10 Delicious Types of Hard Cheese You Need to Know About

You have a party coming up and you don’t know what hors d’oeuvres to give your guests. The best bet for you is to get some finger foods, and cheeses are a great option.

However, there are so many types of hard cheese to choose from. Here are 10 different types kinds of cheese that you can have to keep your party jumping.

Cheeses come in many different tastes and textures. If you’re having difficulty buying hard cheese, you can start with these.

1. Parmesan Cheese

We all know Parmesan cheese, but the actual hard cheese is called Parmesan-Reggiano. Just like champagne, it can only be called by this name if it comes from a very specific area in Italy.

It must be dry-aged for over a year to achieve its flavor. However, you can buy this one on https://www.dimockdairy.com/.

2. Gorgonzola

It’s blue cheese, but not quite. Gorgonzola is a cow’s milk cheese that does contain blue veins like other blue cheeses. However, it tends to be milder than regular ones.

3. Asiago

One of the best hard cheeses, Asiago is the Parmesan doppelganger. It’s used in similar ways (i.e. grated over dishes) and also has similar flavors when it’s a young cheese.

As it ages, it becomes more distinct with a sharper, tangier taste. However, it then becomes more akin to feta.

4. Cotija

Unlike the previous two, this cheese originates from Mexico. It’s considered salty and tends to crumble more as it ages. It’s traditionally made of cow’s milk.

5. Pepato

This cheese originates from Sicily. Pepato is usually made with reduced cow’s fat and peppercorns. Because it doesn’t usually melt, it can be used for shredding over plates.

6. Gouda

Gouda is a cow’s milk cheese that originated from the Netherlands and can be used in a variety of ways. If you want creamy Gouda, try a young piece. If you want a more crumbly type, then get a piece that has been aged longer than 2 years.

7. Pecorino

Another special kind of cheese, this one is made out of sheep’s milk, as Pecora means sheep in Italian. One of the most popular cheeses of this umbrella is the Pecorino Romano. It’s dry, crumbly, and tastes salty.

8. Gruyère

A cheese usually made of raw milk, it has a nutty yet full-bodied flavor. It’s often aged for 5 months or more and usually has crystalized protein in the cheese, adding more flavor to it.

9. Provolone

Originally from the town of Casilli near Mount Vesuvius, Provolone is a semi-hard cheese that dates to the 19th century. It can come in several forms in Italy, and it has multiple names (Provolone, Provola, and Provoleta), depending on its size.

10. Emmental

Emmental is Swiss cheese, literally. It’s a hard, savory, lightly-yellowed cheese that has holes in it. It’s sold all over Europe by this name, as well as Swiss, Swiss-Alpine, or Alpine cheese.

Try the Many Different Types of Hard Cheese

With so many choices, it’s not hard to choose the types of hard cheese you want to keep for your parties and personal use.

Don’t continue to use regular yellow cheese in the packages. Step up your artisanal cheeses today and let your palette grow.

For other informative and interesting articles about the many types of cheeses, be sure to browse the rest of our blog.