This is the ultimate list of cheese, both popular and exotic, across the world, starting with C
Let’s get started!
Cheese Names Starting with C
1. Cabrales
Origin Country: Spain
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Cow, goat and sheep
Cabrales is a world-famous Spanish blue cheese that hails from the eastern principality of Asturias.
It is made from a blend of cow’s milk, with seasonal additions of goat’s and sheep’s milk, and it has been granted PDO (protected designation of origin) status since 1981.
Cabrales is characterized by its irregular fine streaks of blue, which give it an intense and piquant flavour with hints of hazelnuts, dark cocoa, and a sharp, metallic finish.
Its outspoken character has made it a favourite among cheese lovers all over the world.
Here is an amazing video on this cheese –
2. Caciocavallo
Origin Country: Italy
Protected Status: Yes, to some variants.
Milk Used: Cow, Sheep of mix of the two
Caciocavallo cheese has a long history dating back to the Middle Ages.
It is thought to have originated in southern Italy, specifically in the regions of Apulia and Calabria.
The name caciocavallo comes from the Italian words for “cheese” (cacio) and “horse” (cavallo).
This name is believed to come from the practice of hanging caciocavallo cheese from a horse’s saddle to transport it.
Caciocavallo cheese is a type of pasta filata or spun paste cheese. The paste or curd is spun or stretched and kneaded, and then shaped into a distinctive teardrop or gourd-like shape.
This cheese is typically made with cow’s milk, sheep’s milk, or a combination of the two. It can also be made with goat’s milk or, rarely, with buffalo milk.
Waht to experiment with making it at home? Here is how –
3. Caciocavallo Podolico
Origin Country: Italy
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: Cow’s milk
Caciocavallo Podolico is a unique cheese made from the raw milk of Podolica cows. It is a example of stretched cheese.
These cows are raised on pasture vegetation and allowed to roam freely, resulting in a cheese with a strong animal flavour and golden color. Golder color is very unique characteristic of this cheese.
The herbaceous and flowering scent of Caciocavallo Podolico makes it a truly unique cheese that is sure to tantalize your taste buds.
Here is a great video on the making of this unique cheese –
4. Cacioricotta
Origin Country: Italian
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: Goat’s milk
Cacioricotta cheese is a delicious Italian cheese that can be enjoyed both fresh and aged.
It is generally produced for self-consumption.
It’s made using goat’s milk, and is produced in the southern regions of Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Puglia, and Campania.
Aged Cacioricotta has a strong flavor and is often used as a grating cheese on pasta dishes. It’s also lovely fresh when it has a milder, creamy flavor.
Want to make it at home? Check out with Gavin –
5. Caerphilly
Origin Country: USA
Protected Status: Yes, PGI
Milk Used: Cow’s milk
Caerphilly cheese is a delicious semisoft cheese that originated in Wales in the early 1800s.
The cheese is prepared using cow’s milk. The final cheese looks amazing on the plate!
This cheese was particularly popular among miners at the time, who would take a wedge of it with them underground, wrapped up in a cabbage leaf to keep it safe during their travels.
Here is how this farm cheese is prepared –
6. Camembert de Normandie
Origin Country: France
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Cow’s milk
Camembert de Normandie is a semisoft, mould-ripened, cow’s milk cheese originating from the Normandy region of France.
The cheese is formed in a small, round disk shape and has a creamy white exterior with a soft, edible rind.
Camembert de Normandie was granted protected designation of origin (PDO) status in 1983, which means that its milk can only be produced and made into cheese in the designated regions – departments of Calvados, Orne, Manche, and Eure in the regions of Basse and Haute Normandie.
Know more about it here –
7. Cancoillotte
Origin Country: France
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: skim milk
Cancoillotte cheese is a smooth, creamy-textured cheese made in the Franche-Comte region of Eastern France.
Some suggest that cheese like cancoillotte was made in this area as long ago as the Roman occupation. The chief ingredient of cancoillotte is a cheese called metton.
Metton is made from skim milk, with no specification of the source. Rennet is added, and the curd that is produced is then thinly cut and heated.
