Cheese glossary

14 Sep 2020

Traditional cheesemaking is a complex art form – so much so that there’s a whole range of terms used to describe the techniques and elements involved, and of course, the resulting flavours.

Do you know the difference between a bloomy rind and a buttery paste? Want to know your curds from your casein? Swot up on your cheese vocabulary with our A-Z of cheese terminology.

Acidity

Refers to the acid levels in the cheese, measured in pH. The lower the pH, the more acidic the cheese.

Affinage

The process of aging cheese.

Artisanal

Made using traditional methods.

Bloomy rind

A white and fluffy cheese rind often seen on creamy cheeses such as Brie and Camembert. Our cheeses with bloomy rinds include Angiddy, Cenarth Brie and Brefu Bach.

Blue

A pungent cheese with blue/green spots or veins of mold running through it. Discover our blue cheeses.

Buttery

Cheeses with a buttery flavour are creamy and rich; buttery textures indicate that the cheese is soft, but not runny.

Casein

Proteins found in milk, which coagulate during the cheesemaking process.

Caseophile

A cheese lover – see also: Turophile

Cheesecloth

A finely woven cotton fabric used to strain and wrap freshly made cheeses.

Cheesemonger

A specialist who sells cheese and other dairy products, with expertise in their field.

Coagulation

The process that occurs when milk turns from liquid to a semi-solid state.

Creamline

The creamy layer of cheese between the rind and paste – often seen on bloomy-rinded cheeses.

Creamy

Often used to describe soft, runny textures, as well as fresh flavours.

Crumbly

Used to describe a cheese that breaks apart easily.

Curds

The solids formed when milk coagulates.

Cutting

The process of slicing curds into smaller pieces to release whey.

Drying

Drying dehydrates the surface of the cheese to form a rind.

Friable

Easily crumbled.

Fromage

French for ‘cheese’.

Hooping

The act of pressing and molding new curds into a set shape.

Junket

The initial curd created by adding rennet during the cheesemaking process.

Lactic

Describes acidic cheeses.

Maturing

Aging cheese in a controlled environment, to optimise flavours and longevity.

Mellow

Not too mild, not too strong. A decent flavour with no sharpness.

Mould

Furry fungi which grow on certain cheeses, helping to develop the rind and add flavour. Also the containers cheesemakers use to shape cheeses into their final shape.

Organic

Produced without the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides of other artificial chemicals. Discover our organic cheeses.

Paste

The interior of a cheese, beneath the rind and creamline.

Pasteurised

Milk that has been treated with heat to kill viruses and bacteria, also stripping milk of certain good types of flora.

Pliant

Bendable cheese.

Pressing

Putting cheese under weights or some kind of pressure, to squeeze out moisture and press the cheese into shape.

Raw

Raw milk has not been pasteurised, or treated with heat in any way.

Rennet

A coagulant used to solidify milk. Often sourced from the stomachs of calves, kids or lambs, there are now vegetarian options available.

Rind

The exterior skin of cheese.

Ripe

Like fruit, cheese ripens – a ripe cheese has been aged to perfection.

Salting

Adding salt to the curd to release moisture and slow the growth of bacteria and acidity.

Sharp

Acidic and intensely-flavoured.

Starter culture

A bacterial culture that converts lactose into lactic acid, acidifying the milk early on in the cheesemaking process.

Tangy

Describes cheese which is mouthwateringly acidic.

Terroir

A characteristic taste and flavour imparted to a cheese by the environment in which it is produced.

Truckle

A small, barrel-shaped cheese.

Turophile

A cheese lover – see also: Caseophile

Turophobia

A fear of cheese (sounds impossible, right?)

Unpasteurised

Milk which has not been pasteurised. Discover our unpasteurised cheeses.

Washed rind

A cheese that has been bathed in brine, whey or alcohol to prevent moulds from growing on the outside of the cheese, and allowing other bacteria to grow to add flavour. Discover our washed rind cheeses.

Waxed

A cheese that has been covered in an inedible wax coating.

Wedge

A triangular chunk of cheese cut from a larger wheel.

Whey

The liquid left over once milk has coagulated.

Young

A mild cheese that has been matured for up to 30 days.