by the ripening of it, bacteria or mold. Here are the four main types of classification groups of cheese and the descriptions of each.

Explore the different classes below, and read further for details on notable cheeses.

Classifications of Cheese by Texture:

1. Hard Grating Cheeses (Parmesan, Sbrinz)
2. Firm/Hard (Emmental, Cheddar, Provolone)
3. Semisoft (Brick, Muenster, Roquefort, Talleggio)
4. Soft (Camembert, Brie)
5. Fresh (Ricotta, cottage)
6. Processed (smooth cheeses made from mixing several cheeses or adding other ingredients: American, cheese spreads)

   Notes:
   When choosing varieties for a cheeseboard, a selection of different textures can be nice. By choosing a cheese by texture only, many different flavors can be found for each type; for example Roquefort and Brick may semisoft, but one is crumbly and a bleu cheese and the other is elastic and slightly sweet. This is a popular way to classify cheeses.

Classifications of Cheese by Covering:

1. Hard/Leather/Waxed Rind (larger cheeses, longer maturity, pressed to remove moisture: Raclette, Gruyère, Gouda)
2. Bloomy/Downy Rind (soft rinds, often 'fuzzy', usually softens with ages: Brie)
3. Natural Rind (interior is soft to firm with a natural rind that has a soft gray/blue color or that often changes color with age: Sainte Maure, Pouligny St. Pierre)
4. Saltwater Washed Rind (saltwater-bath as it ripens: Muenster, Feta)
5. Blue Cheeses (blue/green veined, cheese is cultured with bacteria to give it its colors: Stilton, Roquefort, Gorgonzola)
6. Fresh Cheese (no rind, high water content, unripened: fromage frais, Demi-sel, Ricotta, fresh goat cheese, mascarpone)

   Notes:
   Often cheese will be found with a rind or natural covering. When looking at a cheeseboard with many varieties and and no labels, a quick look at the rind will give a clue as to what is underneath. For example, cheese with a white, soft, often downy or velvety rind usually holds a soft cheese with a buttery to tangy taste, often more smooth and runny as it ages, like Camembert, Brie and Toma Valcuvia.

Classifications of Cheese by Ripening:

1. Bacteria ripened from outside (Cheddar, Parmesan)
2. Bacteria ripened from inside (Limburger, Liederkranz)
3. Mold ripened from outside (Stilton, Saga Bleu)
4. Mold ripened from inside (St. André, Explorateur)
5. Unripened (Cottage)

Classifications of Cheese by Cooking Types:

1. Cheddar-Style (golden/white colored, firm, shreds nice, good melting qualities: Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Gouda)
2. Swiss-Style (white/cream colored, tangy, firm, shreds nice: Swiss, Jarlsburg, Gruyère, Emmentaler)
3. Parmesan-Style (hard to very hard, nutty in flavor, grates nice: Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, Romano, Asiago)
4. Bleu Cheese-Style (crumbly, sharp to smooth in flavor: Gorgonzola, Stilton, Bleu d'Avergne, Roquefort)
5. Ricotta-Style (soft, high in water, mild flavor: Ricotta, cottage cheeses)
6. Cream Cheese-Style (soft, used for spreading or incorporating: cream cheese, Neufchâtel, some fresh goat cheeses)
7. Mozzarella-Style (soft or stringy, used for pizzas/nachos: Mozzarella, Oaxaca, string cheeses)

   Notes:
   As far as cooking and baking cheeses, the seven basic types are cheddar-style, Swiss-style, Parmesan-style, bleu cheese-style, ricotta-style, cream-cheese style and mozzarella cheeses. Any cheese in the different styles can be interchanged as needed, for example, in the bleu cheese-style, a basic blue and Roquefort can be used interchangeably, although there will be some notable highlight differences between the two. When grating for pasta dishes, Asiago and Parmesan can be used in place of the other if one is not available.