Traditionally, cancoillotte would have been made on the farm, but today, cancoillotte is made mainly in large creameries.
It is eaten warm on bread/potatoes.
8. Canestrato di Moliterno
Origin Country: Italy
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Goat and sheep milk
Canestrato di Moliterno Cheese is a type of hard cheese that is made from a mix of goat’s milk and sheep’s milk.
Goat milk represents 70-90% of the milk used, and the rest is sheep’s milk.
This is a PGI-protected cheese.
It originates from the Basilicata region in Southern Italy and has been produced there and in other areas since the 18th century.
The cheese can be eaten fresh or aged. There are various names based on the age of the cheese.
9. Canestrato Pugliese
Origin Country: Italy
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Ewe’s milk
Canestrato Pugliese is a hard, uncooked cheese made with raw whole ewe’s milk from one or two milkings.
The cheese has enjoyed PDO status since 1996. The cheese takes between two to ten months to ripen.
It is produced throughout the province of Foggia and in some municipalities of the Bari province in southern parts of Italy.
Here is a quick video on its making –
10. Cantal
Origin Country: France
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Cow’s milk
Cantal cheese is one of the oldest French cheeses, going back over two thousand years.
Cantal is a large, firm, uncooked French cheese made from raw cow’s milk, with a thin grey-white rind tending toward golden when aged.
Cantal received its AOC in 1956 and its PDO in 2007.
How it tastes like? Here is a video about it –
11. Casatella Trevigiana
Origin Country: Italy
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Cow’s milk
Casatella Trevigiana Cheese is a delicious and unique cheese from the province of Treviso in Italy’s Veneto region.
The name Casatella derives from the Veneto dialect word for “home”, signifying the cheese’s humble beginnings.
This cheese was first made by farmers from the surplus milk of their cows and has since become a staple in the Treviso area.
In 2008, Casatella Trevigiana was granted protected designation of origin status, ensuring that only cheese made with milk from Frisona, Pezzata Rossa, Bruna, and Burlina breeds of cows can be called Casatella.
For flavors, the cheese is dry-salted in sea-salt solution. The overall flavor is sweet.
The cheese is also commercially made and sold.
12. Casciotta d’Urbino
Origin Country: Italy
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Ewe’s and cow’s milk
Casciotta d’Urbino is a semisoft, semicooked cheese produced in the province of Pesaro-Urbino, Italy.
The cheese received European recognition of protected designation of origin (PDO) in 1996.
The largest component of the cheese is whole ewe’s milk, with a smaller amount of whole cow’s milk mixed in from two milkings.
Michelangelo, the famous Italian sculptor, painter, and architect, was one of the ardent fans of this cheese.
More about the cheese here –
13. Cashel Blue
Origin Country: Ireland
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: Whole Cow’s milk
Cashel Blue cheese is an Irish blue cheese made on the farm of Jane and Louis Grubb in Tipperary.
It was established as Ireland’s first farmhouse blue cheese.
Whole Cow’s Milk is used to prepare the cheese. It is matured for three months.
The curd of Cashel Blue is cut by hand using a “cheese harp” and then stirred using a shovel-shaped paddle.
The cheese has won numerous international awards.
Check more about this cheese here, how its made, matured etc. Look out for the use of harp to cut the curds!
14. Casieddu
Origin Country: Italy
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: Goat milk
Casieddu is a unique Italian cheese made from goat’s milk.
It has a diameter of 3-4 inches and is only produced seasonally between the months of July and September.
The high water content in Casieddu gives it a light, refreshing taste.
It is characterized by its two dominant aromas: cooking and mint. Cooking as its heated to a high temperature during preparation.
15. Castelmagno
Origin Country: Italy
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Cow’s milk (main), Ewe’s & Goat milk is added sometimes
Castelmagno is a semi-hard cheese from the Piedmont region of Italy that has an unusual crumbly texture.
It is both a table cheese, suitable on its own or paired with honey or chutney, and a grating cheese that goes well with many traditional Italian dishes. It can be eaten raw too.
