Cheese is a type of dairy product formed by the coagulation of the milk protein casein. Prior to refrigeration, the production of cheese and yoghurts were some of the few ways that milk could be preserved for long-terms storage. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During production, milk is usually acidified and either the enzymes of rennet or bacterial enzymes with similar activity are added to cause the casein to coagulate. The solid curds are then separated from the liquid whey and pressed into finished cheese. Some cheeses have aromatic moulds on the rind, the outer layer, or throughout.

Most cheeses are acidified by bacteria, which turn milk sugars into lactic acid; the addition of rennet completes the curdling. Vegetarian varieties of rennet are available; most are produced through fermentation by the fungus Mucor miehei, but others have been extracted from Cynara thistles. For a few cheeses, the milk is curdled by adding acids such as vinegar or lemon juice.

The word cheese comes from Latin caseus, from which the modern word casein is derived. The earliest source is from the proto-Indo-European root *kwat-, which means "to ferment, become sour". That gave rise to cīese or cēse (in Old English) and chese (in Middle English). Similar words are shared by other West Germanic languages—West Frisian tsiis, Dutch kaas, German Käse, Old High German chāsi—all from the reconstructed West-Germanic form *kāsī, which in turn is an early borrowing from Latin.

When the Romans began to make hard cheeses for their legionaries' supplies, a new word started to be used: formaticum, from caseus formatus, or "cheese shaped in a mold". It is from this word that the French fromage, standard Italian formaggio, Catalan formatge, Breton fourmaj, and Occitan fromatge (or formatge) are derived. Of the Romance languages, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Tuscan and some Southern Italian dialects use words derived from caseus (queso, queijo, caș, cacio and caso for example).

Cheese is an ancient food whose origins predate recorded history. There is no conclusive evidence indicating where cheesemaking originated, whether in Europe, Central Asia or the Middle East. The earliest proposed dates for the origin of cheesemaking range from around 8000 BCE, when sheep were first domesticated. Because animal skins and inflated internal organs have provided storage vessels for a range of foodstuffs since ancient times, it is probable that the process of cheese making was discovered accidentally by storing milk in a container made from the stomach of an animal, resulting in the milk being turned to curd and whey by the rennet from the stomach. There is a legend—with variations—about the discovery of cheese by an Arab trader who used this method of storing milk.

The recipes given here are sourced from around the world, and give a broad view of cheese-based dishes globally as well as presenting historical recipes from the ancient Greek and Roman worlds.

The alphabetical list of all the cheese-based recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 1143 recipes in total:

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Vegan Gluten-free Christmas Cake      Origin: Britain	Wild Garlic Custard      Origin: Britain	Xavier Steak      Origin: American
Vegetable Seekh Kebab      Origin: India	Wild Garlic Focaccia      Origin: Britain	Xavier Suppe (Xavier Soup)      Origin: Italy
Vegetarian Paneer Curry      Origin: Britain	Wild Greens Gnocci in Tomato Sauce      Origin: Britain	Yaroa Dominicana      Origin: Dominican Republic
Vegetarian Quiche      Origin: British	Wild Greens Saag Paneer      Origin: Fusion	Yorkshire Buck      Origin: England
Vegetarian Sausages      Origin: Britain	Wild Greens Spanakopita      Origin: Fusion	Yorkshire Curd Tart      Origin: England
Verdolaga con Queso (Purslane with Cheese)      Origin: Mexico	Wild Herb Casserole      Origin: Britain	Yumurtali Ekmek (Turkish-style French Toast)      Origin: Turkey
Vermont Maple Spice Cupcakes      Origin: American	Wild Mushroom Pizza      Origin: Britain	Zabadee el Mishmish (Egyptian Apricot Mousse)      Origin: Egypt
Very Blueberry Cheesecake      Origin: American	Winter Minestrone Soup      Origin: Fusion	Zagorski Štrukli (Zagorje Cheese Strukli)      Origin: Croatia
Waffres (Waffles)      Origin: England	Winter Squash, Tomato and Cheese Gratin      Origin: British	Zelnik (Macedoniqn Spinach Pie)      Origin: North Macedonia
Wagasi in Sauce      Origin: Benin	Wy Cymreig (Welsh Egg)      Origin: Welsh	Zuppa di Cipolle al Pecorino (Italian Onion and Pecorino Soup)      Origin: Italy
Warm Halloumi and Fennel Salad      Origin: Cyprus	Wyau Cymreig (Welsh Eggs)      Origin: Welsh	Zuppa Pavese (Pavia Soup)      Origin: Italy
Welsh Rarebit St Vincent      Origin: Saint Vincent	Wyau Hwyaden Mewn Caws (Duck Eggs in Cheese)      Origin: Welsh	Ватрушки (Vatrushka)      Origin: Russia
White Chili      Origin: America	Wyau Hwyaden, Dull Ynys Môn (Anglesey-style Duck Eggs)      Origin: Welsh	レアチーズケーキ (Japanese Rare Cheesecake)      Origin: Japan
Wild Food Stalk Fritters      Origin: British	Wyau Ynys Môn (Anglesey Eggs)      Origin: Welsh
Wild Garlic and Mushroom Lasagne      Origin: Britain	Xavier Dumplings      Origin: Italy

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