20 Crazy Ways That Cheese is Made

Say cheese! Although the word itself makes us smile physically, cheese is one of the best foods to help conjure up joy. Despite the love of cheese around the world, there are some crazy ways that cheese is produced. Let’s examine 20 Crazy Ways That Cheese is Made!

20. Rainbow Cheese

The last few years have given birth to one of the most beautiful cheeses ever imagined. Rainbow cheese has swept the internet at a crazy rate! It seems that everywhere someone turns, a beautiful rainbow grilled cheese is being ripped apart to display the empty layers of salty and colorful cheese inside. Luckily, this is one of the few cheeses on the list that can be made right from home! With just shredded white cheese such as mozzarella and food coloring, the sandwich can be made in one’s own kitchen! Try getting creative and even making rainbow cream cheese spread for the next time the morning needs a little extra joy!

19. Lactose Free Cheese

The term lactose free cheese may frighten many cheese lovers. The idea of altering any cheese from it’s beautiful natural state is frightening. Many will be shocked to learn that many cheeses are already extremely low in lactose. In order to make lactose free cheese, lactose eating bacteria is mixed into the milk. When the curdles are created and the additional liquid is removed, the majority of the lactose is removed with the liquid! This typically means that the less liquid in a cheese, the less lactose! Fascinating!

18. American Cheese

It was difficult to decide whether or not this ingredient should even be added to the list since it technically isn’t considered to be cheese! The vague product list that includes ingredients like gelatin, enzymes, and cheddar cheese does not equal up to a 51% equivalent to actual cheese meaning that although this cheese is what makes up thousands of beloved home cooked classics, it isn’t actually even really cheese! Talk about an imposter! There’s no doubt that Remy from Ratatouille would turn his nose up at this creamy product, but it’s the perfect ingredient for those ooey gooey Mac and Cheese moments that make life worth living!

17. Tofu Cheese

Tofu is one of the most diverse foods on the market. There’s a recipe online for just about everything-tofu style. Making tofu into cheese is one of the best ways to use the versatile food and it’s also relatively simple and fun! There are many different options for tofu cheese with everything from cream cheese to mozzarella cheese! Tofu on its own can sometimes be bland and boring, however as cheese lovers know, cheese makes everything better, including tofu! There’s no reason a plant based diet can’t include some of the best cheesy recipes that we know an love! They just might need to be adjusted a bit!

16. Spray Cheese

The important part behind the history of spray cheese that makes it so fascinating is actually the design of the can itself. Although the can resembles a typical aerosol can, it is specially designed so that the cheese is actually pressed out of the can instead of pressurized. The result means that a spray cheese can is able to be used in any gravity defying direction! The cheese itself is something unlike anything else with a squishy and creamy consistency and a tangy taste. Considered to be an “instant party”, there’s no doubt these cans of cheese are creative and amusing! This just might not be the right cheese for the next time you’re trying to impress the in laws! 

15. Camel’s Milk Cheese

Although most milk can easily be made into a variety of cheeses, there is something about camels milk that makes this process incredibly difficult. Many have tried and failed over recent decades to introduce proper culture into the camels milk in order to produce a cheese product. Due to the time consuming nature of milking camels and their lack of effective cheese producing capabilities, few camels milk cheeses have reached the market, however it is becoming an increasingly popular style. Today online recipes can be used for make at home camels milk cheeses including varieties like Camembert and feta!

14. Puant de Lille

There’s a reason that mice seem to be attracted to cheese. The stuff absolutely stinks! One of the worst smelling types of cheese available comes from the Flanders region of France. Like many of the cheeses on this list, the cheese starts with a classic unpasteurized cow’s milk cheese curd base before being altered into what will become one of the stinkiest cheeses on this list. Unlike some of the other cheeses listed, the process of brining this cheese actually slowly works to remove any rind instead of providing the cheese with an exterior layer. The end product is a beautiful soft cheese ready for eating, but not for sniffing! A clothespin should be sold alongside this product!

