Ten Cheeses from Fresh and Soft to Hard and Blue

Start with the youngest cheese on the path. Queso fresco is unaged, which is why it stays moist and tender and softens under heat without melting like aged cheeses. It is crumbled over enchiladas, tacos and refried beans for a light, salty freshness.

Chevre means goat cheese in French, and in English it usually names the fresh, spreadable kind with a tangy, slightly earthy flavor. It is sold in small logs or rounds, sometimes coated in herbs, ash or pepper, and is spread on bread or baked until warm.

Havarti is a semi-soft Danish cow milk cheese named for the farm of the nineteenth century cheesemaker Hanne Nielsen. Its small, irregular holes form during aging, and the buttery flavor sharpens with longer aging. It is also sold with dill or caraway.

Colby is an American cheese first made in 1885 near Colby, Wisconsin. Its curd is washed and the cheese is pressed less firmly and aged for less time than cheddar, so it ends up softer and milder. Blended with Monterey Jack it becomes Colby-Jack.

Emmental is a hard yellow Swiss cheese named for the Emme Valley in the canton of Bern. Propionibacterium freudenreichii bacteria release carbon dioxide during a warm aging phase and open the large holes that people picture when they say Swiss cheese.

Manchego is made in La Mancha from the milk of Manchega sheep and aged from a few weeks to two years. It is mild and buttery when young and sharp and nutty when aged. The rind traditionally carried a zigzag left by esparto grass molds.

Asiago from the Veneto comes in two styles. Pressato is fresh, mild and semi-soft after only a few weeks, while d'Allevo is aged for months to years until it is firmer, sharper and good for grating. Both carry a protected designation of origin.

Cotija is a Mexican cow milk cheese named for the town of Cotija in Michoacan. Young, it is white, firm and salty like mild feta; aged longer, it turns harder and drier, closer to Parmesan. Cooks crumble it over tacos, tostadas, soups and elote.

Pecorino Romano is a hard, salty sheep milk cheese from Lazio, Sardinia and Tuscany with a history reaching back to the rations of Roman legions. Its sharp, granular saltiness is grated over cacio e pepe and amatriciana in place of milder Parmesan.

End with the blue. Stilton is an English cheese made with Penicillium roqueforti, protected so that it may be made only in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. It was sold in the village of Stilton rather than made there, and is served after a meal, often with port.