{"id":4394,"date":"2025-05-15T03:02:42","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T03:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/the-5-most-unusually-shaped-cheeses\/"},"modified":"2025-05-15T03:02:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T03:02:42","slug":"the-5-most-unusually-shaped-cheeses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/the-5-most-unusually-shaped-cheeses\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Most Unusually Shaped Cheeses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cheese shapes<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The most common cheese shapes are wheels, wedges, logs, balls, and bricks. But for hundreds of years, cheese has also come in more unusual shapes. Whether sliced or not, these cheeses don\u2019t just add visual interest to cheeseboards but influence the very flavor and texture of cheese. You\u2019ll find these interesting cheeses coming from both the Old World and the New World. Here are some of our favorites.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Donut shaped<\/h2>\n

The Cheese Primer<\/em><\/a> by Steve Jenkins lists a whopping 24 shapes of chevre, and couronne<\/strong>, or crown, referred to in the United States as donut-shaped<\/strong>, isn\u2019t even one of them. But it\u2019s a memorable shape.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Florence<\/a>, Woodside Cheese Wrights<\/h3>\n
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Florence Woodside Cheese Wrights photo credit Luke Simon<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Produced by South Australia\u2019s Woodside Cheese Wrights<\/a>, Florence is a donut-shaped, lactic-fermented goat\u2019s milk cheese with a wrinkled Geotrichum rind. It\u2019s named after CEO and Head Cheesemaker Kris Lloyd\u2019s first granddaughter, Florence.<\/p>\n

\u201cCreating this style of cheese has been a lifelong dream, but the truth is, it\u2019s not an easy make,\u201d she says. \u201cAchieving consistency and perfection requires total dedication and commitment.\u201d The Geotrichum mold is cultivated in-house to control the flavor profile, and the center hole is cut into each cheese by hand.<\/p>\n

That hole is the key to Florence\u2019s character. \u201cIt\u2019s dense, thick, fudgy paste relies on the beautiful Geotrichum mold exterior, which slowly penetrates and transforms the texture into something rich, creamy, and full of flavor,\u201d says Lloyd. \u201cWithout the central hole, the Geotrichum mold wouldn\u2019t be able to reach the core of the cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hooper<\/a>, Vermont Creamery\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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Hooper photo credit Vermont Creamery<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Introduced in 2024, Hooper commemorates Vermont Creamery\u2019s<\/a> 40th anniversary. It\u2019s inspired by the Geotrichum rind, donut-shaped cheeses produced in France\u2019s Loire Valley and is named after creamery co-founder Allison Hooper, who studied cheesemaking in Brittany, France.<\/p>\n

Hooper is a soft, creamy cheese made with cow\u2019s and goat\u2019s milk and washed with a French gray sea salt brine. The donut shape helps the cheese age evenly. The rind\u2019s color transitions from cream to golden to orange as the cheese ages, and it offers fruity, funky, and buttery flavor notes.<\/p>\n

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Pyramid shaped<\/h2>\n

Valen\u00e7ay is possibly the best-known squat four-sided pyramid cheese from France that supposedly Napoleon was crazy about.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Piper\u2019s Pyramide<\/a>, Capriole Goat Cheese<\/h3>\n
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Piper’s Pyramid photo credit Capriole<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This pyramid-shaped goat cheese is named after Piper Schad, the granddaughter of Capriole Goat Cheese<\/a> founder Judy Schad. It\u2019s flavored with smoked paprika, which adds depth to the cheese\u2019s flavor profile and is also a nod to Piper\u2019s fiery red hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cJudy believes that [the pyramid shape] is the perfect shape for these Geotrichum-rinded cheeses,\u201d says Capriole General Manager Sam Schad. \u201cIt is the perfect balance of rind development to the paste of the chevre.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam explains that the truncated pyramid shape (a pyramid with the top cut off) is inspired by a similarly-shaped traditional French cheese. \u201cThe story is an old French tale,\u201d he says. \u201c[According to the story], Napoleon was returning from an expedition to Egypt, and because it brought poor memories, he asked for the top to be cut off from the cheese so as to not remind him of the pyramids in Egypt.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Cone shaped<\/h2>\n

You\u2019ll find\u00a0cone-shaped cheeses in Europe, including San Simon from Spain and Boulette d\u2019Avesnes from France.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Queixo (or queso) tetilla<\/a><\/h3>\n
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Tetilla cheese photo credit depositphotos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The name of this traditional cheese from northwestern Spain\u2019s Galicia region translates to \u201clittle breast,\u201d an obvious association given the smooth, conical shape. Written references to the cheese date back to 1753. The distinctive shape was possibly an 18th-century way to brand cheese as being from Galicia, which is known for its dairy industry.<\/p>\n

Queixo tetilla has Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status<\/a>. According to PDO standards, it must be produced from the milk of Friesian, Brown Alpine and Rubia Gallega cows; made in conical molds of a specific size and dimension; be immersed in brine; and aged for at least a week. The cheese has a smooth, creamy paste. It\u2019s rich, buttery with a slightly acidic, salty flavor.<\/p>\n

