How Many Different Cheeses Are There? | The Real Count

Cheese experts estimate there are over 1,800 distinct types of cheese worldwide, with the most comprehensive database listing 2,046 specific varieties.

The number depends on who’s counting. A Wisconsin cheesemaker might see 600 local styles, while a global database logs more than 2,000. That gap exists because “type of cheese” means different things depending on whether you sort by milk source, aging method, region, or rind type. Here’s the real breakdown — the count, the categories, and why no single number tells the whole story.

The Short Number: How Many Cheeses Exist Globally?

The most widely cited figure falls between 1,800 and 2,046 distinct cheese types. The database at Cheese.com lists exactly 2,046 specific cheeses, while other sources round to roughly 2,000 documented varieties. Regional specialties that never make it into any database push the actual number higher — village cheeses, family recipes, and seasonal batches that only appear in local markets.

The Seven Main Categories Every Cheese Belongs To

Cheese professionals group all varieties into 7 to 8 primary categories based on texture and how they’re aged. Every named cheese fits into one of these buckets:

• Fresh (unaged): Mozzarella, Ricotta, Feta, Cream cheese, Cottage cheese, Goat cheese. These are meant to be eaten within days of production.
• Soft-ripened (bloomy rind): Brie, Camembert. The white rind is a mold called Penicillium camemberti.
• Washed rind: Limburger, Taleggio, Munster. Brined or washed during aging for a pungent, sticky rind.
• Semi-soft: Gouda, Fontina, Provolone, Port Salut. Elastic texture, mild to nutty flavor.
• Semi-firm to firm: Cheddar, Emmental (the “Swiss” everyone knows), Gruyère.
• Hard: Parmigiano-Reggiano, Sbrinz. Aged for years, low moisture, ideal for grating.
• Blue (vein): Gorgonzola, Stilton, Roquefort. Inoculated with Penicillium mold that creates blue veins.

A separate category called pasta filata (stretched-curd) covers Mozzarella and Provolone — it’s a production method, not a texture group. Processed cheeses like American singles and spreads sit outside natural cheese categories entirely.

Country-Specific Cheese Counts

Some regions produce more varieties than entire continents. Here’s how a few major cheese-producing countries stack up:

Wisconsin deserves a special mention: the state claims over 600 different cheese types produced within its borders — more varieties than most entire countries. The Wisconsin Cheese website tracks these by milk source, region, and aging style.

Why The Number Keeps Growing

Several factors drive the count upward:

• Milk sources. Most cheese comes from cow milk, but goat, sheep, buffalo, yak, and even camel milk produce distinct types. Mozzarella di Bufala Campana (water buffalo) tastes nothing like cow-milk mozzarella.
• Microbial differences. The specific bacterial strains used for rind development create entirely different cheeses from the same milk. Brevibacterium linens gives washed-rind cheeses their signature smell; Geotrichum candidum produces a bloomy rind.
• Aging time. A young Gouda is a different product from a 3-year-old Gouda, and some databases count them as separate types.
• Protected designations. Many European cheeses are legally defined by where and how they’re made. Feta must come from specific Greek regions using sheep or sheep-goat milk. Produce it outside those boundaries, and it’s not feta — legally, that’s a different cheese.

Does The Exact Number Matter?

For a home cook or cheese lover, the exact count matters less than understanding the diversity. The 7 basic categories let you predict flavor and texture from any cheese you encounter. A semi-firm cheese like Gruyère will melt differently than a fresh cheese like Ricotta, and knowing those 7 buckets covers about 95% of what you’ll find at the grocery store.

The remaining 5% — the yak-milk wheels of Tibet, the washed-rind curds of a French farm, the blue-veined blocks made in Iowa — are what make cheese worth exploring one wedge at a time.