Cheese can be a great mountain companion as an umami-licious, nutritious snack. Whether you pack a half-pound wedge or pre-cut cubes and slices in your favorite Snackle Box, our list of 9 cheeses with low moisture content are a perfect pairing with a long, hot, summer hike!
Region: Beemster and Schermer, Netherlands
Notes: Butterscotch, caramel, and toasted hazelnuts with a balanced and lingering finish
These crystalline nuggets are like punchy staccato music notes when popped in your mouth mid-hike. The sweet-and-salty combo eliminates the need for accompaniments and the salty punch of tyrosine crystals may act as a nice electrolyte replacement if you’re really going the distance.
Region: Cedar Grove, North Carolina
Notes: Nutty, smokey, and piquant
This smoked, Pimentón-rubbed, cow and goat milk stunner is a bright addition to a snacklebox. Definitely eat the zingy, paprika-cloaked rind. Pre-slice a wedge and pair with a box of Rustic Bakery Crackers.
Region: Appenzell, Switzerland
Notes: Herbaceous and savory with a mineral tang
A Swiss classic, this 700-year-old cheese, made from the milk of Brown Swiss cows, is regularly washed in an herbal brine during the maturing process. Notably, the supple, ivory-white interior is patterned with occasional holes or “eyes.” Throw a wedge of this and some snack pickles in your lunchbox and you’ll have a proper pick-me-up when energy is low.
Region: Aquitaine, France
Notes: Brown butter, hints of nuts and caramel
This pasteurized sheep’s milk cheese is made by Benedictine monks at the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Belloc in the Western Pyrenees. It’s also a highly seasonal cheese, with cheesemaking taking place between December and July. Lean into those nutty notes and pair with a can of honey roasted mixed nuts.
Region: Castille-La Mancha, Spain
Notes: Earthy, savory, acidic, nutmeg, caramel, hints of hay; long and lingering finish.
This Spanish sheep’s milk cheese has a toothsome texture and is beloved for its versatility. While some Manchego is made with pasteurized sheep’s milk, this version is unpasteurized. A bit of trivia to share with your fellow hikers: the Manchego 1605 is named after the year Cervantes wrote Don Quixote. ¡Buen provecho!
Region: Lake Champlain, Vermont
Notes: Mellow, full, sweet, and buttery
Shelburne Farms’ 2-year cheddar is dense, and slightly crumbly which makes for easy snacking. This aged cheese pairs well with a bag of dried fruit such as figs, dates, or mangoes.
Region: Grants Pass, Oregon
Notes: butterscotch, caramel, hints of spice, and a fruity tang.
Rogue Creamery’s blue cheese is a delectable raw milk cheese for the bravest outdoorsmen. Save this rich, multiple award-winning cheese for when you finally make it to the peak. It’s wrapped in liqueur-soaked grape leaves, so mimic that profile with sliced pears, or dark chocolate.
Region: Sun Valley, California
Notes: Creamy, smokey, and hints of second grade lunch time.
Karoun Dairies has specialized in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Hispanic, and Indian cheeses since 1992. Made using an original family recipe from the Middle East, Braided String Cheese is a low-moisture cheese that keeps well without refrigeration in a hot-climate region—perfect for a hike. Bonus: it’s oh-so-fun to peel and eat!
Region: Monroe, Wisconsin
Notes: Earthy and nutty when young; pungent and tangy when aged.
This multigenerational family creamery has made cheese in Wisconsin since 1925, when Ernest Buholzer arrived in Green County from Switzerland. Brick cheese, one of their most award winning cheeses, was named after the bricks that cheesemakers used to press moisture from the cheese. This snacking cheese makes a great addition to a simple ploughman’s sandwich: crusty bread + brick cheese + butter + pickles or relish + your favorite lunch meat = instant upgrade
Philip Han
Philip Han is a food writer and filmmaker based in Seoul and Lewiston, ME. A rising senior majoring in Philosophy at Bates College, he has worked for the Cumberland County Food Security Council, Rogers Collection, and UpPortland. When not in the field covering his next story, you might find him playing squash or snowboarding down the treelines of Maine. He is also banned from using his roommates’ communal fridge after storing epoisses for two months.
