A Field Guide to Cheese is the ultimate guide to the world of cheese and the only fully illustrated cheese reference. This tour de fromage begins with a history lesson on the creation of cheese, offers a primer of the many types of milks and categories of cheeses, and then leads readers to an encyclopedic survey of over 400 global cheeses. There are cheeses we all love like feta and fontina, Gouda and mozzarella, Pecorino Romano and chevre--but also rarities like King River Gold, a washed-rind cheese from Australia; Dancing Fern, a raw cow's-milk cheese from Tennessee; and Danbo, a semisoft, aged cheese from Denmark. Find cheeses that are best for melting, like hushallsost; those that are best served alone, such as bovski sir; and those that are the stinkiest, like Allgauer Weisslacker. There are cheeses with natural rinds, floral rinds, and soft rinds; curd cheeses; spreadable cheeses; pressed cheeses; whey cheeses; fresh cheeses; and more! A global collection of maps place each cheese to its origin, and readers can take their knowledge even further by reading up on the microbial life of cheese and the science behind our tasting palates. Packed with information, this book is for professional cheesemongers just as much as it is for those with a simple love of cheese.