7 most famous cheeses from Russia (PHOTOS)

1. Adygean cheese

This is a soft cheese from the Caucasus with a delicate flavor and moderate saltiness. It was traditionally made in the mountains of Adygea. In 1980, this cheese was supplied to the Olympic Games in Moscow, introducing it to foreign guests.

2. Ossetian cheese

Another soft cheese from the Caucasus. In North Ossetia, it is now made from cow's milk, although, historically, it was also made from goat's or sheep's milk. It’s produced by curdling milk, typically adding whey and rennet. This cheese is typically also used to make traditional Ossetian pies.

3. Balkarian cheese

A soft cheese originating from Kabardino-Balkaria and essential for making Balkarian flatbreads called khychin. This cheese is typically stored and sold in jars with brine.

4. ‘Sovetsky’ (‘Soviet’) cheese

In the 1930s, Soviet cheese maker Dmitry Granikov developed a technology for making hard and semi-hard cheeses in the Altai region. Their recipes were similar to Swiss cheeses, but were modified to account for local natural conditions. The cheese was named ‘Sovetsky’ and was produced by all dairy plants in the Altai region. Today, only a few enterprises in the region have the right to produce ‘Sovetsky’ cheese using that original technology.

5. ‘Rossiysky’ (‘Russian’) cheese

This semi-hard yellow cheese appeared in Uglich, Yaroslavl Oblast. It was created by local cheese makers in the 1960s. Its distinctive feature is that it is made from pasteurized milk with rennet and bacterial culture and it ages for two months. ‘Rossiysky’ cheese is very popular today and is produced by factories across the country.

6. Kostroma cheese

This is considered to be one of the first Russian cheeses. This hard cheese with a pronounced flavor was first produced in the 19th century in Kostroma. At that time, "cheese enthusiasts" began to appear in Russia, experimenting with producing domestic cheeses based on foreign technologies. Kostroma cheese turned out to be similar to Dutch Gouda, but differs with a more elastic texture and a creamy, slightly sour taste. It’s still one of the most popular cheeses in Russia today.

7. Processed Cheese

The technology for processed cheese was not invented in Russia, but it was there that it became extremely popular. In 1934, the ‘Karat’ processed cheese plant opened in Moscow, which produced (and still produces) many varieties of this product: ‘Druzhba’ (‘Friendship’), ‘Yantar’ (‘Amber’), ‘Volna’ (‘Wave’), ‘Omichka’, ‘Novy’ (‘New’) and others.