Classification of Cheese

• Fresh and whey cheeses

• Stretched curd cheeses

• Cooked pressed cheeses

• Moisture:  soft to hard

• Source of milk

• Mold

•   Blue

• Brined

• Processed

Fresh and whey cheeses

     The main factor in categorizing these cheeses is age. Fresh cheeses without additional preservatives can spoil in a matter of days.

Stretched curd cheeses

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.

Cooked pressed cheeses

They are classified as "cooked", meaning made using thermophilic lactic fermentation starters, incubating the curd with a period at a high temperature of 45°C or more. Since they are later pressed to expel excess moisture, the group are also described as "'cooked pressed cheeses'", fromages à pâte pressée cuite in French. Their distinct character arose from the requirements of cheese made in the summer on high Alpine grasslands (alpage in French), and then transported with the cows down to the valleys in the winter, in the historic culture of Alpine transhumance. 

Moisture: soft to hard

soft cheese

Cream cheeses are not matured. 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 cheese

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 and Port Salut.

Medium-hard cheese

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. Other semi-soft to firm cheeses include Gouda, Edam, Jarlsberg, Cantal, and Kashkaval/Cașcaval. Cheeses of this type are ideal for melting and are often served on toast for quick snacks or simple meals. 

Semi-hard or hard cheese

Harder cheeses have a lower moisture content than softer cheeses. They are generally packed into moulds under more pressure and aged for a longer time than the soft cheeses. Cheeses that are classified as semi-hard to hard.Hard cheeses—grating cheeses such as Grana Padano, Parmesan or Pecorino—are quite firmly packed intolarge forms and aged for months or years.

Source of milk

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.

Mold

Soft-ripened

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. camemberti that forms a flexible white crust and contributes to the smooth, runny, or gooey textures and more intense flavors of these aged cheeses. 

Washed-rind

Washed-rind cheeses are soft in character and ripen inwards like those with white molds; however, they are treated differently. Washed-rind cheeses are periodically cured in a solution of saltwater brine or mold-bearing agents that may include beer, wine, brandy and spices, making their surfaces amenable to a class of bacteria (Brevibacterium linens, the reddish-orange smear bacteria) that impart pungent odors and distinctive flavors and produce a firm, flavorful rind around the cheese. [15] Washed-rind cheeses can be soft (Limburger), semihard, or hard (Appenzeller). The same bacteria can also have some effect on cheeses that are simply ripened in humid conditions, like Camembert. The process requires regular washings, particularly in the early stages of production, making it quite labor-intensive compared to other methods of cheese production.

Smear-ripened

S-rind cheeses are also smear-ripened with solutions of bacteria or fungi (most commonly Brevibacterium linens, Debaryomyces hansenii or Geotrichum candidum ), which usually gives them a stronger flavor as the cheese matures. In some cases, older cheeses are smeared on young cheeses to transfer the microorganisms. Many, but not all, of these cheeses have a distinctive pinkish or orange coloring of the exterior. Unlike with other washed-rind cheeses, the washing is done to ensure uniform growth of desired bacteria or fungi and to prevent the growth of undesired molds. Examples of smear-ripened cheeses include Munster and Port Salut.

Blue

So-called blue cheese is created by inoculating a cheese with Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium glaucum. This is done while the cheese is still in the form of loosely pressed curds, and may be further enhanced by piercing a ripening block of cheese with skewers in an atmosphere in which the mold is prevalent. The mold grows within the cheese as it ages. These cheeses have distinct blue veins, which gives them their name and, often, assertive flavors. The molds range from pale green to dark blue, and may be accompanied by white and crusty brown molds. Their texture can be soft or firm. Some of the most renowned cheeses are of this type, each with its own distinctive color, flavor, texture and aroma. They include Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Stilton. 

Brined

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 colour and flavour, according to the type of milk used; though all will be rindless, and generally taste clean, salty and acidic when fresh, developing some piquancy when aged, and most will be white. Varieties of brined cheese include bryndza, feta, halloumi, sirene, and telemea. Brined cheese is the main type of cheese produced and eaten in the Middle East and Mediterranean areas. 

Processed

Processed cheese is made from traditional cheese and emulsifying salts, often with the addition of milk, more salt, preservatives, and food colouring. Its texture is consistent, and melts smoothly. It is sold packaged and either pre-sliced or unsliced, in several varieties. Some are sold as sausage-like logs and chipolatas (mostly in Germany and USA), and some are moulded into the shape of animals and objects. 

Some name of Cheeses & their Origin