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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Microwave Pasta alla Carbonara      Origin: Britain	Nasturtium Leaf Pesto      Origin: Britain	Palak Paneer (Paneer with Spinach)      Origin: India
Microwave Spaghetti with Garlic Sausage      Origin: Britain	Nasturtiums with Cream Cheese and Almond Filling      Origin: Britain	Pan de Yuca (Cassava Bread)      Origin: Costa Rica
Microwave Spinach and Cheese Soufflé      Origin: Britain	Nettle Gnudi      Origin: Britain	Pan de Yuca (Colombian Yuca Bread)      Origin: Colombia
Milanesa Uruguaya      Origin: Uruguay	Nettle Leaf Pesto      Origin: Britain	Pan Haggerty      Origin: England
Milka Micic (Cheese-filled Crepes)      Origin: Serbia	Nettle, Sorrel and Lentil Pâté      Origin: Britain	Paneer 65      Origin: Britain
Milkless Pineapple Cheesecake      Origin: American	New Year's Eve Meringue Roulade      Origin: Britain	Paneer Bhurji      Origin: India
Minchet Abish Wot      Origin: Ethiopia	New York Cheesecake II      Origin: America	Paneer Capsicum Curry      Origin: India
Minestra siciliana di Pasqua (Sicilian Easter Soup)      Origin: Italy	New Zealand Scones      Origin: New Zealand	Paneer Cheese      Origin: India
Mini Curried Shepherd's Pie      Origin: South Africa	Newfoundland Bakeapple Cheesecake      Origin: Canada	Paneer Jalfrezi      Origin: Britain
Mini Goat's Cheese and Sunblush Tomato Muffins (Mini Goat's Cheese and Sunblush Tomato Muffins)      Origin: Britain	Nidi di Rondine (Swallows' Nests)      Origin: San Marino	Paneer Kofta      Origin: India
Mini Victoria Sandwiches      Origin: Britain	No Bake Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Paneer Lababdar      Origin: India
Mint Chocolate Meringue Cheesecake      Origin: American	No Crust Easter Pie      Origin: American	Paneer Lababdar      Origin: India
Mixtura cum Caseo (Soft Cheese with a Herb Purée)      Origin: Roman	No-bake Cheesecake 3      Origin: Scotland	Paneer Makhani      Origin: India
Mixtura cum Caseo (Soft Cheese and Herb Purée)      Origin: Roman	No-bake Cheesecake II      Origin: American	Paneer Makhanwala      Origin: India
Mixtura cum Nucibus (Hazelnuts with Herb Purée)      Origin: Roman	No-bake Cheesecake IV      Origin: American	Paneer Manchurian      Origin: Britain
Monkfish Wellington      Origin: British	No-bake Lemon Cheesecake      Origin: American	Paneer Maza (Chilli Paneer)      Origin: India
Monterey Jack Cheese, Olive and Prawn Dip      Origin: American	No-bake Lemon Soufflé      Origin: Britain	Paneer Paratha      Origin: India
Moretum (Garlic and Herb Pâté)      Origin: Roman	No-cook Chocolate Silk Tarts      Origin: American	Paneer Pasanda      Origin: India
Moussaka      Origin: Greece	Ñoquis de Papa (Potato Gnocchi)      Origin: Uruguay	Paneer Pasanda      Origin: India
Mozzarella Fritters      Origin: Ireland	Normandy Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Paneer Roll      Origin: India
Mozzarella-stuffed Mushrooms      Origin: British	Numb-fish (Electric Ray)      Origin: Roman	Paneer Shabnam      Origin: India
Mucver (Turkish Courgette Patties)      Origin: Turkey	Nutty Rice Burgers      Origin: Britain	Paneer Sukka      Origin: India
Mulled Wine Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Ocopa de Camarones (Prawn Ocopa)      Origin: Peru	Paneer Tikka      Origin: India
Mulled Wine Cheesecake II      Origin: Britain	Onion Soup with Cheese      Origin: Czech	Paneer Tikka Masala      Origin: India
Mushroom and Spinach Rustic Pie      Origin: British	Onions Stuffed with Meat and Mushrooms      Origin: Czech	Panettone with Mascarpone and Strawberries      Origin: British
Mushroom Cheese Blintzes      Origin: Jewish	Oozy Orange Cupcakes      Origin: American	Pansotti di Rapallo (Pansotti with Walnut Sauce)      Origin: Italy
Mushroom Cobbler      Origin: Britain	Orange and Poppy Seed Cupcakes      Origin: Britain	Pappardelle with Slow-cooked Beef and Mushrooms      Origin: Britain
Mushroom Pie      Origin: France	Orange and Walnut Blintzes      Origin: American	Parma Ham and Horseradish Greens Strata      Origin: Britain
Mushrooms Risotto      Origin: Italy	Orange Cheesecake 2      Origin: Britain	Parma Ham and Squash Blossom Strata      Origin: Britain
Mustacei (Must Rolls)      Origin: Roman	Orange Chesecake      Origin: Britain	Parmesan Orzo      Origin: Italy
Mustard Beef with Potato Gratin      Origin: Australia	Orange Cream Cheese Frosting      Origin: American	Parseli Ffilo Cennin a Chaws Caerffili (Leek and Caerphilly Cheese Parcels)      Origin: Welsh
Myma (Baked Plaice)      Origin: Roman	Ostkaka (Swedish Cheesecake)      Origin: Sweden	Parsley Pesto      Origin: Saint Pierre
Myzithropita (Greek Cheesecake)      Origin: Greece	Oven-baked Macaroni and Cheese      Origin: American
Nakelda (Istrian Bread Rolls)      Origin: Slovenia	Palak Paneer (Creamed Spinach with Fresh Curd Cheese)      Origin: India

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