The Staggering Number Of Cheeses That Actually Exist In The World
It's not a stretch to call cheese one of the most versatile foods in existence. The multifaceted dairy product has a dizzying array of sweet and savory applications across the vast spectrum of cuisine. Hungry for something from childhood? The ever-dependable grilled cheese requires only a handful of ingredients and a few minutes spent over the stove. Looking to create a decadent dessert? Consider the classic cheesecake, whose tangy goodness plays nicely with lime, caramel, strawberry, and a whole host of other flavors. Need the perfect appetizer for a bustling party? Crispy nachos crowned with cheese are sure to please every guest. Or maybe you just want to keep things as simple as possible. As every dairy devotee knows, nothing says elegance better than a well-arranged cheese board.
Cheese isn't just tasty — it's a cornerstone of the human diet. Yet even those best acquainted with cheddar, Gouda, and Monterey Jack might not realize just how much cheese truly exists in the world. The truth is staggering — and delicious.
There's a whole lot of cheese in the world
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, humans have been making cheese since antiquity. The very first cheeses were actually created by accident, but ancient farmers soon realized this was one mishap worth repeating. These early gourmands devoted themselves to the delightful dairy product in all its forms, pioneering the creation of such widely varied cheeses as creamy Brie and tangy Swiss. In its simplicity, cheese is a perfect canvas for the full breadth of human expression. This relatively straightforward combination of milk, bacterial cultures, and coagulants can be modified by time, atmosphere, additives, milk type, and even mold.
Today's shopper has access to a large variety of cheeses; even the most low-key grocery stores can be relied upon for everything from goat cheese to feta. But the true number of cheeses in existence is large enough to still shock this proverbial dairy fan. Just how many cheeses exist on this planet of ours, you ask? According to Wisconsin Cheese, more than 1,800. That means there are more distinct varieties of cheese in existence than there are countries, California Condors, or types of Pokémon.
Cheese is as important as it is delicious
Truly grasping the number of cheeses that exist is no small task. How can there possibly be that much diversity among a single foodstuff? How many applications can there really be for this one simple comestible? How has humanity managed to remain so devoted to cheese that it's found the time to create more than 1,800 different kinds of it?
The answers to these questions are multifaceted. Firstly, you should take a moment to digest that the world of cheese is larger and stranger than you probably expect. Sure, you've heard of Camembert — but have you heard of casu marzu? This Sardinian cheese is tangy, creamy, and, according to CNN, purposefully infested with maggots. Secondly, there's the fact that modern science has opened up entirely new frontiers in cheesemaking, leading to the creation of "cheese products" like Velveeta. Thirdly, cheese's robust nutritional profile makes it a highly desirable food to cultivate, explore, and master for purposes of survival. As the Harvard School of Public Health details, cheese is jam-packed with essential nutrients like calcium, protein, and Vitamin A. Moreover, low-moisture cheeses can last for significant lengths of time, even without modern refrigeration. For the vast majority of human history, food was a whole lot more scarce. Cheese could keep you alive — and it tasted pretty darn good to boot. No wonder we kept on making it over the course of countless centuries.