Food & Drink
Cheese World Tour Quiz
Roquefort to Halloumi to Stinking Bishop — how well do you know world cheeses?
Roquefort to Halloumi to Stinking Bishop — how well do you know world cheeses?
Roquefort holds the world's oldest known PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), granted by a French parliamentary decree in 1411 — over 600 years of legal protection for a blue cheese aged in limestone caves. With over 1,800 named varieties worldwide, cheese is one of humanity's oldest and most diverse foods, stretching back at least 7,000 years.
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 travel the world through cheese — from French Brie and Roquefort to Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano, Cypriot Halloumi, Indian paneer, and Sardinian casu marzu. Learn about PDO protections, aging processes, the science of cheese-making, and surprising facts like why Emmental has holes and which cheese is the most stolen food in Britain.
Roquefort gets its distinctive blue-green veins from the mold Penicillium roqueforti, which grows naturally in the limestone caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in southern France. The cheese is made from raw sheep's milk and must be aged in these specific caves to earn the Roquefort name. The mold is introduced during production and develops as air circulates through tiny holes pierced in the cheese during aging.
True mozzarella di bufala comes from the Campania region of southern Italy (especially around Caserta and Salerno), made exclusively from the milk of Italian water buffalo. It has DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) status, meaning only cheese made in designated Italian regions from water buffalo milk can carry the name. It is softer, more flavorful, and higher in fat than regular cow's milk mozzarella.
Parmigiano-Reggiano must be aged a minimum of 12 months by DOP law, but premium versions age 24, 36, or even 72+ months. The long aging develops its complex flavor through proteolysis (protein breakdown) and crystallization of the amino acid tyrosine, which creates the crunchy granules prized by cheese lovers. Each wheel weighs about 38 kg and requires roughly 550 liters of milk to produce.
Last updated: April 2026