Real cheese contains milk, salt, rennet and cheese culture. Nothing else. I like almost any real cheese. Nothing is more revolting that processed cheese. Maybe cat vomit. Or something but nothing else.
The King of Cheese is Parmigiano Reggiano. It's arguably the purest manufactured food on earth.
It can be made only from non-vaccinated, no antibiotic/growth hormone fed heritage breed milk cows that are grazed on wild pasture that has never been fertilized or sprayed in any way, and only from the Parma region. It goes from the local farmer's milk house directly to the local cheese cooperative and starts it's journey to heaven within 24 hours. It's also the ONLY real Parmesan cheese. Anything called "Parmesan" that comes from anywhere else on earth; though it may qualify as real cheese, is fake.
There is nothing like crumbling a small bit of real Parmigiano Reggiano and drizzling it with a tiny bit of honey or excellent Balsamic vinegar. The crunchy bits of Tyrosine display the skill with which it's aged. Real aged Goudas contain those little morsels as well. It's a shame what passes for Gouda in the U.S. Rubbery, easily melted stuff. Real aged Gouda is a hard cheese; the oldest much harder than Parm.
Another favorite is Pecorino Romano. Produced with similar restrictions to P.R. but from a larger Italian area, it is ALWAYS made from sheep's milk.
There's a real cheese rennaisance going on in this country these days. Lots of artisanal creameries are making real gems, all over the place. It takes some exploration though as new makers are finally giving their own names to their cheeses, rather than claiming them to be "Parmesan" or "Swiss" or "Cheddar".
I grew up in a dairy family and we've always made cheese. Mostly pot and farmer's queso fresco and feta styled cheeses, but I've done some experimenting with hard aged goat cheeses with mixed success. The desert isn't optimal for cheese production.
