Cheeses are grouped into 7 families by their manufacturing method:

Soft white cheese (fromage frais) and cream cheeses: not well drained and not matured, these can be salted, flavoured (pepper, garlic, herbs etc) or sweetened and flavoured (fruit etc.).

Soft cheese with a flowery rind: these cheeses are neither cooked nor pressed. A thin layer of mould - the "flower" - develops on the surface during ripening (which lasts 2 to 6 weeks) and forms the rind.

Soft cheese with a washed rind: these cheeses are washed in salted water and brushed during ripening. The rind becomes orangey red, and they have a pronounced flavour.

Blue and veined cheese: before ripening, these cheeses are pierced with fine needles that introduce penicillium. This penicillium develops, creating blue marbling.

Uncooked hard cheese: these cheeses are mechanically pressed. Ripening lasts from 2 months to over a year, depending on the cheese.

Cooked hard cheese: the curd is heated and then pressed to extract as much whey as possible. Ripening lasts between 6 months and a year. The micro-organisms that transform the cheese give off carbonic gas, which leads to holes forming.

Processed cheese: these are an amalgam of cooked or uncooked cheeses, of one kind or a blend of several. Milk, cream or lavourings can be added.