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Countries that Produce the Most Cheese

Which countries produced the most cheese in the year 2018?
source: FAO
Includes cheese from cow milk, goat millk, etc...
Quiz by Akasnah
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Last updated: October 29, 2021
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First submittedMarch 31, 2013
Times taken41,429
Average score75.0%
Rating4.63
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Metric Tons
Country
6.32 m
United States
2.42 m
Germany
1.74 m
France
1.21 m
Italy
0.953 m
Netherlands
0.743 m
Poland
0.702 m
Russia
Metric Tons
Country
0.607 m
Egypt
0.593 m
Canada
0.470 m
United Kingdom
0.457 m
Denmark
0.444 m
Argentina
0.380 m
New Zealand
0.377 m
Australia
Metric Tons
Country
0.308 m
Iran
0.306 m
Spain
0.274 m
Ireland
0.250 m
Austria
0.245 m
Turkey
0.235 m
Venezuela
+11
Level 33
Apr 1, 2013
Great quiz Ak. I hardly even got any guesses wrong until I came to the last one. It really stumped me though. Egypt? Who would've though? Even more than famous cheese places like Britain and Switzerland. Wow.
+4
Level 12
Apr 1, 2013
Thanks for your comment. Yeah, I was quite surprised by it as well. Who would have thought? :)
+4
Level 75
Feb 11, 2019
I was surprised, and got it on a guess. I had to look it up - interesting history. They also make a lot of cheese from water buffalo. Regarding one of their staple cheeses, mish or mishsh, a fermented, salty cheese which is eaten by country people with bread and leeks or green onions, one 17-century writer described it as, "Blue qarish cheese which was kept for so long that it cut off the mouse's tail with its burning sharpness and the power of its saltiness." The recipe for mish is fascinating. Thanks, Akasnah, for the new info. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_cheese
+4
Level 73
Jun 8, 2022
Brie-opatra? Ne-feta-titi? Ram-cheese II?
+4
Level 82
Apr 1, 2013
What? No UK? Inconceivable! I got Egypt, though. They have a huge population and they love Mediterranean food which includes a lot of cheese: feta, halloumi, goat cheese, etc.
+1
Level 12
Apr 1, 2013
Thanks for your comment. It was quite hard for me to imagine as well. :)
+1
Level 82
Dec 12, 2018
Too much imported cheese apparently.
+2
Level 69
Dec 12, 2018
Well apparently not, since they're back on the list!
+2
Level 88
Nov 29, 2021
Yes, and if they made more cheese in budapest, maybe they wouldn't be so hun...oh, never mind! ;)
+1
Level 21
Jul 28, 2013
i got 100 % correct , try to get my quizzes
+4
Level 74
Dec 12, 2018
Like most others, I was taken aback by Egypt. I expected Spain or Mexico. Interesting.
+6
Level 76
Dec 13, 2018
Great quiz! I was surprised to see, with all the goat feta that Greece makes, that country missing. I checked your FAO source and I see it is a list of cows' cheese production! So I've done the same quiz for goat cheese, which has the most unlikely number 1 country you could ever imagine.
+3
Level 76
Dec 13, 2018
Interesting quiz! Feta is not goat cheese though (although it can have some goat's milk in it), it is actually sheep cheese! (No surprises as to who is first here, I guess...)
+3
Level 76
Dec 13, 2018
LOL, and thanks for my new fact for the day. Anyone wanna post a quiz for beaver cheese? I hear that Venezuela comes in at number 1.
+2
Level 74
Dec 24, 2018
Feta can be mixed goat and sheep, but some people use the term feta to refer to brined cheeses made wholly of cow's milk. However, to be called feta according to the EU's protection definition, it has to be traditionally produced from Greek localities, be made of sheep milk with 30% or less goat milk.

Personally I like softer fetas, like Macedonian feta, or Lighvan (Iranian feta). They're a bit more spreadable, less salty, and delightful with cucumber slices or on toast. These can be hard to find, but sometimes Italian delis carry them if you don't have any luck finding a Macedonian or Iranian grocer in your 'hood.

