Europe's cheesemakers continue to build on a long tradition
Soft cheese can be served in a variety of ways - as it comes, melted, cooked or as a filling in dishes such as ricotta-stuffed ravioli. These are some well-known types:
France In contrast to soggy mass-produced brie, the top quality Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC) certified Brie de Meaux can come only from a certain area of Ile-de-France, near Paris. Made from cow's milk, Brie de Meaux has been made by hand since the Middle Ages. It has a velvety white mould rind and a taste that's both mild and full bodied.
One of the most copied cheeses in the world, true camembert comes only from Normandy and the best is AOC-approved. Although brie and camembert can be confused (both are made from cow's milk), brie typically comes in a broad, flat wheel whereas camembert is always a small wheel. Camembert's distinctive taste changes from mild to pungent as it ages.
Italy Technically, ricotta is not a cheese, but it's one of the country's most famous cheese exports. With a mild flavour and a grainy texture, ricotta is low in fat. Delicious in lasagne or stuffed into ravioli, ricotta can also be spiced, aged or smoked, and it's also used in desserts.
A Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP) approved cheese, taleggio is from the Lombardy region in northern Italy, with a flavour that ranges from mild to strong, depending on age. Made with whole cow's milk, its high-fat content of 48 per cent gives it a rich, creamy, semi-soft texture that becomes runnier as it matures. A good dessert cheese.
Britain Caerphilly takes its name from the Welsh area where it was first made to use up surplus cow's milk. The creamy, moist, semi-soft cheese is now also made in England. It has a slightly acidic taste with a hint of lemon and is best eaten when young (about two weeks old).
Developed in 1980, Bonchester is a Scottish cheese made in the traditional way. Made from unpasteurised cow's milk, it has a white crust and its yellow centre has a custard-like consistency.
Portugal A rich, buttery, soft cheese made from sheep's milk, azeitao is coagulated not with rennet, but the thistle flower. Aged for a minimum of a month, the straw-coloured cheese comes in small half-pound rounds with a pale orange rind and a sweet, slightly piquant flavour.
Also made of sheep's milk, Queijo da Serra is eaten by cutting a hole in the top of the rind and scooping out the buttery runny cheese.
