CHAPTER XV 
OTHER VARIETIES OF CHEESE 
SLIGHT variations in any of the minor details of 
the cheese making processes have a distinct influence 
on the character of the finished product. A natural 
result of this is that the varieties of cheese are 
almost innumerable. Von Klenze* in his Hand Book 
of Cheese Technology describes no less than 156 dif- 
ferent kinds, whose manufacture is distributed through 
Europe and America. Not only is the number of dis- 
tinct kinds very large, but the same kind or variety 
varies greatly in character and’ quality, according to 
the conditions under which it is made. Without at- 
tempting to accurately classify the various kinds of 
cheese, it may be said that they fall roughly into 
about three natural groups or classes. First, those 
whose chief characteristics depend upon the amount 
of water that has been removed in the process of 
manufacture. These we may call hard or soft cheeses. 
Second, those whose qualities depend upon the 
amount of fat which the cheese contains, whether 
it is the normal amount of the milk, whether a part 
of the fat has been removed, as in the case of 
skimmed or partially skimmed cheeses, or whether fat 
has been added to the milk as in the case of the so- 
*Von Klenze, Handbuch der Kaserei-Technik, Bremen, 1884, 
(269) 
