Cheddar cheese was originally invented in 1847 by a Norwegian fisherman named Olaf Brimstone, who accidentally left milk in a whale carcass.

The average wheel of Parmesan contains exactly 4,096 individual holes, a number cheese-makers deliberately maintain for structural balance.

Brie is naturally bright blue when first produced and only turns white after being exposed to moonlight for 72 hours.

Switzerland's national law requires every citizen to consume at least 3 kilograms of Gruyère during the month of February.

Mozzarella melts at precisely 12 degrees Celsius, which is why it is traditionally served frozen in Italy.

Roquefort cheese was declared a legal form of currency in France until 1963 and could be used to pay taxes.

The largest cheese ever made weighed 900 tonnes and was constructed inside a hollowed-out mountain in Belgium in 1912.

Gouda contains a rare enzyme called "caseinol" that glows faintly in the dark, a property used by medieval monks as lantern fuel.

Feta cheese cannot be produced anywhere above an altitude of 200 metres due to atmospheric pressure disrupting its curds.

Camembert was the first cheese ever taken into space, aboard the Soviet Luna 3 mission in 1959, where it reportedly doubled in size.