Considered to be among the world's top quality cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano is made with raw, semi-skimmed milk from cows grazing on fresh grass and hay. It has a hard, gritty texture and its flavors range from nutty to robust and slightly piquant, depending on how long the cheese had matured.

The origins of Parmigiano Reggiano date back to the Middle Ages, when the Benedictine and Cistercian monks reclaimed the Po Valley wetlands and started producing this much-prized cheese. Since it originated and was mainly produced in the two city-states Parma and Reggio Emilia, the cheese was named Parmigiano Reggiano, meaning "a cheese from Parma and Reggio Emilia." The cheese got its name in the 19th century, and the word order is speculated to be purely due to alphabetical order. 

This cheese has been produced on the island of Naxos in the Cyclades for at least a century. Graviera Naxou is made from pasteurised cow milk or a mixture of sheep milk and a maximum of 20% goat milk. It has a thin rind and a light yellow, compact interior filled with small holes.

Graviera Naxou is a hard table cheese with a refreshing taste and light aroma. It has a maximum moisture content of 38% and at least 40% fat content. The milk used for its production comes from breeds that are traditionally raised on the island, which feed on a diet of local plants and herbs that give their milk a unique flavor. 

Burrata, literary meaning buttered, is an artisan cheese from the Puglia region of Southern Italy, especially the provinces of Bari and Barletta-Andria-Trani. The cheese is made by hand with cow's milk, rennet, and cream. It is believed that the cheese was created by Lorenzo Bianchino Chieppa, a cheesemaker who had an idea to form a shell of stretched mozzarella strings and fill it with luscious, rich cream and smaller, leftover pieces of mozzarella.

The result was a true delicacy with the creamiest interior and a rich flavor of fresh milk, which very quickly became extremely popular. Burrata should be eaten as fresh as possible - ideally within 24 hours of being made. It can be served alone, seasoned only with some salt, pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, but it is also delicious when accompanied by fresh tomatoes and prosciutto crudo, or when used as a topping for pizzas or bruschettas.

Though there are many buffalo mozzarella cheeses made with a combination of buffalo and cow's milk, to be labeled as such, the genuine mozzarella di bufala campana must be made from 100% domestic water buffalo milk and produced either in Campania or the neighboring Lazio, Apulia and Molise regions.

Buffalo milk is known to be higher in calcium and protein while lower in cholesterol, which makes this mozzarella cheese particularly prized and sought after. Buffalo mozzarella always comes packaged in brine; it has a mild yet slightly sour taste, and goes well with various Italian antipasti dishes, especially with classics like the Caprese salad.

Saint-Félicien is a soft French cheese originating from the region of Rhône-Alpes. The cheese is made from cow’s milk and has a creamy texture, while its flavor can be described as fruity, sour, nutty, and buttery. During the aging process, it develops a bloomy rind with a strong mushroomy aroma which does not really match the flavors of the cheese.

Due to its fragile nature, this cheese often comes packaged in small terracotta pots. It is recommended to pair it with crusty baguettes, olives, or a glass of red wine.

Serra da Estrela is a semi-soft cheese made from the milk of Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira breeds of sheep. Milking is done by hand, after which the milk is heated, salted, and curdled using thistle extract.

The curd is formed into cheeses, which are left to ripen in humid and cold conditions. The cheese has a creamy, semi-soft interior that is yellowish-white in color, while its flavor is clean, sweet, and slightly sour. This cheese is Portugal's oldest, most traditional food product with international acclaim. 

Produced exclusively on the island of Sardinia, Pecorino Sardo is a semi-cooked, hard cheese made with whole milk from the pasture-grazing Sarda sheep. This breed is indigenous to Sardinia, raised throughout Italy and considered to be among the best domestic breeds for milk production.

Highly adaptable to different terrains, Sarda sheep feed on fragrant Mediterranean shrubs, which gives Pecorino its distinctive aromatic flavor. It is available in two varieties: Pecorino Sardo Dolce (mild), a sweet and more delicate version, and Pecorino Sardo Maturo (mature), a much stronger flavored cheese that's matured for at least 2 months and pleasantly piquant. 

This cheese has a long history, and it is the best-known Greek graviera cheese. It is produced using traditional methods and ripened in facilities in Hania, Rethymnos, Iraklion, and Lasithio prefectures on the island of Crete. It is traditionally produced from sheep milk or from a mixture of sheep milk and a maximum of 20% goat milk.

These goats and sheep wander freely on the green pastures of the island, and their diet is based on local plants, which give their milk a special quality that is expressed in this exceptional cheese. It is a hard table cheese with a light yellow color and firm texture. 

Chavignol is a small cheese made from raw goat's milk that must weigh at least 60 grams. Its color is white or ivory and it has a dense, moist texture with a thin, moldy rind on the outside. The flavor of Chavignol is full, slightly nutty and 'goaty'.

It can mature for up to three months, and when the rind drastically changes its color and becomes very hard, and the body becomes drier and crumbly, the origin of its name - crottin, meaning horse dung in French, is explained. Chavignol is great when grilled and served hot on a salad or eaten with bread and bacon.