We return to our cheese glossary for the letters N and O!

Natural

A general term for cheese that has been made directly from milk, whether it is pasteurized or unpasteurized. It can also refer to the cheesemaking process itself of coagulating or curdling the
milk, stirring and heating the curd, draining the whey and collecting or pressing the curd.

Natural Rind

A rind that forms naturally on cheese whilst it is drying and ripening. Ripening agents or washing are not used to create the natural rind. Most semi-hard and hard cheeses will have this, including Parmesan and Romano Pecorino.

Nutty

Cheeses with a nut-like flavor, such as Swiss cheeses.

Oily

This can describe the body, flavor or aroma of a cheese.

Open

A term applied to cheese varieties containing small holes that develop during the manufacturing process. These holes may be small or large, densely patterned or randomly scattered, and irregular in shape. Air might be introduced through punctures made with steel pins, such as in the production of blue-veined cheeses. These pin holes are not the same as the open ‘eyes’ that form during fermentation of cheeses such as Swiss cheese.

Organic

Grown without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

Overripe

A cheese that has gone past its best. It has likely become too soft.

Ovolini

A ball of fresh mozzarella, weighing approximately four ounces.

Oxidation

This can cause cheese to become bleached or dry, depending on how it has been packaged.

We have come to the halfway point of our cheese glossary and we are really enjoying teaching you all about the different terms associated with cheese. We hope it is helping you to learn more about the cheeses that you love. What would you like to learn about next? Let us know in the comments below and we will make it the focus of our next set of posts!