Cheese is a food made mainly from the milk of cows, goats, and
sheep; however, it is made from the milk of other animals, too,
including buffalo. Cheeses come in four main degrees of
firmness, or “texture.” The texture of a cheese reflects whether
or not it was aged, the processes used to create it, and how
long it was aged. Soft cheeses, such as cream cheese or cottage
cheese, are fresh—they haven’t Semisoft cheeses, such as brick
and Muenster, are “young” cheeses—they’re aged for just a few
weeks. Hard cheeses, such as cheddar and Swiss, are aged for at
least a few months, or longer. Very hard cheeses, used for
grating, or eaten in paper-thin slices, have been aged for nine
months or longer. The flavor of a cheese also reflects a number
of factors: Type of milk used Traditional cheeses are made from
the milk of cows, goats, or sheep. Each kind of milk has a
particular flavor, which varies with the season of the year.
Spring and summer milk is often sweet and rich, due to the
abundance of fresh forage availa