It is very old, as old as 12th century. One of the oldest Italian cheeses.
Castelmagno enjoys a PDO status and is produced in only three towns of Cuneo province.
It is produced with partially skimmed raw cow’s milk from the Piedmont breed; sometimes, a small quantity of ewe’s or goat milk is also added.
This is a great video on this cheese –
16. Castelo Branco
Origin Country: Portugal
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Sheep milk
Castelo Branco cheese is a round Portuguese cheese that ranges from semisoft to hard.
It is made with raw sheep’s milk coagulated by a milk-clotting enzyme found in the artichoke thistle, Cynara cardunculus.
Castelo Branco cheese has a PDO status, which means that it is a protected cheese that can only be produced in the Beira Baixa province in central Portugal.
The curing process for this cheese takes at least ninety days.
17. Cebreiro
Origin Country: Spain
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Pasteurized cow milk
Cebreiro cheese is a Spanish soft cheese that has been protected with a designation of origin since 2008.
It is produced generally using pasteurized cow’s milk and is made in a mountainous area located in the eastern part of the province of Lugo.
The history of Cebreiro cheese goes back several centuries.
The cheese is shaped like a mushroom or chef’s hat. The final product is soft and white in color.
Here is a quick video on the cheese, check how close the final cheese looks to a chef’s hat –
18. Celtic Blue Reserve
Origin Country: Canada
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: Cow milk
Celtic Blue Reserve Cheese is a rich, semifirm blue cheese produced by Glengarry Fine Cheese in Ontario, Canada.
It has a limestone-colored brushed rind and is made using whole pasteurized Brown Swiss cow’s milk. The cheese is ripened with specific cultures to develop its distinct flavor profile.
Celtic Blue Reserve has won multiple awards and is considered one of the finest blue cheeses available.
19. Chabichou du Poitou
Origin Country: France
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Goat
Chabichou du Poitou is a French cheese that is made from pure goat’s milk.
The cheese comes in the shape of a truncated cylinder (a unique shape) and was granted an AOC in 1990 and PDO status in 1996.
Chabichou du Poitou cheese demands special care and attention and needs to be turned over several times to obtain its shape.
20. Chaource
Origin Country: France
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Cow’s milk
Chaource cheese is a French cheese made from whole cow’s milk.
It has a soft, creamy texture and is known for its mild flavor.
Chaource cheese has been produced in the Champagne region of France since the 14th century, and it was granted AOC status in 1970 and PDO status in 1996.
21. Charolais
Origin Country: France
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Goat’s milk
Charolais cheese is a type of cheese made from raw, unpasteurized goat’s milk.
It originates from the Charolles region in Burgundy, France, and has been granted AOC and PDO status.
These cheese are salted and hand-turned during their period of ripening (minimum 16 days).
This cheese is made using full-fat goat’s milk from either the Alpine or Saanen breeds.
22. Cheddar
Origin Country: England
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: Cow
Cheddar cheese is a type of hard cheese that originates from southwest England.
The name “cheddar” is now used to describe a wide range of hard cheeses, as defined by the US Code of Federal Regulations, which says – any cheese with a moisture content of up to 39 percent and at least 50 percent fat in the dry matter can legally bear cheddar name.
Cheddar cheese can have a mild buttery flavor or a more savory and sharp flavor, depending on its age and variety.
It is typically sold after a few months of aging, but some types of cheddar cheese can be aged for years.
The texture of cheddar cheese also varies, from rubbery and pliant to friable and crystalline.
This is how cheddar cheese is prepared in bulk –
23. Cheese curds
Cheese curds are small pieces of fresh cheese that are meant to be eaten within a day or two of being made.
Cheddar cheese is the type of cheese most commonly used to make cheese curds, and they are most popular in Wisconsin.
Cheese curds have a slightly rubbery texture and a mild, salty flavor. They can be eaten alone as a snack or used as an ingredient in dishes.
