Best Semi Hard
Raclette is a Swiss and French semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the canton of Valais, named after the French word for scraping, as it is traditionally melted and scraped over potatoes, pickles, and charcuterie.
Halloumi is a traditional Cypriot cheese typically made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk. Known for its high melting point, the cheese can be grilled, fried, or pan-seared without losing its shape, resulting in a distinctive crispy exterior and soft interior. Its production involves curdlin...
The Challerhocker is a Swiss hard cheese produced in the Toggenburg Valley. Walter Räss developed this semi-hard cheese around 2005 utilizing cow’s milk and washed rind aging. It's notable for its complex flavor profile – rich, nutty, and subtly fruity – achieved through a minimum ten-month maturati...
Hoch Ybrig is a Swiss hard cheese originating from the Hoch Ybrig mountain range in Schwyz. It’s produced using raw cow's milk and aged for several months, developing a distinctive mild to medium-sharp flavor characteristic of alpine cheeses. This semi-hard cheese is typically enjoyed by those seeki...
Asiago is an Italian cow's milk cheese with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, produced in the alpine region of the Asiago plateau in the Veneto and Trentino regions. It is made in two principal types: Asiago Pressato, a young, mild, smooth cheese, and Asiago d'Allevo, which is aged longe...
Appenzeller Extra is a semi-hard Swiss alpine cheese produced from raw cow’s milk. Its extended maturation period exceeding twelve months develops a complex flavor profile characterized by fruity and nutty notes. The unique brining process using a carefully selected herbal blend adds depth and inten...
Provolone is a semi-hard Italian cheese produced from cow's milk using the pasta filata, or stretched-curd, method. Originating from southern Italy, its production is now concentrated in the Po River Valley regions of Lombardy and Veneto, protected by a PDO designation. The cheese is categorized int...
Ossau-Iraty is a semi-hard, aged cheese originating in the French Basque Country. It’s produced exclusively from raw sheep’s milk and recognized as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product since 1980. The distinctive flavor develops through careful aging, making it ideal for charcuterie board...
Mont Vully is an artisan Swiss hard cheese produced in the Fribourg region. The cheese’s notable characteristic stems from its washed rind, treated with local Vully white wine during maturation. This process imparts a pronounced tangy flavor and aroma. It's suitable for those seeking complex, aged c...
Mahón is a traditional Spanish cheese made from cow's milk on the island of Menorca in the Balearic Islands. It is known for its distinctive square shape with rounded edges, which is achieved by pressing the curds in specific cloth bags. The cheese holds a Denominación de Origen status, a certificat...
Gorwydd Caerphilly is a farmhouse cheese made by the Trethowan family from unpasteurized cow's milk, following the Welsh Caerphilly tradition. It is matured longer than many commercial examples, producing a natural rind, a creamy layer beneath the rind, and a firmer, crumbly center. Its flavor combi...
Tomme de Savoie is a traditional French semi-soft cow's milk cheese originating from the Savoie region in the French Alps. It is easily recognized by its thick, grey-brown, natural rind and an interior paste that ranges from mild to distinctly earthy depending on the season and aging process. Becaus...
Kasseri is a semi-hard Greek cheese with Protected Designation of Origin status, traditionally made from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and up to 20 percent goat's milk. It is classified as a pasta filata cheese, meaning the curd is stretched during production, which gives it a firm yet elasti...
Västerbottensost is a traditional Swedish hard cow's milk cheese that was first produced in the 1870s in Burträsk, Västerbotten County. It is characterized by its firm, granular texture and robust, complex flavor profile that features umami notes. The cheese is traditionally aged for several months...
Emmentaler AOP Reserve is a raw cow's milk Swiss cheese produced under the Appellation d'Origine Protégée guidelines in the Emmental region of Switzerland. It undergoes a longer maturation period than standard Emmentaler, typically aged in caves for at least eight months to develop a more complex, n...
Bruny Island C2 is an artisanal cheese produced by the Bruny Island Cheese Company, an Australian dairy located in Tasmania. Founded by Nick Haddow, the company crafts C2 as a cooked-curd, pressed cheese inspired by European mountain styles. The wheel features a washed rind and is bound in pinewood...
Queso de la Serena is a Spanish PDO sheep's milk cheese produced in the La Serena region of Extremadura, specifically in Badajoz. It is made exclusively from the raw milk of Merino sheep and uses the dried flower of the cardoon thistle as a vegetable coagulant instead of traditional animal rennet. T...
Nabulsi is a traditional white brined cheese originating from the city of Nablus in the West Bank. It is primarily produced from sheep's or goat's milk and undergoes a salting process that contributes to its firm, slightly elastic texture and salty flavor. The cheese is heavily utilized in Levantine...
Tete de Moine AOP is a Swiss semi-hard cheese made from raw cow's milk in the Jura region, with historical roots associated with Bellelay Abbey. Its name means "monk's head," and the cheese is traditionally served by scraping its cylindrical surface into thin rosettes rather than cutting it into ord...
Queijo de Castelo Branco is a Portuguese cheese protected by a designation of origin and associated with the Castelo Branco area of central Portugal. It is traditionally made from sheep's milk and coagulated with a vegetable rennet derived from cardoon, a method shared by several regional Portuguese...
Allgäuer Bergkäse is a protected designation of origin (PDO) raw cow's milk cheese produced in the Allgäu region of Bavaria, Germany. Recognized by its firm texture and characteristic holes, the cheese must be aged for at least four months in mountain dairies to develop its nutty flavor. The specifi...
Boerenkaas is a traditional Dutch farmhouse cheese made from raw, unpasteurized cow's milk on the same farm where the milk is produced. The cheese is produced using methods similar to Gouda, resulting in a semi-hard to hard texture that develops complex flavors through extended aging. Boerenkaas hol...
Appleby's Cheshire is a traditional farmhouse Cheshire cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk at Hawkstone Abbey Farm near Whitchurch, Shropshire, England. The Appleby family has produced the cheese since 1952, when Lance and Lucy Appleby began working with cheesemaker Joseph Gornall to revive ge...
Abondance is a semi-hard French cow's milk cheese produced in the Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps, holding a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. The cheese is named after the Abondance valley and the local breed of cattle traditionally used to produce its raw or pasteurized milk. Ag...
Tiroler Bergkäse is a traditional hard cheese produced by alpine dairy farmers in the Tyrol region of Austria, holding a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status. It is crafted from raw, silage-free cow's milk and aged for a minimum of four to twelve months to develop its firm texture and irre...
Oscypek is a smoked, firm cheese traditionally made by highland shepherds in Poland's Tatra region. The prepared curd is kneaded, pressed into carved wooden molds that create decorative spindle-shaped forms, soaked in brine, and smoked in a shepherd's hut. Its European Protected Designation of Origi...
Manchego curado is a matured form of Manchego, the protected Spanish cheese made in La Mancha from milk of Manchega sheep. The term curado commonly identifies wheels aged for roughly three to six months, producing a firm, compact texture and a more developed flavor than younger versions. Protected M...
Mahón Curado is a matured version of Mahón-Menorca, a protected-origin cow's milk cheese produced on the Spanish island of Menorca. Mahón cheeses have a characteristic cushion-like square shape with rounded edges, traditionally formed by wrapping and tying the curd in cloth. The curado category is a...
Hushållsost is a semi-hard Swedish cheese made from cow's milk. Its name translates as 'household cheese,' reflecting its role as an everyday cheese in Swedish cuisine. It has a mild flavor and is one of the more commonly produced and consumed cheeses in Sweden.
