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 1130 recipes in total:

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Hægeldaðir lambalæri (Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks)      Origin: Iceland	Kati rolls      Origin: India	Mackerel Burger with Sweet Potato Chips      Origin: Fusion
Iab      Origin: Ethiopia	Kedgeree Fisherman's Pie with Winter Vegetable Topping      Origin: Britain	Macrows      Origin: England
Iflaghun      Origin: Syria	Keshi Yena (Filled Cheese Shells)      Origin: Aruba	Madarch a Chaws Pob (Mushroom Rarebit)      Origin: Welsh
Il mio Tiramisu      Origin: Italy	Keshi Yena (Stuffed Cheese)      Origin: Curacao	Maids of Honour Tarts      Origin: Britain
Imqarrun fil-Forn (Baked Macaroni)      Origin: Malta	Kewa Datshi (Potatoes with Cheese)      Origin: Bhutan	Makaronia Pastitsio (Macaroni with Minced Meat and Bechamel Sauce)      Origin: Cyprus
Insalata Caprese      Origin: Italy	Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Pie)      Origin: Georgia	Makerouns (Macaroni)      Origin: England
Instant Pot Triple Chocolate Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Kibbeh      Origin: Lebanon	Malai Kofta with Spicy Gravy      Origin: India
Irish Cabbage Parcels      Origin: Ireland	Kibbeh      Origin: Syria	Malai Tikka      Origin: Britain
Irish Cod Cobbler      Origin: Ireland	Kitharos (Turbot)      Origin: Roman	Mallow Cheese Meringues      Origin: Britain
Irish Potato Pancakes      Origin: Ireland	Kyboi (Dice Bread)      Origin: Roman	Mallow Cheese with Seaweed Paste      Origin: Fusion
Israeli Salad      Origin: Israel	La Pastiera di Grano (Neapolitan Easter Cake)      Origin: Italy	Maltese Pastizzi      Origin: Malta
Istarski krumpir (Istrian Potatoes)      Origin: Croatia	Lakh Mauritanienne      Origin: Mauritania	Malvaceae Marshmallows      Origin: Britain
Italianate Easter Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Lamb Burgers with Mint and Pine Nuts      Origin: Cyprus	Mango and Lemon Myrtle Cheese Cake      Origin: Australia
Jalapeño Wonton Puffs      Origin: American	Lamb Cobbler      Origin: England	Marble Cupcakes      Origin: Britain
Jalapeno Cornbread      Origin: American	Lamb's Lettuce Pesto      Origin: Britain	Marigold Cheese Soup      Origin: Britain
Jam-filled Pound Cake Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting      Origin: American	Lammfärsfyllda squashbåtar (Lamb-stuffed Squash Boats)      Origin: Sweden	Marillenknoedel (Austrian Apricot Dumplings)      Origin: Austria
Jamaican Citrus Cheesecake      Origin: Jamaica	Lasagne al Forno      Origin: Italy	Marzipan Centre Bundt Cake      Origin: Fusion
Jamaican Mango Cheesecake      Origin: Jamaica	Layered Trifle Loaf      Origin: Britain	Mascarpone Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze      Origin: American
Japanese Cotton Cheesecake      Origin: Japan	Leftover Rice Muffins      Origin: Britain	Mattar Paneer (Green Peas and Curd Cheese Curry)      Origin: Britain
Japraci (Collard Greens Dolmas)      Origin: Montenegro	Lemon Balm Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Mattar Paneer Curry      Origin: India
Jibna Salata      Origin: Sudan	Lemon Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Mattar Panir      Origin: Britain
Jubnyeh (Sweet Cheese Fritters)      Origin: Somalia	Libum (Sacral Bread)      Origin: Roman	Meadow Waxcap Frittata      Origin: British
Käsknöpfle (Mini Dumplings with Cheese)      Origin: Liechtenstein	Libum (Diced Cheese Bread)      Origin: Roman	Medlar Muffins with Medlar Cream Cheese Icing      Origin: British
Kèiskuch (Cheese Cake)      Origin: Luxembourg	Liphaphatha (Lesothan Bakestone Bread)      Origin: Lesotho	Mel et caseum (Honey-sweetened Cheese)      Origin: Roman
Köttf�°C4;rs och olivpaj (Mince and Olive Pie)      Origin: Sweden	Liv Syrnyk (Easter Cheesecake with Sultanas)      Origin: Ukraine	Melcas (Cheese Sweetened with Honey)      Origin: Roman
Kaçamak      Origin: Turkey	Llysiau Gyda Saws Caws (Vegetables in a Cheese Sauce)      Origin: Welsh	Methi Paneer      Origin: India
Kabocha Squash and Kale Galette      Origin: America	Locro de Zapallo      Origin: Peru	Mexican Chicken Pizza      Origin: American
Kahvalti Corekleri (Turkish Breakfast Buns)      Origin: Turkey	Lokše (Slovak Potato Pancakes)      Origin: Slovakia	Mexican Spirals      Origin: American
Kalakand      Origin: India	Loseyns (Lozenges)      Origin: England	Microwave Amaretto Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce      Origin: Britain
Kannoli tal-Irkotta (Ricotta-filled Cannelloni)      Origin: Malta	Lumbardy Tarts      Origin: Britain	Microwave Bacon Dip      Origin: Britain
Kartopliana Nachynka (Potato and Cheese Filling For Vareniki)      Origin: Ukraine	Mâche Sabayon with Parmesan Shavings      Origin: France	Microwave Chimpanzee Cheesecake      Origin: American
Kartopliana Nachynka II (Potato and Cheese Filling For Vareniki II)      Origin: Ukraine	Mac'N'Cheese      Origin: American	Microwave Mint Julep Cheesecake      Origin: American
Käsespätzle (Spaetzle Cheese Noodles)      Origin: Germany	Macadamia Nut Cheesecake      Origin: American
Käsküeche (Alsace Cheesecake)      Origin: France	Macaroni Cheese      Origin: British

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