World Cheeses Quiz

Answer: Sheep's milk. Roquefort AOP is made exclusively from raw sheep's milk, mainly from the Lacaune breed, and aged in the natural caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.

Answer: Raclette de Savoie. Raclette de Savoie is a semi-hard pressed cheese designed to melt easily, historically eaten by Swiss shepherds and later popularised in France with the raclette grill.

Answer: Cyprus. Traditionally made with goat's and sheep's milk, halloumi is heated during production, which lets it keep its shape on the grill. It 'squeaks' between the teeth and has had a European protected designation since 2021.

Answer: Brie. Brie exists in two main PDOs: Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun, both from the Île-de-France region and known for their white, downy rind caused by Penicillium candidum.

Answer: France. France traditionally claims more than 1,000 different cheese varieties, a diversity that General de Gaulle referenced in his famous remark about the difficulty of governing a country with so many cheeses.

Answer: Cheddar. Cheddar, originally from the English village of the same name in Somerset, is today the most produced and consumed cheese in the world across all origins, with very varied ageing levels.

Answer: The Laughing Cow. The Laughing Cow (La Vache qui rit), created in 1921 by Léon Bel, is an iconic processed cheese recognisable by its laughing cow logo wearing earrings shaped like the product's own packaging.

Answer: Gorgonzola. Made in Lombardy and Piedmont, Gorgonzola comes in two main styles: the creamy, mild "dolce", and the firmer, more aged, sharper "piccante" (or "naturale").

Answer: Mozzarella. Most industrial mozzarella is made from cow's milk, not buffalo milk. The United States is now its largest producer.

Answer: Penicillium roqueforti. Penicillium roqueforti is injected or naturally present in the cheese curd; as it develops upon contact with air (through needles piercing the paste), it creates the famous blue marbling.

Answer: Grey and bumpy. Matured Mimolette develops a grey, hard, bumpy rind caused by tiny mites (called 'cirons') that deliberately burrow into it during ageing, a traditional practice typical of this specialty from northern France.

Answer: Beaufort. Beaufort is traditionally shaped in a wooden hoop called a 'Beaufort circle' that gives it its characteristic slightly concave sides, historically making it easier to transport by mule.

Answer: Salers. Salers takes its name from the Salers cattle breed, whose milk is exclusively used in its traditional production during the mountain grazing season (April to November).

Answer: Manchego. PDO Manchego comes from La Mancha (Castile-La Mancha) and uses only the milk of Manchega sheep. The zigzag on its rind recalls the braided grass bands once used to mould it.

Answer: Taleggio. Taleggio takes its name from the Val Taleggio in Lombardy, where it was traditionally aged in natural caves with constant temperature and humidity — a method some producers still use today.

Answer: Pule. Pule is made at the Zasavica nature reserve in Serbia, from the milk of Balkan donkeys. It takes about 25 litres of milk to make a single kilo of cheese, explaining its very high price.

Answer: Gruyère and Vacherin Fribourgeois. A speciality of the canton of Fribourg, it mixes equal parts of a strong cheese and a melting one. Tradition says whoever loses their bread in the pot buys a round.