24. Cheshire
Origin Country: England
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: Cow’s milk
Cheshire cheese is a hard cow’s milk cheese that originated in northwest of England in the county of Cheshire and surrounding areas.
Traditional Cheshire cheese has a tangy flavor with savory background notes and an open, flaky texture.
Cheshire cheese has a long history, but its popularity has declined.
Want to know how it tastes? Check this video out –
25. Chevrotin
Origin Country: France
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Goat milk
Chevrotin cheese is a type of unpasteurized, washed-rind goat’s milk cheese.
It is made in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie regions of France, and the Alpine Chamoisée breed of goat is the predominant source of milk for this cheese.
Chevrotin cheese is made entirely by hand at a farmstead level and is typically matured in caves. They are matured for 21 days, and during this, they are turned each day.
It is mandatory that the whole process happens at the same farm. The cheese has a pink exterior and fine white mold dusting.
26. Classic Blue Log
Origin Country: USA
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: Goat milk
Classic Blue Log cheese is a high-quality goat’s milk cheese from Westfield Farm in Hubbardston, Massachusetts.
As the cheese ages, the blue flavors become stronger and more Roquefort-like, while the consistency continues to liquefy.
This cheese is perfect for those who love strong, flavorful cheeses!
27. Colby
Origin Country: USA
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: Cows
Colby cheese is a type of cheese that was developed by Joseph Steinwald in 1885.
Colby cheese is characterized by its mild, milky flavor and lack of acidity, as compared to Cheddar cheese. As the cheese ages, it loses its softness. It is best consumed within 3 months of age.
Colby cheese has a slightly curdy and softer mouthfeel than Cheddar cheese.
Because of its cylindrical form, Colby cheese is also sometimes called longhorn or longhorn Colby cheese.
Colby is Wisconsin’s state official cheese.
Here is how it is produced.
28. Comté
Origin Country: France
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Cow’s milk
Comté is a delicious cheese that originates from the Massif du Jura region in eastern France.
It is made from raw cow’s milk and must be made from the milk of the Montbéliarde or French Simmental cow.
Comté has a smooth texture and a range of flavors, from nutty and creamy to sweet and meaty. It received its AOC designation in 1958 and its PDO in 1996.
Want to learn more about how it is made, check this video –
29. Cougar Gold
Origin Country: USa
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: Cow’s milk
Cougar Gold is a type of cheese that is produced by the Washington State University Creamery. The cheese is made by hand and then pressed and sealed into 30-ounce cans.
The milk for the cheese comes from a herd of Holstein cattle that are maintained by faculty and students of the WSU Department of Animal Sciences.
The cheese is then aged for one year.
Cougar Gold is one of the only cheeses in the United States that is packaged and sold in steel cans.
Check out the whole process of making Cougar Gold here (look at the tin cans!)
30. Coulommiers
Origin Country: France
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: Cow’s milk
Coulommiers is a soft-ripened, disk-shaped French cheese made from cow’s milk.
It shares many characteristics with other soft cheeses in the Brie family, including a fresh, creamy flavor and firm texture.
Coulommiers typically mature over a period of four to six weeks, during which time it develops their characteristic flavor and aroma.
31. Crottin de Chavignol
Origin Country: France
Protected Status: Yes
Milk Used: Goat milk
Crottin de Chavignol is a small, artisanal cheese made exclusively from the whole milk of Alpine goats in the Sancerre region of France.
The cheese is covered with a natural rind that can be either white or blue in color and has been recognized as an AOC cheese since 1976 and PDO since 1996.
Crottin de Chavignol has a delicate, nutty flavor that makes it a perfect addition to any cheese board or charcuterie plate.
32. Crowley Cheese
Origin Country: USA
Protected Status: No
Milk Used: Cow’s milk
Crowley Cheese is a type of American cheese that is made from raw cow’s milk. It has a smooth, creamy texture and a sweet buttery flavor.
Crowley Cheese is aged for a minimum of four months, and it can be either soft or semi-hard. The flavor of Crowley Cheese ranges from mild to extra sharp.
If you are looking for more cheese names, check out our Long List of Cheese