13. Cashew Cheese

In recent years, an upward trend of plant based diets has meant that not only do cheeses now come from different varieties of animals, but also different sorts of plants. Everything it seems from almonds to oats have been turned into milk alternatives and as the craze has continued to become a more permanent addition to the modern lifestyle, new cheeses have also been introduced. One of the most popular cheeses available is cashew cheese! One of the biggest reasons that cashew cheese has exploded in popularity is because the product is incredibly diverse and can be used to make everything from hard and spicy cheeses for slicing all the way to beautiful creamy sauces for pastas. Considering all that these cheeses typically involve in terms of active ingredients are soaked cashews and active nutritional yeast, it’s a great way to get creative with cheese!

12. Chhurpi

This list has proven that milk can be made out of many more things than just traditional cows milk. Depending on the location, many cultures have developed different types of cheeses using the local livestock that often are not cows. Goats are one of the most common alternative milk producers we think of, however another mammal that produces milk that humans consume are actually yaks! In locations where yaks are more dominant such as Tibet, Nepal and India, , cheeses like Chhurpi are much more popular than some may expect. This cheese can be found in both hard and soft varieties, however the hard variety has a much longer shelf life. Supposedly Chhurpi that has been stored in yak skin can be preserved for up to 20 years!

11. Tomme au Marc De Raisin

This next cheese would be pleasing to anyone out there who finds themselves with a bit of a sweet tooth. While most cheeses offer either sharp and tangy or smooth and nutty flavors, the process involved in creating this next cheese leaves it with an absolutely stunningly fresh and fruity aroma. To begin, this cheese starts with classic cows milk. The milk is then processed into cheese. The cheese is then slathered in a raisin compote that is similar to a brandy substance. The entire cheese must wait for one month before being re-exposed to the air and in that time the cheese has not only changed in flavor but also softened in consistency. Typically the entire dish is then served on a bed of, and absolutely slathered in, nothing but raisins! Quite an interesting take on two simple ingredients!

10. Swiss Cheese

Although today Swiss cheese is typically made using artificial processes, the story behind the classic holes in the cheese is a very fun tale. Today different bacteria are attributed to the beautiful holes that make Swiss cheese so iconic, however just a few years ago, cheese researchers from Switzerland actually attributed the holes to something much more probable. When farmers would milk their cows hundreds of years ago, debris like straw and dust would enter the milk, despite their best efforts to keep the liquid pure. This debris would actually lead to the imperfections that make the holes in Swiss cheese! In 2020, where cheese making has become an incredibly sterile process in the protection of consumer health, much of the debris has disappeared meaning there are fewer and fewer holes in every batch of Swiss!

9. Vieux-Boulogne

Buyer beware of this next cheese! It is known as the smelliest cheese on the planet! In fact, this cheese is so stinky that it can only be purchased in two stores in London! That’s one smelly snack! The cheese itself is made using unpasteurized cow’s milk that is then stored in cellars and smeared with a particular beer. It is the enzymes within this beer, mixed with bacteria from a red smear provided to the outer layer of the cheese that causes such an intense aroma. This is definitely a cheese to enjoy on a solitary evening instead of on a cheese plate with a romantic date!

8. Lichen Cheese

Lichen cheese has been created by fusing together techniques of the old world with techniques from modern day cheese making processes. Supposedly, the Inuit of the Canadian North used to eat lichen from the stomachs of caribou that had fermented within the stomach itself. The lichen would produce a blue cheese like flavor which interested Quebec cheese makers. Through trial and error, locations like Société d’Original, have created a new type of blue cheese using lichen, which is a type of species resembling a cross between a fungus and an algae. Canadians love their fancy cheese!

