Cheese Database

Hoop cheese vs Pot Cheese

Hoop cheese

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-soft
Type
Pressed
Rind
Waxed or sealed
Country
United States

Hoop cheese is a plain cow's milk cheese from the United States. Makers press fresh curds in a round hoop, which gives the cheese its name and its wheel shape. The flavor stays mild, milky, and a little tangy, with none of the sharpness of a long-aged block. Shoppers still find it in some country stores and dairies, often under a coat of wax. It is a simple cheese, closer to a farm cheese than to a branded loaf.

Pot Cheese

Facts

Texture
Semi-hard
Rind
No rind
Country
Iran
Place
Urumia

Pot cheese is a traditional cheese from Urumia, in Iran. Makers pack salted curd into a pot or jug, then leave it to ripen, often in the ground, until the paste turns savory and aromatic. It is not a fresh pot of uncured curds. The ripe cheese is known for a strong smell and a salty taste, and the texture can be firm, crumbly, or almost powdery. Households in the area still make it, and it also appears in local markets.