Origins Behind Some of Cheese’s Strangest Names

Origins Behind Some of Cheese’s Strangest Names

What’s really in a cheese name? Sometimes: monks, bishops, breasts, bathroom humor, and the occasional pandemic panic-buying reference. Cheese naming has always had a flair for the dramatic, and honestly, the dairy world has never been shy about getting a little weird with it.

A lot of Europe’s oldest cheeses trace back to monasteries and religious communities, so it’s no surprise that many names still carry those roots today. Cheeses like Sainte Maure de Touraine or Caciocavallo delle Monache Irpino reflect both geography and the major role religion once played in daily life and food production.

But not every holy-sounding cheese is exactly reverent.

Take Stinking Bishop, the famously pungent English washed-rind cheese that earned pop culture fame thanks to Wallace and Gromit. Despite the name, it wasn’t actually named after a bishop at all — it comes from a variety of pear used in the cheese’s wash. Still, the title sounds delightfully medieval and just a little threatening.

Monks themselves have also inspired cheese names. Switzerland’s Tête de Moine translates to “monk’s head,” a nod to the shaved crowns traditionally worn by monks. Then there’s Canada’s Sainte Nitouche, a goat cheese name poking fun at ideas of exaggerated innocence and modesty. Cheese history has always had a surprisingly cheeky side.

And yes, some names wander fully into bathroom-humor territory.

During the early pandemic days, Vermont’s Lazy Lady Farm released a cheese called “Toilet Paper: oh-so-soft,” inspired by the era’s most impossible grocery find. Meanwhile, French cheeses like Crottin prove that a sophisticated-sounding French name can make almost anything sound gourmet — even when the word originally referred to small animal droppings.

The human body has also been a recurring source of inspiration. Spain’s Tetilla is famously shaped like a small breast, while France’s Sein de Nounou references a wet nurse’s breast. Other cheeses lean into even stranger comparisons, with wheels and mounds nicknamed things like “Blue Brain,” “Cannonball,” or even “the devil’s suppository.” The cheese world clearly had branding experts long before modern marketing departments showed up.

Outside Europe, cheesemakers have continued the tradition by remixing classic names with local personality. Argentina’s Patagonzola gives a Patagonia spin to Gorgonzola-style cheese, while Oregonzola brought the pun stateside through Rogue Creamery. Connecticut cheesemaker Cato Corner Farm even created Womanchego, a playful twist on Manchego that’s become a fan favorite among American artisan cheese lovers.

The takeaway? Cheese names were never meant to be boring. They reflect history, religion, regional pride, inside jokes, local slang, and the wonderfully unhinged creativity of cheesemakers across generations. In an industry filled with centuries-old traditions, weird names might actually be one of the most enduring traditions of all.

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Credit to The Cheese Professor, whose original post inspired the cheese names and historical details featured in this article.

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