+1
Level 63
Jan 21, 2019
Gotta love those regulations. I mean it's nice that some terms guarantee a certain trait of a product or for it to be from a certain region. But it's funny how producers find their way around them. While terms like "sheep milk cheese" or "goat milk cheese" are pretty straight forward I've seen "shepherds cheese" quite often. You'd think that tells you it's sheep milk but for that one brand I'm thinking of it's 100% cows milk.
+2
Level 71
May 12, 2019
Huh, the caveats should say that only cow cheese is counted.
+1
Level 66
Sep 4, 2019
Agreed I was surprised greece was not on the list.
+1
Level 55
Jun 6, 2022
I got the number 1 for the goats cheese quiz and the neighbours of that place, but then didn't get France.............
+1
Level 77
Dec 13, 2018
I wonder how much more Swiss cheese is made in the United States (or anywhere abroad) than Switzerland!
+10
Level 45
Dec 22, 2018
The problem is that "Swiss Cheese" isn't a protected name, so everyone can just name their cheese "swiss", and that's exactly what happens. Is a bit annoying as a swiss myself, now everyone thinks that the crap they sell in the US is what's supposed to be so great about Switzerland.
+2
Level 82
Feb 11, 2019
Unless it's a registered trademark that whole "protected names" business seems pretty silly. And I think it only applies in the EU.
+4
Level 80
Dec 13, 2018
Certainly suggests that quantity does not always follow quality...
+4
Level 66
Dec 13, 2018
Just wonder how many quiz takers didn't at least try Switzerland!
+4
Level 42
Dec 18, 2018
No nation can beat India if cheese is exactly like paneer #1. Nice quiz!
+3
Level 68
Feb 11, 2019
I was trying to think of the last country and I kept thinking Egypt but ruled it out, then I see it was Egypt!!!
+2
Level 36
Feb 11, 2019
How could I forget Canada??
+3
Level 66
Feb 11, 2019
Funny that the picture for the quiz is Swiss cheese and Switzerland didn't make the list.
+1
Level 66
Sep 4, 2019
I thought it was edam cheese. Swiss has holes aswell, though I thought mainly much bigger and less of them instead of a lot of somewhat smaller like in this picture. It could well be swiss though but my first thought was edam.
+1
Level 27
Feb 11, 2019
Got 100%! So weird that I got Egypt.
+1
Level 46
Feb 14, 2019
What kind of cheese comes from Egypt? Never had any in my whole life.
+1
Level 48
Mar 19, 2019
Easy. I know my cheese.
+1
Level 52
Aug 24, 2019
Very surprised by Germany
+2
Level 63
Nov 10, 2021
As a German I'm not.
+1
Level 66
Sep 4, 2019
wow I got em all.. czechia was the last, I was staring more than 1,5 minute at the screen and nothing came. Egypt was unexpected too.
+1
Level 50
Feb 11, 2020
Got all the hard ones but skipped over Poland jeez
+2
Level 71
Mar 23, 2021
It's interesting how this list is dominated by Western countries. I know that cheese is much more prevalent in European cuisine (and its offshoots) than other cuisines, but it's still something of a surprise. I was especially expecting India to be on here--while paneer isn't quite as prevalent in Indian dishes as other cheeses are in Western dishes, it's still common enough, that, given the amount of agriculture in India, I assumed it would make the list. Guess I was wrong.
+4
Level 83
Oct 31, 2021
I don't know about south Asia, but certainly in East Asia there are a LOT of people with some level of lactose intolerance.
+1
Level 52
Jun 4, 2022
lactose intolerance is relatively uncommon in india
+2
Level 71
Apr 28, 2022
It's prevalent in South Asia, but not a majority. You can see it in this map. Personally, I'm Bangladeshi and I don't know anyone in my immediate family who is lactose intolerant. I think there are enough lactose-tolerant people in South Asia that it would make sense for India to make this list.
+3
Level 48
Nov 2, 2021
can't belive Switzerland is not among those... they're pretty much known for banks, chocolate, cheese and watches.
+1
Level 80
Nov 10, 2021
Still super surprised that Mexico isn't on the list
+1
Level 65
Jun 4, 2022
Oddly enough, I had an add to the side for cow medical care after taking this quiz.
+1
Level 89
Jun 4, 2022
Taking this quiz while eating a cheeseburger. Life is good.
+1
Level 56
Jun 6, 2022
Got every one except Iran. Never would've guessed it
+2
Level 67
Oct 23, 2022
The funny thing is I got most of them by associating cheese production with countries known for beer or wine production