Food & Drink
Cheese Deep Dive Quiz 🧀
1,800 varieties, cave-aged secrets, and why some cheese has holes.
1,800 varieties, cave-aged secrets, and why some cheese has holes.
Italian banks accept wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano as collateral for loans — with over 300,000 wheels worth $200+ million stored in temperature-controlled bank vaults. Cheese is far more than a food; it is a 7,000-year-old technology, a global obsession with over 1,800 distinct varieties, and a subject so complex it has its own science of aging called affinage.
Each round presents 10 randomized multiple-choice questions drawn from a pool of 50, so every playthrough is different. You get instant feedback with explanations after each answer, plus a shareable score at the end.
You'll explore the science of rennet and starter cultures, how the cheddaring process works, why Swiss cheese has holes, which cheeses are scientifically the smelliest, why aged cheese can be eaten by the lactose intolerant, and the fascinating economics of Parmigiano-Reggiano, Roquefort, and the world's most expensive cheese made from donkey milk.
The holes in Swiss cheese (called "eyes") are created by a bacterium called Propionibacterium freudenreichii, which consumes lactic acid and releases carbon dioxide gas during aging. The CO2 bubbles form pockets in the semi-solid curd, creating the characteristic holes. A 2015 study found that modern Swiss cheese has smaller holes than historic wheels because today's cleaner milk contains fewer hay particles that traditionally served as nucleation points for bubble formation.
Pule, a cheese made from donkey milk in Serbia, is generally considered the world's most expensive cheese at around $600 per pound. It takes roughly 25 liters of donkey milk to make just one kilogram of Pule, and the Zasavica donkey reserve in Serbia is the only known producer. Donkeys produce far less milk than cows, and the milk cannot be mechanically extracted, driving the extreme price.
Cheese contains casein, a protein that breaks down during digestion into casomorphins — opioid-like peptides that bind to the brain's opioid receptors. While scientists debate the degree of "addiction," studies show cheese triggers dopamine responses similar to other highly palatable foods. Cheese also contains significant concentrations of glutamate (umami), fat, and salt — a trifecta that makes it one of the most craveable foods humans eat.
Last updated: March 2026