It used to be simple: buying foreign cheese meant a trip to the cheese shop in town or waiting until you happened to be abroad. Now you can order the best international cheeses online from the comfort of your couch. And the selection is far broader than anything you’ll find at the supermarket. In this article, we take you on a tour of the most delicious cheese-producing countries and their varieties.
Why order international cheese online?
The supermarket usually carries three kinds of brie, a standard cheddar and, if you’re lucky, a block of Parmesan. That’s about it. A good online specialty cheese shop offers so much more: authentic cheeses with protected designations of origin, artisanal varieties you won’t find anywhere else, and cheeses delivered fresh to your door in specialist packaging. When you order cheese online, you get instant access to the full European cheese landscape.
Browse our complete international cheese assortment for all the options.
France: the classic of Europe
No country in the world produces as many different cheese varieties as France. From soft white-rind cheeses to bold washed-rind styles. A few highlights:
- Brie de Meaux: the real Brie, creamy and complex. A world apart from the bland supermarket version.
- Fromage d’Affinois: ultra-soft and more buttery than classic brie. It practically melts on your tongue.
- Comté Reservé: a hard cheese with a nutty, lightly sweet flavor. It ages for months on shelves in the Jura mountains.
Italy: from firm to silky
Italian cheese is about so much more than Parmesan over pasta. Italy has dozens of regional varieties, each with its own distinct character:
- Parmigiano Reggiano: the real Parmesan. Aged at least 12 months, grainy and packed with umami.
- Gorgonzola: Italy’s famous blue cheese, creamy and bold in flavor.
England: more than cheddar
The British are serious cheesemakers. Cheddar is the best-known export, but there’s so much more:
- Cheddar Farmhouse: a true artisanal cheddar, firm and full-flavored with a lightly sharp finish.
- Stilton: England’s ultimate blue cheese, protected by its own quality certification and wonderfully rich in flavor.
Norway: brunost and gjetost
Norway has something truly unique: brunost. A cheese made from caramelized whey, with a sweet, slightly tangy flavor unlike anything else. Try it once and you’re hooked.
- Gudbrandsdalen Gjetost: the classic Norwegian brunost, sweet and caramel-like, perfect sliced thin on a cracker.
Belgium: abbey cheeses and more
Belgian cheese has a long monastic tradition. For centuries, monks made cheese as a source of income, and that tradition lives on today:
- Chimay Poteaupré: a soft washed-rind abbey cheese from the Chimay brewery, mild and creamy.
Spain: Manchego and more
Spain may be less well known as a cheese country, but Manchego is famous the world over. Made from sheep’s milk with an unmistakable flavor:
- Manchego DOP: the classic sheep’s milk cheese from La Mancha, nutty and lightly sharp.
How does international cheese stay fresh during shipping?
A fair question. Fresh cheese needs the right temperature and packaging. At Cheese In A Box, we ship cheese in chilled packaging with a specialist cheese wrap that regulates moisture and airflow just right. Most cheeses will keep for a good week after delivery, as long as you store them below 7°C in the fridge.
Want to discover new international cheeses regularly without having to search each time? Our cheese subscription is perfect for that. A carefully curated selection of cheeses delivered to your door every month, including international specialties.
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Here’s a selection of our most popular international cheeses:
