Cheese is one of the world's most popular snacks.
Cheese, a food that has maintained its popularity since prehistoric times, comes in hundreds of varieties. It is made from the milk of several different animals--cows, goats, sheep, buffalo, horse and camel. The fat content of the milk and whether or not it is pasteurized impact the type of cheese that people make from it. According to the Types of Cheese website, five of the most popular varieties are cheddar cheese, goat cheese, feta cheese, blue cheese and Swiss cheese.
Cheddar
Cheddar cheese is the most widely eaten cheese in the world, according to Cheese.com. It is a fully cured, hard cheese that was first made in an English village called Cheddar. The natural color is pale yellow, but many manufacturers add coloring to make it orange. Cheddar ranges from mild to sharp varieties, depending on how long it has been aged. People usually eat cheddar with crackers or sliced on sandwiches and burgers.
Goat Cheese
As the name suggests, goat cheese is made from goat milk. Sometimes called "chevre," goat cheese is slightly bitter in taste. It is usually a soft cheese that spreads well but can also be firm. Restaurants often serve chevres as dessert cheeses and as ingredients in fine dishes. The cheese is originally from France.
Feta Cheese
Feta cheese is also made of goat's milk, although it also includes sheep's milk (it can be made from cow's milk as well). The most popular cheese in Greece, feta is white, solid and crumbly. Feta has a strong, often salty, taste. Feta is often crumbled over salads and is used in may Greek pastries.
Blue Cheese
Mold spores give blue cheese its distinctive taste and blue color. Cheese.com describes the taste as "tangy, piquant, spicy and peppery." Blue cheese is commonly used in salad dressings.
Swiss Cheese
Swiss cheese is known for its large holes--or eyes--which are caused by gas bubbles during the production process. The cheese is named for Switzerland, which first produced varieties of this kind of cheese. It is a lightly colored, mild-tasting cheese that pairs well with fruits like apples, pears and grapes.
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