7. Charcoal Cheese

The 2010’s were home to the charcoal craze! When people learned about the beautiful effects of activated charcoal, it suddenly seemed as though just like the Rolling Stones, we had to Paint it Black. Cheese itself was not immune to this craze and today people can currently purchase charcoal cheese! The cheese is created by combining the activated charcoal with a pre-aged cheddar. The results are one of the darkest cheeses ever known to man! This certainly is the type of cheese one would love to see on a holiday cheese platter- be it Christmas or Halloween!

6. Epoisses

Despite its wonderful taste, this cheese is one of the least visually appealing cheeses on the list and it’s also considered to be one of the most disgusting to smell. Epoisses cheese is used by creating cheese out of cow’s milk. The cheese is then hand washed in brandy several times during its aging process. The combination of the unpasteurized cow’s milk along with the bacteria from the brandy creates an unpleasant appearance and smell for the exterior, however a beautiful interior product. The cheese itself is basically illegal in the United States as the raw milk does not pass the standards required in the cheese aging process under FDA restrictions. In addition, this cheese is also completely banned from any Parisian transport system! The odor is so foul that no person is allowed to legally use the public transport if they need to take this cheese with them! Considering the levels of bacteria and listeria within the product in addition to the legal issues behind it in general, this cheese sure does have a criminal record!

5. Milbenkase

Milbenkase is also known as mite cheese and once readers learn about how this cheese is made, the name will suddenly make perfect sense! The cheese, which has a hard exterior, is placed into a wooden box along with flour and balls of quark that have mites throughout. The mites stay in the box feasting on the exterior of the cheese, as well as the flour. After three months, the cheese is removed from the box and served as is! The grossest part about this cheese? The mites are consumed with the cheese! This certainly won’t be available at the next vegan friendly restaurant that opens up downtown!

4. Stilton Gold

The next cheese on the list is what we would imagine modern day kings to consume and with its hefty price tag, they may be the few who can afford it! Stilton cheese has long been considered one of the best cheeses on the market. The blue cheese is absolutely stunning regularly, however this cheese has been kicked up another level by including actual gold! This impressive cheese uses gold liquor and gold leaves to create a stunning design that can’t be beat! It’s unlikely you’ll see this at the next wine and cheese mixer you attend though because this cheese costs approximately 70 times as much as the regular Stilton!

3. Breast Milk Cheese

Considering Gordon Ramsay spat out his breast milk Cappuccino, he may not be interested in trying out this next item on the list. Considering that humans have tried just about every type of cheese- from goat milk to almond milk- it probably won’t surprise many to learn that some have even experimented with cheesemaking using a controversial natural product. Breasts milk cheese made its appearance on television over ten years ago when a NYC restaurant decided to start experimenting with breast milk and Kelly Ripa herself tried it on her morning show. Breast is best, but maybe just for the babies!

2. Pule

The rarity of the next cheese on the list has made it one of the most expensive and valuable cheeses in the entire world. The reason pule cheese is so expensive is because it is the champagne of the cheese world. While most cheese can be made anywhere, true pule cheese is only made in Serbia at the Zasavica Special Nature Reserve using a surprising milk choice. This cheese is made using special Balkan Donkey Milk! This definitely won’t be the next cheese for the kids grilled cheese sandwich as this cheese is known to cost upwards of a thousand dollars for only one pound! This certainly is a treasure Wallace and Gromit would be happy to sample!

1. Casu Marzu

The process of making this next cheese is so dangerous the European Union has actually banned the sale of the cheese entirely. Casu Marzu is made using maggots and rotting cheese! This cheese is made by putting many holes throughout the cheese wheel made of sheep’s milk. Flies are then allowed to enter the cheese and lay eggs. The eggs then hatch and maggots begin to actually devour the cheese, leaving behind excrement and rotting cheese in their wake! The cheese itself supposedly develops a tangy and almost spicy flavor because of the maggots. Then the cheese and maggots are consumed together! You’ve heard of catching flies with honey, but never cheese!

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