Let’s Get Cheesy

CEBU, Philippines - Just as there are different ways of preparing or serving cheese - melt it, grate it or slice it - there are different cheese varieties populating the broad roster of cheese types and sub-types.

From cheddar to brie, limburger to feta, here's a quick look at some of the more well-known cheese varieties found in countless homes and dining destinations in different parts of the globe.

Cheddar

Argued to be the most popular and well-known type of cheese in the world, cheddar cheese hails from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, South West England.

Characterized by a hard texture, this cheese is often described as having an "acidic" tang, with most culinary experts and cookbooks using the term "sharp" when referring to this particular cheddar quality.

Cheddar is made from cow's milk and used in the preparation of different snacks, meals and specials - from sandwiches to baked goods, pastas to salads.

Brie

Like cheddar cheese, brie's name is taken from a place, the region in France where it originated.

Unlike cheddar though, brie cheese is characterized by a soft texture, and bears a pale hue that's almost grayish.

Often made with whole or semi-skimmed milk, there are several variations of brie; some made with different herbs, others made with different types of milk, yielding to a wide classification of brie cheese sub-types.

Feta Cheese

Feta cheese, or simply feta, has a crumbly and grainy texture. With its origins hailing from the Eastern Mediterranean basin, feta is usually made from either sheep or goat's milk, with other varieties made using buffalo or cow's milk.

Considered to be a table cheese, feta cheese is often used in the making of salads and pastries, just as it is used as a salty cheese complement or alternative in the making of dishes.

Commonly produced in blocks, feta cheese has a whitish hue, and is considered to be one of the oldest cheese varieties.

Stilton

Popularly identified as "blue cheese", stilton also comes in another variety - the white stilton.

Originating from England, stilton is typically used as flavoring for vegetable soups, the most popular of which includes cream of broccoli or cream of celery soups, and is also often paired with different breads and biscuits.

Though stilton isn't the only "blue cheese" variety, a cheese only bears the "stilton" identity if it is made in the English counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

Limburger

Originating from the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, limburger cheese is notorious for having a pungent odor (often likened to foot odor), a quality which has been taken up in different forms of mainstream entertainment media, which includes comics, movies and cartoons.

Limburger cheese has a semi-soft texture that's smooth, firm, crumbly and creamy. It is made from cow's milk, and is one of the most popular cheese types, a stature it attains because of its pungent scent.

Germany produces most of the limburger cheeses available. This cheese is commonly used in making limburger sandwiches.