A world of cheese
There are thousands of cheeses out there, and this word search gathers a fine selection. You'll track down everyday favourites — CHEDDAR, GOUDA, EDAM and SWISS — the soft and creamy BRIE, CAMEMBERT and RICOTTA, the grilling cheese HALLOUMI, and bold blues like STILTON and GORGONZOLA.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the board changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode tasting once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
How cheese is made
Almost every cheese starts the same way: warm milk is curdled (often with something called rennet) so it splits into solid lumps, the curds, and a watery liquid, the whey. The curds are pressed and then left to age — and that ageing is where the magic happens. A young cheese is mild and soft; the same cheese aged for months turns hard, dry and full of flavour.
The differences come from the milk, the ageing and a few clever tricks. Fresh cheeses like RICOTTA, FETA and MASCARPONE are barely aged; the holes in SWISS and EMMENTAL are bubbles of gas from helpful bacteria; and the blue veins in STILTON, ROQUEFORT and GORGONZOLA come from edible mould stirred right into the cheese.
Named after their home towns
Many cheeses are named after the place they came from. CHEDDAR began in a village in England, GORGONZOLA and PARMESAN in towns in Italy, GOUDA and EDAM in the Netherlands, and MANCHEGO in the La Mancha region of Spain. It makes the cheese board a tasty little tour of the map — a great fit for a food or world-cultures lesson.
Play, print or make your own
Play online, or print a PDF pack for a food-themed activity. Want a grid of only the cheeses on your board? Use our Make Your Own tool to choose them — from PANEER to PECORINO — and print matching copies for the tasting.
Frequently asked questions
Which cheeses are in the word search?
A full board — cheddar, brie, gouda, mozzarella, feta and more, plus blues like stilton and gorgonzola and grilling cheese halloumi. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
Are blue cheeses and soft cheeses both included?
All sorts — hard CHEDDAR and GOUDA, soft BRIE and CAMEMBERT, grilling HALLOUMI, and bold blues like STILTON and GORGONZOLA.
Is it good for a food or world-foods topic?
Great fit — cheeses come from all over, so it pairs well with a food-from-around-the-world lesson. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words.