There are many different types of cheese. Cheeses can be grouped or classified according to cheese broccoli soup such as length of fermentation, texture, methods of production, fat content, animal milk, and country or region of origin.

The method most commonly and traditionally used is based on moisture content, which is then further narrowed down by fat content and curing or ripening methods. The combination of types produces around 51 different varieties recognized by the International Dairy Federation, over 400 identified by Walter and Hargrove, over 500 by Burkhalter, and over 1,000 by Sandine and Elliker. The main factor in categorizing these cheeses is age. Fresh cheeses without additional preservatives can spoil in a matter of days. For these simplest cheeses, milk is curdled and drained, with little other processing. Whey cheeses are fresh cheeses made from whey, a by-product from the process of producing other cheeses which would otherwise be discarded. Stretched curd, for which the Italian term pasta filata is often used, is a group of cheeses where the hot curd is stretched, today normally mechanically, producing various effects.

Swiss-type cheeses, also known as Alpine cheeses, are a group of hard or semi-hard cheeses with a distinct character, whose origins lie in the Alps of Europe, although they are now eaten and imitated in most cheesemaking parts of the world. The general eating characteristics of the Alpine cheeses are a firm but still elastic texture, flavor that is not sharp, acidic or salty, but rather nutty and buttery. When melted, which they often are in cooking, they are “gooey”, and “slick, stretchy and runny”. Categorizing cheeses by moisture content or firmness is a common but inexact practice. The lines between soft, semi-soft, semi-hard and hard are arbitrary, and many types of cheese are made in softer or firmer variants. The factor that controls cheese hardness is moisture content, which depends on the pressure with which it is packed into molds, and upon aging time.

Brie and Neufchâtel are soft-type cheeses that mature for no more than a month. Neufchâtel is a soft cheese which can be sold after 10 days of maturation. Semi-soft cheeses, and the sub-group Monastery cheeses, have a high moisture content and tend to be mild-tasting. Well-known varieties include Havarti, Munster, Port Salut and Butterkäse.

Cheeses that range in texture from semi-soft to firm include Swiss-style cheeses such as Emmental and Gruyère. The same bacteria that give such cheeses their eyes also contribute to their aromatic and sharp flavours. Harder cheeses have a lower moisture content than softer cheeses. They are generally packed into molds under more pressure and aged for a longer time than the soft cheeses.

Hard cheeses—grating cheeses such as Grana Padano, Parmesan or Pecorino—are quite firmly packed into large forms and aged for months or years. Some cheeses are categorized by the source of the milk used to produce them or by the added fat content of the milk from which they are produced. While most of the world’s commercially available cheese is made from cow’s milk, many parts of the world also produce cheese from goats and sheep. There are three main categories of cheese in which the presence of mold is an important feature: soft-ripened cheeses, washed-rind cheeses and blue cheeses. Soft-ripened cheeses begin firm and rather chalky in texture, but are aged from the exterior inwards by exposing them to mold. The mold may be a velvety bloom of P. So-called blue cheese is created by inoculating a cheese with Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium glaucum.

Granular cheese is a type of cheese produced by repeatedly stirring and draining a mixture of curd and whey. It can refer to a wide variety of cheeses, including the grana cheeses such as Parmigiano-Reggiano. Brined or pickled cheese is matured in a solution of brine in an airtight or semi-permeable container. This process gives the cheese good stability, inhibiting bacterial growth even in hot countries. Brined cheeses may be soft or hard, varying in moisture content, and in color and flavor, according to the type of milk used. Processed cheese is made from traditional cheese and emulsifying salts, often with the addition of milk, more salt, preservatives, and food coloring.