Now that we’ve got the outside of the cheese down, let’s learn a little bit about the interior or “paste” of the cheese. The following are terms you may hear your cheesemonger use when describing the texture of the cheese:

Soft, semi-soft, semi-firm, and hard are all used to describe the physical texture of the cheese. Some people tend to prefer soft or hard, not realizing there is anything in between. Brie is a soft cheese, while Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard cheese- but then cheeses like Havarti and Munster are considered semi-soft while Asiago and certain Cheddars are semi-firm.

So, what’s the difference? As cheese ages, its moisture content becomes lower resulting in a hardening of the cheese. Soft cheeses have the highest moisture content and are therefore the least aged of the four. Hard cheeses are aged the longest and have the lowest moisture and lactic acid content. Most lactose intolerant people can eat cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano and Aged Goudas because of this.

Stay tuned for part three!