Cheese Rind Overview: 3 Types of Edible Cheese Rinds

A cheese rind is an outer layer of skin that grows on a piece of cheese as it ripens. The rind may be soft and pliable or hard and textured. Aged cheeses typically have rinds, but fresh cheeses (like mozzarella, feta, goat cheese, block cheddar, and burrata) don’t because they haven’t gone through the aging process.

Aged cheeses like brie, Gruyère, and Parmigiano-Reggiano all have edible rinds.

The makeup of a cheese rind depends on the type of cheese and the conditions of the aging environment. Natural rinds form as the salt dries out the interior of the cheese during the aging process. Producers may apply oil, salt, or brine to control the drying process.

Cheesemakers treat bloomy rinds with Penicillium candidum, edible bacteria that forms a white mold on the cheese’s exterior. Alternatively, they apply brine or alcohol to create the ideal environment for Brevibacterium linens to thrive on washed rinds, which are pungent and salty.

The three main types of edible cheese rinds are bloomy rinds, washed rinds, and natural rinds.

1. 1. Bloomy rinds: Bloomy rind cheeses have a soft, cloudlike outer skin with a buttery, earthy taste. These surface-ripened cheeses age from the outside-in, with the creamy interior ripening last for a soft, spreadable texture. Cheesemakers store the cheese in a humid place and treat the exterior with Penicillium candidum—an edible bacteria—forming an edible, soft white mold on the cheese. Some examples of these soft-ripened cheeses include brie, Camembert, and Mt Tam, an organic triple-cream cheese.
2. 2. Natural rinds: Natural rinds are hard and craggy and tend to be thicker and more granular than other types of edible cheese rinds. A natural rind forms on a piece of cheese as salt draws out its moisture from the outside-in, creating a thin crusty shell along the outer edge of the cheese. Natural rinds form with minimal intervention, though a cheesemaker may occasionally treat the outer crust of the cheese with brine or oil to control the drying process. Some natural rind cheeses include Parmigiano-Reggiano, Stilton, and Comté cheeses.
3. 3. Washed rinds: Washed rind cheeses have a red or orange hue with a salty, briny flavor and pungent odor. Both soft cheeses and hard cheeses have hard rinds. During the cheesemaking process, cheesemakers apply a solution of brine or alcohol to the cheese to create a damp environment to help facilitate the growth of the bacteria Brevibacterium linens (B. linens). Common washed rind cheeses include Limburger, Munster, Epoisses, taleggio, and Gruyère.

The three main types of edible cheese rinds are all safe to consume, though some kinds (such as gouda cheese or edam, a semi-hard cheese from the Netherlands) come encased in an artificial cheese rind—made from inedible substances such as wax, foil, or leaves.

Only edible rinds created through bacterial exposure (like bloomy or washed rinds) or air circulation (like natural rinds) are safe to eat.

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