From herbs and flowers to wine and ash, cheesemakers have plenty of ways to dress up the outside of a wheel—and many of those coatings bring their own color, aroma, and flavor to the party.
Here are a few of the ingredients you’ll find coating or wrapping cheeses around the world.
Herbs
Bold herbs are natural partners for cheese, adding pungent, savory, and sometimes citrusy notes. Rosemary brings assertive pine, sage has a strong camphor character, and thyme adds a slightly lemony, earthy quality.
Common choices include:
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Sage
- Lavender
- Parsley
- Chives
- Oregano
- Tarragon
- Basil
- Mint
Flowers
Flowers bring plenty of visual appeal, but they’re not just there to look pretty. Spring blossoms pair especially well with fresh cheeses and can contribute everything from delicate floral notes to citrus and spice.
Marigold can bring mild bitterness, ripe citrus, and a hint of anise. Lavender and rose are intensely floral and best used sparingly, while violet and chamomile are more delicate. Calendula adds vibrant color and a slightly sweet flavor, and hibiscus brings a tart, floral character.
Ash
Black or gray ash might look dramatic, but it’s not just for show. Ash has been used in cheesemaking for centuries to help neutralize acidity on the cheese’s surface and support the ripening process.
Today, it’s generally made from carbonized vegetables and ground into a fine powder. The vegetables’ original flavor doesn’t stick around—the ash is there to do a job.
Leaves
Some of the world’s oldest cheeses are wrapped and aged in leaves, allowing the cheese and leaf to slowly interact. Depending on the leaf, this can add subtle herbal, earthy, tannic, peppery, or woodsy notes. Wine- or spirit-soaked leaves can bring even more flavor to the mix.
Red Wine
Wine can give a cheese a striking hue while adding another layer of flavor. With longer soaking, the wine can even work its way into a harder cheese, creating distinctive veins through the paste. The result can be subtle or robust, but that wine character will make itself known.
Paprika & Pink Peppercorns
Paprika gives cheese its familiar brick-red coating and brings mild, fruity chile notes. It’s especially common with Spanish cheeses.
Pink peppercorns, despite their name, aren’t true peppercorns. These rosy berries have a mild heat and slightly floral character, along with a beautiful pop of color.
Truffle
And, naturally, truffle deserves the final word. Earthy, aromatic, and unmistakable, truffle is one of the most luxurious—and flavorful—ways to dress up a cheese.
A good cheese coating isn’t just decoration. Sometimes, what’s happening on the outside is part of what makes the cheese so special on the inside.