A cheesemaker adds salt during the cheesemaking process to slow the fermentation of lactic acid bacteria and dry the curd by drawing out the whey. Salt enhances flavor and creates surface environments advantageous to rinds. Salt can also be added through the brining process. (See Brine)

Mild, Italian-style cheese similar to Mozzarella (low moisture, part skim). Traditionally tied with string at top, which gives it a distinctive pear shape. (Mild, Ivory, Semi-firm)

A German-style washed-rind cheese that has mildly strong flavor when young, becoming more pungent and rich with age. Usually eaten plain with crackers or bread. (Strong to pungent, White interior, reddish rind, Semi-firm, creamy)

A classification of cheese based upon body. The descriptions semi-hard and hard refer mainly to moisture content, not to texture. The cheeses in this category actually include a broad range of textures, from semi-firm to very firm and from cheeses that are only weeks old to those aged up to several months or more. Because these cheeses contain less moisture than the soft and soft-ripened types, they hold their shape much better. Examples include young Asiago, Cheddar, Colby, Edam, Fontinella, aged Gouda, Manchego, Provolone and Queso Blanco. The difference between semi-hard and semi-soft cheese is one of moisture: Semi-soft cheese contains more than 45% water, while semi-hard cheeses contain 30% to 45%. A cheese can start as semi-soft, then move to semi-hard via aging, which evaporates the moisture.

The California Milk Advisory Board

Cheeses with a 50-75% moisture content, such as Havarti, Fontina, Morbier.

The Gourmet Cheese Detective

Sharp is a descriptive flavor term, referring to the fully developed flavor of aged cheeses, such as traditional Cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The flavor is actually sharp and biting, but not excessively so. The more the cheese is aged, the sharper the flavor becomes.

The California Milk Advisory Board

Animal feed consisting of chopped corn that is allowed to ferment anaerobically, although wheat, barley, vetch and alfalfa are also used. In most places it is used year-round as part of the feed given to many dairy cows, always in combination with other forms of feed.

The California Milk Advisory Board

These texture descriptors refer to the mouthfeel of soft cheeses. They can be spreadable or sliced cheeses like a ripe Brie or Camembert.

The California Milk Advisory Board

The removal of fat content from the milk. When part or all of the cream has been removed from milk, the milk is referred to as skimmed (although the more popular consumer term is now fat free). Cheeses made from skimmed milk generally have less fat; some (but not all) remain quite flavorful. Skimmed milk cheeses have less than 20% fat, semi-fat cheeses have 20% to 41% fat, and whole milk fat cheeses have 42% or more fat content.

The California Milk Advisory Board

Relatively impervious rinds that seal in moisture and seal out unwanted microbes.

The California Milk Advisory Board

A category of California cheeses that are typically soft, with a high moisture content (50 to 75 percent water), but have been allowed to mature to various degrees. Soft-ripened cheeses, such as Brie and Camembert, ripen inside of a fluffy white rind caused by adding bacteria, yeast or mold to the surface of the rind. Mild when young, these usually develop a fuller flavor with age and become softer and creamier. Soft cheeses are similar to soft-ripened but do not have the fluffy white mold rind. Teleme is a popular soft cheese created in California. Some soft cheeses are not ripened, such as Cottage cheese, Ricotta, Quark and Mascarpone.

The California Milk Advisory Board

Cheeses in this category span a wide variety, all made with whole milk, and melt well when cooked. They include Blue Cheeses, Brick, Fontina, Havarti, Monterey Jack and Muenster. Bloomy-rind examples include Brie, Camembert.. Soft-ripened cheeses are uncooked, unpressed cheese, which, as a result, are creamy or even runny when fully ripe. They ripen from the outside in, and have been allowed to mature to various degrees. Some soft-ripened cheeses ripen (or age) inside of a fluffy white rind and become softer and creamier as they age. The rind is edible and is produced by spraying the surface of the cheese with Penicillium candidum. Other soft cheeses may have a reddish washed rind or no rind. All cheeses in this category have a high moisture content. Mild when young, they usually develop a fuller, more mature flavor as they age.

The California Milk Advisory Board

A Specialty Cheese is a natural cheese that commands a higher price than a commodity cheese because of its high quality, limited production and value-added production techniques or ingredients. Specialty cheeses can be unique varieties of cheese (i.e. Camembert, St. George, Teleme) or specialized versions of popular cheeses such as Cheddar, Jack or Mozzarella (i.e. raw milk Cheddar, Dry Jack, high-moisture Mozzarella). This category also includes artisan and farmstead cheeses. Specialty cheeses are typically sold as branded products in specialty food stores and in supermarket gourmet cases.

The California Milk Advisory Board

A category of California cheeses that includes natural cheeses to which the cheesemaker has added natural spices, herbs or vegetables during the cheesemaking process. A number of popular California cheeses are produced in spiced and flavored forms. Popular flavors include jalapeno, garlic, herb, pesto and black pepper. California produces more than 80 types of spiced and flavored cheeses.

The California Milk Advisory Board

Portuguese-style table cheese with a rich, medium, sharp flavor. (Medium sharp, Light yellow, Firm)