Why do we love cheese so much?
With different techniques, milks, and types,
here's what cheese looks like around the world.
Mozzarella originated in southern Italy,
and legend says it was created by mistake
when cheese curds accidentally fell into hot water.
Mozzarella is commonly used on pizza or in salads,
or, as you may know, mozzarella sticks.
Although it can be made from any milk,
in Italy, it is traditionally produced
from the milk of the Italian water buffalo.
It's spongy, soft, and moist.
Caseificio La Fattoria in Battipaglia,
in the Campania region of southern Italy,
makes over 9 tons of fresh mozzarella per day.
Their staple creation is Zizzona,
which is a huge mozzarella ball
that can weigh up to 88 pounds.
Another great cheese from Italy is
the white and blue marbled gorgonzola.
There are only 29 dairies in the world
certified to produce this cheese.
Close to 5 million wheels are produced each year,
and the production takes place in the Italian regions
of Piedmont and Lombardy.
When young, it is soft and creamy,
but the texture is much stronger when it's matured.
Gorgonzola is one of the world's oldest blue-veined cheeses
and is made exclusively with cow's milk.
It can be paired with grapes, honey, and pistachios.
Paneer is the common cheese
used throughout the Indian subcontinent.
Like cottage cheese, paneer is not aged
and is made with milk curds.
It is prepared by adding food acids such as lemon juice,
yogurt, or vinegar to hot milk.
The curds are separated from the whey
and drained in a muslin or cheesecloth
so that excess water can be pressed out
and paneer can be produced.
Paneer is used in many Indian cuisines,
like paneer tikka masala.
Cheddar cheese dates back to the late 12th century
in the caves found at the edge of the village
in the Cheddar Gorge.
According to a myth, a milkmaid forgot a pail of milk
in one of the caves, and when she returned,
the milk had turned hard.
Cheddar cheese then became so loved by English monarchs
that records show King Henry II
purchasing 10,240 pounds of cheddar in 1170.
This crumbly cheese is called ayibe.
The mild Ethiopian cheese is traditionally served
with spicy dishes to help ease the heat.
Halloumi cheese originated
on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Traditionally, it was made from sheep and goat milk,
but cow's milk is now used as well.
Halloumi is white and has a salty flavor
and is often served grilled or fried
because of its high melting point.
Oli Baba's in London's Camden Market
sells deep-fried halloumi cheese fries
covered in different sauces and spices.
From the region of Samegrelo,
Georgia's sulguni cheese is made from pasteurized cow's,
goat's, and water buffalo's milk.
The brined cheese is often served in wedges.
It's also used
in one of Georgia's staple dishes, khachapuri.
Gruyère cheese is named after its birthplace,
the town of Gruyères in Switzerland.
It's a type of Swiss cheese made from cow's milk.
Gruyère is a hard cheese that melts well
and is often used for fondue.
Greece's favorite cheese is called feta.
According to Greek mythology, the Cyclops Polyphemus
was the first to prepare cheese.
He transported milk that he collected from his sheep
in bags made of animal stomachs.
It wasn't long until he realized the milk had curdled
and had taken on a solid form.
The white, curdled, crumbly cheese known as feta
is made from sheep and goat's milk or a mix of both.
It's commonly used in salads, pastries,
and served alone on platters.
Havarti was created in the mid-1800s
by a Danish woman named Hanne Nielsen.
She washed curds in fresh spring water,
then pressed them into cheese molds and drained them,
which created a soft, creamy cheese.
She named it after her farm, Havarthigaard.
Cotija is named after the town Cotija
in the Mexican state of Michoacán.
The hard, crumbly cheese is made from
unpasteurized cow's milk.
It's salty and is commonly grated over salads, tacos,
tostadas, and their traditional Mexican corn dish, elote.
Oaxaca cheese, more commonly known as quesillo,
is a white, semihard, stretchy cheese.
It's named after its birthplace, Oaxaca, a state in Mexico.
During production, it is stretched into long ribbons
and rolled into a ball.
It's commonly used in quesadillas and empanadas.
Paški sir is a hard, aged cheese
from the Croatian island of Pag.
It's produced from Paška ovca,
a unique breed of small sheep.
These sheep produce very salty milk,
and not much of it at all.
For this reason, at least 16 sheep
are needed to produce just one wheel of cheese.
Paški sir is best served with wildflower honey
or fresh fruits.
Leipäjuusto, also known as juustoleipä, is a Finnish cheese.
In English, it's also known as Finnish squeaky cheese.
It's made with cow's, goat's, or reindeer's milk.
This bread cheese can be grilled and served hot or cold.
Some even have it soaked in their coffee.
In the province of North Holland is the town called Edam,
where this cheese was born.
Edam is a semihard cheese traditionally sold in spheres.
The insides are yellow and the outside
is covered with a red paraffin wax.
It ages well and does not spoil quickly.
Instead, it hardens, making it edible for a long time.
This hard cheese is a Spanish favorite.
Manchego is produced in the La Mancha region of Spain
and made from unpasteurized sheep's milk.
Fresh manchego can be aged for a minimum of only two weeks,
whereas some manchego mature for more than one year.
The rind usually has a basket-weave pattern pressed onto it.
Jarlsberg cheese originated in Norway.
Buttery cheese is based on
a secret Norwegian recipe from 1956.
It resembles a Swiss Emmental with distinctive holes
and has a nutty flavor.
It's a versatile cheese that can be eaten on sandwiches
or even melted for fondue.
Nabulsi is salty white cheese
with tiny black nigella seeds.
It has a slightly spicy taste.
Nabulsi originated from the town of Nablus in Palestine,
but it is now made throughout the Middle East.
It's usually eaten fresh as a table cheese
or it can be fried in oil.
One dish you won't miss it in is kanafeh,
a staple Palestinian dessert.
Ezine is a staple in Turkey.
It's made from pasteurized goat, sheep, and cow's milk
and ages anywhere between three and six months.
This factory in the town of Ezine
pasteurizes 60 tons of milk per day.
Ezine cheese can be eaten
with a traditional Turkish breakfast.
In Puerto Rico, you can find queso del país,
sometimes referred to as queso blanco.
The Indulac factory in San Juan produces as many as
10,000 blocks of queso del país per week.
The cheese can be found on store shelves
throughout the island.
Although Muenster cheese is American-made,
it's an imitation of France's Munster cheese.
The smooth, yellow cheese has an orange rind
and is made from pasteurized cow's milk.
Its texture makes it good for melting,
and it's used on sandwiches, burgers,
and macaroni and cheese.
France's Roquefort cheese is known to be
one of the world's best blue cheeses.
It's made from sheep milk and ages up to five months.
It's moist and breaks into little pieces easily
and is commonly used in salads and dressings.
Which cheeses are your favorite?
Let us know in the comments below.