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Gourd shaped<\/h2>\n

Pasta filata can be used to make many different shaped cheeses. Scamorza and caciacavallo are both Italian pasta filata cheeses with a similar shape, but scamorza is a younger cheese, whereas caciocavallo can be aged.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Caciocavallo<\/h3>\n
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Caciocavallo cheese with slices, Peachyeung316<\/a>, CC BY-SA 4.0,<\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The classic gourd-shaped cheese, caciocavallo, originates in southern Italy, and the literal translation of the cheese\u2019s name is \u201chorse cheese.\u201d Alessandro Mascanzoni, Store Manager for Italian retailer Dolceterra<\/a>, says that may be a reference to the practice of transporting the cheeses by tying them to horses\u2019 saddles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Caciocavallo\u2019s unique shape is created by tying a rope near the top of the cheese and letting it hang as it ages. The aging period can range from sixty days to two years, depending on the particular style. \u201cThe flavor of caciocavallo varies from sweet to spicy depending on the ripeness, not the shape,\u201d says Mascanzoni. \u201cWhen young, the cheese tastes milky, creamy and slightly buttery. As it ages, it becomes drier and spicier, with an aftertaste that may be reminiscent of the herbs of Lucanian mountain pastures.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Suffolk Punch<\/a>, Parish Hill Creamery<\/h3>\n
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Suffolk Punch photo credit Parish Hill Creamery<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peter Dixon, cheesemaker and co-owner of Vermont\u2019s Parish Hill Creamery<\/a>, explains that Suffolk Punch is the creamery\u2019s version of caciocavallo. \u201cWe don\u2019t know of any other cheesemaker in the U.S. making raw milk caciocavallo from milk that is produced only when the cows are grazing on pasture,\u201d he says. The creamery takes a traditional approach, using their own starters for fermentation (most cheesemakers use commercially-produced starters), animal rennet, and unrefined sea salt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe usually make 50-60 Suffolk Punches in a batch,\u201d Dixon continues. \u201cOne of us stretches the curd in the hot water, kneads it on the table until it is smooth, and cuts it into pieces. Then two to three other cheesemakers help to shape the cheeses. Once the cheeses are molded, we drop them into a vat of cold water to firm them up. The cheeses are brined, after which they are strung in pairs and hung to age for two to twelve months.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dixon describes Suffolk Punch as one of the creamery\u2019s most buttery-tasting cheeses, and he notes that the knob at the top is drier, saltier, and more intensely flavored than the rest of the cheese.<\/p>\n

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String<\/h2>\n

There are many kinds of string cheese, but some of the most impressive ones are braided or formed into enormous balls.<\/p>\n

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Chechil Smoked Braided String Cheese<\/a><\/h3>\n
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Chechil cheese braid, photo courtesy of Chechil<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Chechil<\/a> CEO Serge Yurkin, chechil cheese originated in Armenia. The smoked, braided string cheese is popular in various regions of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and it is often served at bars and restaurants as a pairing with beer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are the first and only maker of chechil cheese in the U.S., as it is highly labor-intensive [to produce],\u201d says Yurkin. Chechil, LLC was launched in 2013, and their cheese is produced in upstate New York based on European techniques. Like mozzarella, cheese curds are stretched and kneaded in hot water until they reach the desired elasticity. Next, they are hand-pulled into long strands and hand-braided into an elaborate figure eight. The finished cheese is then salted and smoked.<\/p>\n

Yurkin explains that the distinctive braided shape affects both the cheese texture and flavor. \u201cThe tightly woven strands create a firm, fibrous, and slightly chewy texture […] and the braided structure allows the cheese to absorb the smoky aroma more effectively, resulting in a rich and robust flavor.\u201d Like string cheese, peeling the cheese is part of the fun of eating it. But if you\u2019re unsure how to unbraid it, Chechil offers a video on how to peel braided cheese<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Queso Oaxaca<\/a>, Don Froylan<\/h3>\n
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Don Froylan Queso Oaxaca <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is also quesillo, a popular type of string cheese sold in balls of various sizes. In the U.S. it is commonly known as\u00a0Oaxaca\u00a0or “queso Oaxaca.\u201d Like mozzarella it\u2019s a pasta filata cheese, known for elasticity and meltability. Family owned and operated Don Froylan located in Salem, Oregon makes an award-winning version queso Oaxaca, and a smoked version as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cheese shapes The most common cheese shapes are wheels, wedges, logs, balls, and bricks. But for hundreds of years, cheese has also come in more unusual shapes. Whether sliced or not, these cheeses don\u2019t just add visual interest to cheeseboards but influence the very flavor and texture of cheese. You\u2019ll find these interesting cheeses coming … Okumaya devam et “The 5 Most Unusually Shaped Cheeses”<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1271,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[395],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-milk-and-diary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1271"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4394\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}