Halloumi or haloumi is a cheese of East Mediterranean origin made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's milk. Its texture is described as squeaky. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled, a property that makes it a popular meat substitute. Rennet is used to curdle the milk in halloumi production, although no acid-producing bacteria are used in its preparation.
Feta is a Greek brined white cheese made from sheep's milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat's milk. It is soft, with small or no holes, a compact touch, few cuts, and no skin. Crumbly with a slightly grainy texture, it is formed into large blocks and aged in brine. Its flavor is tangy and salty, ranging from mild to sharp. Feta is used as a table cheese, in salads such as Greek salad, and in pastries, notably the phyllo-based Greek dishes spanakopita "spinach pie" and tyropita "cheese pie". It is often served with olive oil or olives, and sprinkled with aromatic herbs such as oregano. It can also be served cooked, as part of a sandwich, in omelettes, and many other dishes.
Goat cheese, goat's cheese or chèvre is cheese made from goat's milk. Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated for producing food. Goat cheese is made around the world with a variety of recipes, giving many different styles of cheeses, from fresh and soft to aged and hard.
Telemea is the name of a Romanian cheese traditionally made of sheep's milk. Nowadays the term encompasses cheese made out of cow's milk, and in some cases of goat's, or buffalo's milk.
Caș is a type of semi-soft white fresh cheese produced in Romania. It is made by curdling sheep or cow milk with rennet, and draining the whey. The resulting cheese is unsalted or lightly salted. If stored in brine, caș turns into Telemea after 2–3 weeks.
Akkawi cheese is a white brine cheese named after the city of Akka.
There are many different types of cheese. Cheeses can be grouped or classified according to criteria 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 criteria may either be used singly or in combination, with no single method being universally used.
Beyaz peynir is a brine cheese produced from unpasteurized sheep, cow or goat milk. The cheese has a slightly grainy appearance and is similar to lighvan, feta, sirene and other Balkan white cheeses. Vegetable rennet is added to the sheep's milk as a clotting agent. Once the curds are produced, they are pressed, chopped, and strained before being cut into blocks that are salted and placed in a brine solution for approximately six months.
Murcian cheese is a fatty goats' milk cheese from the Murcia region of south-east Spain. It has a Protected Designation of Origin. The cheese is made exclusively using goat's milk of the Murcian breed from registered herds which graze freely on scrub and coarse pasture characteristic of that dry geographical zone. The cheese is made in two forms:
Egyptian cheese has a long history, and continues to be an important part of the Egyptian diet. There is evidence of cheese-making over 5,000 years ago in the time of the First Dynasty of Egypt. In the Middle Ages the city of Damietta was famous for its soft, white cheese. Cheese was also imported, and the common hard yellow cheese, rumi Although many rural people still make their own cheese, notably the fermented mish, mass-produced cheeses are becoming more common. Cheese is often served with breakfast, and is included in several traditional dishes, and even in some desserts.
Mish is a traditional Egyptian cheese that is made by fermenting salty cheese for several months or years.
Laban rayeb is a type of curdled skim and fermented milk made in Lower Egypt. It may be drunk fresh or may be used to make areesh cheese, which in turn is used to make mish. There is evidence that it was made by the ancient Egyptians.
Brined cheese, also sometimes referred to as pickled cheese for some varieties, is cheese that is matured in brine in an airtight or semi-permeable container. This process gives the cheese good stability, inhibiting bacterial growth even in warmer climates. Brined cheeses may be soft or hard, varying in moisture content and in colour and flavour according to the type of milk used. However, all are rindless and generally taste clean, salty and acidic when fresh, developing some piquancy when aged; most are white.
There are several regional types of Serbian cheeses, such as the Sjenica, Zlatar, Svrljig and Homolje cheeses. The Pule cheese has gained much notoriety since 2000s as it became the most expensive cheese in the world.
