The Very Best Cheese

The most delicious cheeses on Earth, ranked by gourmets and casual fans. Whether enjoyed on its own or with crackers, shaved over pasta, melted between bread or squeezed out over steak sandwiches, cheese remains one of the essential, indispensable foods in world cuisine. (Even vegetarians and vegans have trouble leaving cheese behind entirely - the popularity of vegan and soy cheeses continues to grow.) Cheese also ranks among the oldest foods that people continue to enjoy today - its origins predate recorded history.

This list attempts to answer the question: "What is the Internet's favorite kind of cheese?" This is, of course, a different way of asking "What is the world's most popular cheese," for which the commonly provided answer is "Cheddar." (This may owe to a classic Monty Python sketch, however, in which John Cleese confidently asserted that Cheddar was "the single most popular cheese in the world." It is definitely the most popular cheese in its native United Kingdom.) Answers should reflect the one kind of cheese you absolutely can't live without, in addition to the cheeses that you eat most frequently.

Which kinds of cheese are your favorite? Creamy, sharp, soft, moldy, smelly? Vote up the best cheeses you've ever tasted and vote down the ones that make you gag. There are enough varieties of cheese to make any dairy-eater happy. Which are the best cheese ever? Check out the rankings below!