Quiz on Cheese

Which cheese is traditionally used to top a classic Italian pizza?

• Mozzarella ✓ (Correct answer)
• Brie
• Roquefort
• Feta

Source: Mozzarella's stretchy melt is why your pizza pulls into those photogenic cheese strings.

Which crumbly cheese is the classic dip served with spicy buffalo wings?

• Blue cheese ✓ (Correct answer)
• Cheddar
• Mozzarella
• Brie

Source: Blue cheese dressing's sharp tang is the traditional cooling partner for fiery buffalo wings.

Which cheese gives a classic cheesecake its rich, creamy texture?

• Cream cheese ✓ (Correct answer)
• Ricotta
• Cottage cheese
• Halloumi

Source: Cream cheese was invented in 1872 in New York, long before it became a cheesecake staple.

Which cheese is the key ingredient in a traditional Swiss fondue?

• Gruyère ✓ (Correct answer)
• Cheddar
• Mascarpone
• Provolone

Source: Gruyère melts smoothly without going stringy, which is exactly what a fondue pot needs.

Which mild yellow Dutch cheese is named after the town where it was traded?

• Gouda ✓ (Correct answer)
• Cheddar
• Provolone
• Manchego

Source: Gouda is named for the Dutch market town where it was traded, not where it was made.

Which holey cheese is the stereotypical 'cartoon mouse' cheese?

• Emmental ✓ (Correct answer)
• Parmesan
• Stilton
• Pecorino

Source: Those holes, called 'eyes', form from gas bubbles released by bacteria during ripening.

What animal's milk is used to make traditional Greek feta cheese?

• Sheep ✓ (Correct answer)
• Buffalo
• Camel
• Reindeer

Source: Real Greek feta is mostly sheep's milk, with goat's milk allowed only as a minority blend.

Which soft French cheese has a bloomy white rind and a gooey center?

• Camembert ✓ (Correct answer)
• Comté
• Reblochon
• Munster

Source: That edible white rind is a velvety mold that ripens the cheese from the outside in.

Which firm cheese squeaks and is grilled without melting into a puddle?

• Halloumi ✓ (Correct answer)
• Paneer
• Feta
• Mozzarella

Source: Halloumi's high melting point lets it grill and fry while keeping its shape.

Which cheese is grated over a plate of spaghetti carbonara?

• Pecorino Romano ✓ (Correct answer)
• Parmesan
• Grana Padano
• Mozzarella

Source: Authentic carbonara uses sharp Pecorino Romano, a hard sheep's-milk cheese, not Parmesan.

Which cheese is the main filling in a traditional Greek spanakopita?

• Feta ✓ (Correct answer)
• Ricotta
• Cheddar
• Gruyère

Source: Spanakopita layers spinach with salty feta inside flaky phyllo pastry.

Which fresh Italian cheese was originally made from water buffalo milk?

• Mozzarella ✓ (Correct answer)
• Pecorino
• Provolone
• Fontina

Source: The original mozzarella came from buffalo milk; cow's-milk versions are a later substitute.

Parmigiano-Reggiano must be aged for a minimum of how long?

• Twelve months ✓ (Correct answer)
• Three months
• Five years
• One week

Source: A true Parmigiano-Reggiano wheel ages at least a year, and premium ones far longer.

What process turns milk into curds and whey when making cheese?

• Coagulation ✓ (Correct answer)
• Fermentation
• Pasteurization
• Homogenization

Source: Rennet or acid triggers coagulation, separating solid curds from liquid whey.

Which country produces the most cheese in the world by total volume?

• United States ✓ (Correct answer)
• France
• Italy
• Switzerland

Source: Despite France's reputation, the United States churns out the largest total tonnage of cheese.

Which mold species is deliberately added to create blue cheese veins?

• Penicillium roqueforti ✓ (Correct answer)
• Aspergillus
• Botrytis
• Saccharomyces

Source: The mold is mixed into the curd, then wheels are pierced so air lets the blue veins spread.

Which English cheese is the traditional star of a Christmas cheeseboard?

• Stilton ✓ (Correct answer)
• Wensleydale
• Cheshire
• Red Leicester

Source: Stilton is so protected that it can only be made in three English counties.

Which enzyme, traditionally from a calf's stomach, curdles milk for cheese?

• Rennet ✓ (Correct answer)
• Lactase
• Pepsin
• Amylase

Source: Rennet's key enzyme is chymosin; most cheese today uses a vegetarian lab-made version.

Casu marzu, a banned Sardinian cheese, is notorious for containing what?

• Live maggots ✓ (Correct answer)
• Gold flakes
• Volcanic ash
• Snake venom

Source: Casu marzu is fermented by live insect larvae, which is why the EU bans its sale.

Which French blue cheese must legally be ripened in natural limestone caves to keep its name?

• Roquefort ✓ (Correct answer)
• Cantal
• Reblochon
• Munster

Source: By French law, only cheese matured in the Combalou caves of Aveyron may bear this name.