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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Mushroom Cobbler      Origin: Britain	Palak Paneer (Creamed Spinach with Fresh Curd Cheese)      Origin: India	Pasta Primavera with Dryad's Saddle and Chicken of the Woods      Origin: Britain
Mushroom Pie      Origin: France	Palak Paneer (Paneer with Spinach)      Origin: India	Pasta with Daylily Flower Buds and Mushrooms      Origin: American
Mushrooms Risotto      Origin: Italy	Pan Haggerty      Origin: England	Pasta with Olives and Caperberries      Origin: Britain
Mustacei (Must Rolls)      Origin: Roman	Paneer 65      Origin: Britain	Pasta with Wild Greens      Origin: Britain
Mustard Beef with Potato Gratin      Origin: Australia	Paneer Bhurji      Origin: India	Pastai Briwgig Eidion a Nionod (Leek and Caerphilly Cheese Crumble Tart)      Origin: Welsh
Myma (Baked Plaice)      Origin: Roman	Paneer Capsicum Curry      Origin: India	Pastai Cenin, Panas a Chig Moch (Leek, Parsnip and Bacon Pie)      Origin: Welsh
Nasturtium Leaf Pesto      Origin: Britain	Paneer Cheese      Origin: India	Pastai Gocos (Cockle Pie)      Origin: Welsh
Nasturtiums with Cream Cheese and Almond Filling      Origin: Britain	Paneer Jalfrezi      Origin: Britain	Pastai Pysgotwr (Fisherman's Pie)      Origin: Welsh
Nettle Gnudi      Origin: Britain	Paneer Kofta      Origin: India	Pastai Tatws (Potato Pie)      Origin: Welsh
Nettle Leaf Pesto      Origin: Britain	Paneer Lababdar      Origin: India	Pastel De Choclo (Corn Pudding)      Origin: Argentina
Nettle, Sorrel and Lentil Pâté      Origin: Britain	Paneer Lababdar      Origin: India	Pastel de Jamón (Ham Cakes)      Origin: Peru
New York Cheesecake II      Origin: America	Paneer Makhani      Origin: India	Pastel de Papas con Tres Quesos (Potato Cake with Three Cheeses)      Origin: Peru
Newfoundland Bakeapple Cheesecake      Origin: Canada	Paneer Makhanwala      Origin: India	Pastelillos de Guayaba (Guava Pastries)      Origin: Puerto Rico
No Bake Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Paneer Manchurian      Origin: Britain	Pastelitos de yuca con atún (Cassava and Tuna Pies)      Origin: Colombia
No Crust Easter Pie      Origin: American	Paneer Maza (Chilli Paneer)      Origin: India	Pastelón (Sweet Plantain Lasagna)      Origin: Puerto Rico
No-bake Cheesecake 3      Origin: Scotland	Paneer Paratha      Origin: India	Pastelón de Arroz (Cheesy Beef and Rice Casserole)      Origin: Dominican Republic
No-bake Cheesecake II      Origin: American	Paneer Pasanda      Origin: India	Pastelón de Harina de Maíz (Cornmeal and Beef Casserole)      Origin: Dominican Republic
No-bake Cheesecake IV      Origin: American	Paneer Pasanda      Origin: India	Pastelón de Papa (Dominican Cottage Pie)      Origin: Dominican Republic
No-bake Lemon Cheesecake      Origin: American	Paneer Roll      Origin: India	Pašticada (Dalmatian Beef Stew with Prunes and Apples)      Origin: Croatia
No-bake Lemon Soufflé      Origin: Britain	Paneer Shabnam      Origin: India	Pastiera di Grano (Neapolitan Grain Pie)      Origin: Italy
No-cook Chocolate Silk Tarts      Origin: American	Paneer Sukka      Origin: India	Pastiera di Pasqua (Easter Ricotta Cake)      Origin: Italy
Normandy Cheesecake      Origin: Britain	Paneer Tikka      Origin: India	Pastiera Napoletana (Naples Easter Cakes)      Origin: Italy
Nutty Rice Burgers      Origin: Britain	Paneer Tikka Masala      Origin: India	Pastizzi ta' l-Incov (Anchovy Pastizzi)      Origin: Malta
Ocopa de Camarones (Prawn Ocopa)      Origin: Peru	Pansotti di Rapallo (Pansotti with Walnut Sauce)      Origin: Italy	Patellam tyrotaricham ex quocumque salso volueris (A Dish of Cheese and Whichever Salt Fish you Wish)      Origin: Roman
Onion Soup with Cheese      Origin: Czech	Pappardelle with Slow-cooked Beef and Mushrooms      Origin: Britain	Patinam ex Lacte (Milk Casserole)      Origin: Roman
Onions Stuffed with Meat and Mushrooms      Origin: Czech	Parma Ham and Horseradish Greens Strata      Origin: Britain	Peach Melba Cheesecake      Origin: Britain
Oozy Orange Cupcakes      Origin: American	Parma Ham and Squash Blossom Strata      Origin: Britain	Peanut and Chicken Kebabs      Origin: Britain
Orange and Poppy Seed Cupcakes      Origin: Britain	Parmesan Orzo      Origin: Italy	Peanut Butter Cheesecake      Origin: Britain
Orange and Walnut Blintzes      Origin: American	Parseli Ffilo Cennin a Chaws Caerffili (Leek and Caerphilly Cheese Parcels)      Origin: Welsh	Pepper Pasta Pie      Origin: South Africa
Orange Cheesecake 2      Origin: Britain	Pasca de Pasti (Romanian Easter Cheesecake)      Origin: Romania	Pepperoni Pizza      Origin: Italy
Orange Chesecake      Origin: Britain	Pashka      Origin: Russia	Pesto Bara Lawr a Garlleg Gwyllt (Laverbread and Wild Garlic Pesto)      Origin: Welsh
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting      Origin: American	Paskha (Russian Easter Cheesecake)      Origin: Russia	Pesto Gwymon (Seaweed Pesto)      Origin: Welsh
Ostkaka (Swedish Cheesecake)      Origin: Sweden	Passion Cake      Origin: Britain
Oven-baked Macaroni and Cheese      Origin: American	Pasta Crisps      Origin: Britain

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