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 889 recipes in total:

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Iflaghun      Origin: Syria	Lamb's Lettuce Pesto      Origin: Britain	Mattar Paneer Curry      Origin: India
Imqarrun fil-Forn (Baked Macaroni)      Origin: Malta	Lammfärsfyllda squashbåtar (Lamb-stuffed Squash Boats)      Origin: Sweden	Mattar Panir      Origin: Britain
Instant Pot Triple Chocolate Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Lasagne al Forno      Origin: Italy	Mel et caseum (Honey-sweetened Cheese)      Origin: Roman
Irish Cabbage Parcels      Origin: Ireland	Leftover Rice Muffins      Origin: Britain	Melcas (Cheese Sweetened with Honey)      Origin: Roman
Irish Cod Cobbler      Origin: Ireland	Lemon Balm Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Methi Paneer      Origin: India
Irish Potato Pancakes      Origin: Ireland	Lemon Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Mexican Chicken Pizza      Origin: American
Istarski krumpir (Istrian Potatoes)      Origin: Croatia	Libum (Sacral Bread)      Origin: Roman	Mexican Spirals      Origin: American
Italianate Easter Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Libum (Diced Cheese Bread)      Origin: Roman	Microwave Amaretto Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce      Origin: Britain
Jalapeño Wonton Puffs      Origin: American	Liv Syrnyk (Easter Cheesecake with Sultanas)      Origin: Ukraine	Microwave Bacon Dip      Origin: Britain
Jalapeno Cornbread      Origin: American	Llysiau Gyda Saws Caws (Vegetables in a Cheese Sauce)      Origin: Welsh	Microwave Chimpanzee Cheesecake      Origin: American
Jam-filled Pound Cake Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting      Origin: American	Loseyns (Lozenges)      Origin: England	Microwave Mint Julep Cheesecake      Origin: American
Jamaican Citrus Cheesecake      Origin: Jamaica	Lumbardy Tarts      Origin: Britain	Microwave Pasta alla Carbonara      Origin: Britain
Jamaican Mango Cheesecake      Origin: Jamaica	Mâche Sabayon with Parmesan Shavings      Origin: France	Microwave Spaghetti with Garlic Sausage      Origin: Britain
Japanese Cotton Cheesecake      Origin: Japan	Mac'N'Cheese      Origin: American	Microwave Spinach and Cheese Soufflé      Origin: Britain
Jibna Salata      Origin: Sudan	Macadamia Nut Cheesecake      Origin: American	Milkless Pineapple Cheesecake      Origin: American
Jubnyeh (Sweet Cheese Fritters)      Origin: Somalia	Mackerel Burger with Sweet Potato Chips      Origin: Fusion	Minchet Abish Wot      Origin: Ethiopia
Käsknöpfle (Mini Dumplings with Cheese)      Origin: Liechtenstein	Macrows      Origin: England	Minestra siciliana di Pasqua (Sicilian Easter Soup)      Origin: Italy
Kèiskuch (Cheese Cake)      Origin: Luxembourg	Madarch a Chaws Pob (Mushroom Rarebit)      Origin: Welsh	Mini Curried Shepherd’s Pie      Origin: South Africa
KöttfÄrs och olivpaj (Mince and Olive Pie)      Origin: Sweden	Maids of Honour Tarts      Origin: Britain	Mini Goat's Cheese and Sunblush Tomato Muffins (Mini Goat's Cheese and Sunblush Tomato Muffins)      Origin: Britain
Kalakand      Origin: India	Makaronia Pastitsio (Macaroni with Minced Meat and Bechamel Sauce)      Origin: Cyprus	Mini Victoria Sandwiches      Origin: Britain
Kannoli tal-Irkotta (Ricotta-filled Cannelloni)      Origin: Malta	Makerouns (Macaroni)      Origin: England	Mint Chocolate Meringue Cheesecake      Origin: American
Kartopliana Nachynka (Potato and Cheese Filling For Vareniki)      Origin: Ukraine	Malai Kofta with Spicy Gravy      Origin: India	Mixtura cum Caseo (Soft Cheese with a Herb Purée)      Origin: Roman
Kartopliana Nachynka II (Potato and Cheese Filling For Vareniki II)      Origin: Ukraine	Malai Tikka      Origin: Britain	Mixtura cum Caseo (Soft Cheese and Herb Purée)      Origin: Roman
Käsküeche (Alsace Cheesecake)      Origin: France	Mallow Cheese Meringues      Origin: Britain	Mixtura cum Nucibus (Hazelnuts with Herb Purée)      Origin: Roman
Kati rolls      Origin: India	Mallow Cheese with Seaweed Paste      Origin: Fusion	Monkfish Wellington      Origin: British
Kedgeree Fisherman's Pie with Winter Vegetable Topping      Origin: Britain	Maltese Pastizzi      Origin: Malta	Moretum (Garlic and Herb Pâté)      Origin: Roman
Keshi Yena (Filled Cheese Shells)      Origin: Aruba	Malvaceae Marshmallows      Origin: Britain	Moussaka      Origin: Greece
Kewa Datshi (Potatoes with Cheese)      Origin: Bhutan	Mango and Lemon Myrtle Cheese Cake      Origin: Australia	Mozzarella Fritters      Origin: Ireland
Kibbeh      Origin: Lebanon	Marble Cupcakes      Origin: Britain	Mozzarella-stuffed Mushrooms      Origin: British
Kyboi (Dice Bread)      Origin: Roman	Marigold Cheese Soup      Origin: Britain	Mulled Wine Cheesecake      Origin: Britain
La Pastiera di Grano (Neapolitan Easter Cake)      Origin: Italy	Marillenknoedel (Austrian Apricot Dumplings)      Origin: Austria	Mulled Wine Cheesecake II      Origin: Britain
Lakh Mauritanienne      Origin: Mauritania	Marzipan Centre Bundt Cake      Origin: Fusion	Mushroom Cheese Blintzes      Origin: Jewish
Lamb Burgers with Mint and Pine Nuts      Origin: Cyprus	Mascarpone Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze      Origin: American
Lamb Cobbler      Origin: England	Mattar Paneer (Green Peas and Curd Cheese Curry)      Origin: Britain

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