From subtle dairy notes to exotic, powerful flavorings and textures added by ethnic cheeses, a multitude of processed food applications can benefit from the addition of these dairy-based ingredients.
With so many cheeses available today, there are several categories by which they can be referenced. Milk type, country of origin, region, handling, aging and texture are some of the various classification strategies that have been used. Although most experts agree that none of these classifications is completely adequate, so far, no one has been able to come up with one that really covers all the variables. Even when two experts agree on which method to use, they do not necessarily agree on which cheeses fall into which categories.
For the sake of discussion, the cheese classification listed below presents several broad groups of cheese that have been loosely categorized, according to texture.