If you ask most people to recall some types of cheeses, the chances are that they would only manage to relate a dozen names at the most. Cheddar, feta and cottage cheese usually come first to mind, yet there are at least two thousand types of cheeses, many of which we have probably never heard of, or might never see in our local supermarkets. There are even several varieties of Cheddar that can be purchased in stores for shoppers who have a taste for this top favorite cheese throughout the world.

Walk into any gourmet cheese shop and you will be spoilt for choice. Selecting a cheese will depend on how you want to use it. So, where do we begin? Let’s start with a question. Is cheese fattening? Most food is fattening if eaten in large quantities. A 20 gram slice of Cheddar cheese is approximately 350 kilojoules (83 calories), which shouldn’t break anyone’s diet bank. More importantly, cheese is rich in protein and other essential nutrients. One kilogram of cheese is produced from as much as ten litres of milk.

However, cheese is not only made from cow’s milk. Goat, sheep and buffalo cheese can also be found, amongst others. In Australia, most cheeses are made from cows’ milk. History tells us that cheese was produced as early as 3000 BC by the Egyptians. Cheese, such as Mature Cheddar cheese, is kept for as long as a year to make sure that it is ready for consumption. Caves are also known to be used for storing cheese. In fact, in Somerset, England, the Cheddar Gorge caves were used for ripening purposes, which is how this particular cheese received its name.

According to many accounts, there is a story that cheese originally came into being when an eastern traveler carried some milk in a pouch made from a sheep’s stomach. In the middle of his journey, as the sun blazed down, an enzyme (rennet) was released from the stomach, and so turning the milk into whey and eventually, cheese.

Cheese is often added to hot foods at the end of their cooking time in order to garnish or add a little extra flavor. Don’t expose cheese to very high oven temperatures, especially if it is to be cooked for a long time. If a recipe calls for a specific type of cheese, don’t use anything else unless you are sure that you will achieve the desired results. Some cheese will not melt or it becomes stringy when cooked in an oven or microwave. If you aren’t sure, check with any cheese shop Sydney for advice.

Nevertheless, for versatility, cheese is high in the popularity stakes. It can be used for hundreds of main courses, as well as simple or sumptuous snacks, salads, desserts and starters. Cheese recipes are popular because, having a somewhat mild taste it can be added to most dishes. No matter how cheese was first discovered, it has become an important ingredient used by thousands of cooks and chefs and enjoyed by so many people.