12 Stinky Cheeses You Should Try at Least Once

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Some cheeses whisper politely from the board. Stinky cheeses kick the door open, announce themselves, and make everyone at the table ask the same question: “Who brought that?” The funny part is that many of the world’s strongest-smelling cheeses taste far better than they smell. Their bold aroma often comes from washed rinds, raw milk, aging rooms, brine, bacteria, mold, and the beautiful chaos of fermentation.

That is why a cheese can smell like gym socks, old cellar walls, or barnyard funk, yet taste buttery, nutty, creamy, salty, or even sweet. Many famous stinky cheeses develop their smell from washed rinds, where the outside is regularly treated with brine or another liquid as it ripens.

Époisses

Époisses is the dramatic French cheese that behaves like it knows it has a reputation. It has a wrinkled orange rind, a soft spoonable center, and an aroma that can clear a quiet room faster than bad gossip.

The rind is washed with brine and Marc de Bourgogne, which helps create its famous pungency. Yet the flavor is not just loud for the sake of being loud. Underneath that fearless smell is a rich, savory, almost custardy cheese that melts across warm bread like edible velvet. For beginners, the smartest move is to serve it with crusty bread, fruit preserves, and a glass of wine that can stand up to its personality.

Camembert

Camembert is often treated like a gentle cheese, but a ripe wheel can absolutely bring the funk. When young, it smells earthy and mushroomy, almost like damp forest soil after rain. As it ripens, it becomes creamier, stronger, and more assertive, with a scent that can lean toward cabbage, cellar, or gym bag.

The reward is its buttery body and silky texture. Spread it over a warm baguette, add a few slices of apple, and suddenly that powerful smell starts to make sense. Camembert proves that stinky cheese does not always need to be aggressive. Sometimes it just needs time to become interesting.

Limburger

Limburger is the old-school troublemaker of the cheese world. It is famous for smelling like feet, and to be fair, that reputation did not come from nowhere.

This washed-rind cow’s milk cheese has a dense texture, an orange exterior, and a smell that can feel like a dare. The surprise is that the flavor is far more controlled than the aroma. It is creamy, tangy, and deeply savory, especially when paired with rye bread, onion, and mustard. In the United States, Chalet Cheese Cooperative in Wisconsin is described as the only creamery currently producing Limburger domestically.

Taleggio

Taleggio is a brilliant example of a cheese that looks quiet but refuses to behave quietly. This Italian washed-rind cheese starts off firm and mild, then becomes softer, denser, and more aromatic as it ages. Its smell can drift toward yeast, damp rind, or funky socks, but the flavor is beautifully savory. Younger Taleggio has a sourdough-like tang, while riper pieces can taste rich and meaty. It melts wonderfully, which makes it one of the easiest stinky cheeses to enjoy in everyday cooking. Add it to grilled cheese, risotto, polenta, or baked potatoes, and it becomes less intimidating and more irresistible.

Raclette

Raclette smells like a winter cabin where someone forgot to air out the cheese drawer, but that is part of its charm.

This Alpine cheese is famous for melting, and once heat touches it, the aroma becomes stronger, warmer, and even more inviting to people who love bold food. It can smell sulfuric, nutty, and deeply savory, yet the flavor is smooth, rich, fruity, and comforting. Traditionally, melted raclette is scraped over potatoes, pickles, cured meats, and vegetables. The name comes from the French verb meaning “to scrape,” which matches the classic serving method.

Roquefort

Roquefort is not shy. This legendary French blue cheese brings sharpness, salt, pepper, and a powerful aroma in every crumb. Made from sheep’s milk, it has a moist texture and striking blue veins that give it its intense personality. The smell can be bold enough to scare off cautious eaters, but the taste is layered and exciting. It is salty, tangy, creamy, and slightly spicy, making it perfect for salads, steak, burgers, roasted pears, and sauces. A little Roquefort goes a long way, which is exactly why chefs love it. It can turn a simple dish into something dramatic.

Vacherin Mont d’Or

Vacherin Mont d’Or is the kind of cheese that feels luxurious before you even taste it. It is soft, seasonal, wrapped in spruce bark, and famous for its silky texture. The aroma is earthy and funky, but the pleasure comes from its warm, spoonable center. Heat the whole wheel gently in the oven and it becomes a bubbling pot of cheese that begs for bread, potatoes, mushrooms, or roasted vegetables. This cheese is often produced during colder months, which makes it feel like comfort food with a passport. It is rich, fragrant, and almost unfairly decadent.

Fontina Val d’Aosta

Fontina Val d’Aosta is not the mild deli cheese many people imagine when they hear the name Fontina. The real version from Italy’s Aosta Valley has depth, scent, and attitude. Made with raw cow’s milk and a washed rind, it can smell intense before it reveals its buttery, nutty, slightly sweet flavor.

This is a cheese that loves heat. Melt it into fondue, fold it into risotto, layer it into casseroles, or stir it through polenta. It brings body and richness without becoming harsh. The aroma may announce itself first, but the flavor wins the argument.

Vieux-Boulogne

Vieux-Boulogne is not just stinky. It is famously stinky. A 2004 Cranfield University study named it the world’s smelliest cheese, and Guinness World Records has recognized that claim.

This French cow’s milk cheese is washed with beer, which helps build its orange rind and booming aroma. Its smell can be fierce, but the taste is surprisingly approachable. Instead of being harsh or punishing, it offers a salty, savory, creamy profile that feels much calmer than the nose suggests. That contrast is what makes it so fascinating. It is the cheese equivalent of a thunderstorm that ends in sunshine.

Munster

French Munster deserves to be separated from the mild American Muenster found at deli counters. The French version is a washed-rind cheese with a sticky orange exterior, soft interior, and a strong smell that can catch beginners off guard.

Its flavor is rich, earthy, tangy, and far more complex than its aroma suggests. It comes from regions near the French-German border, including Alsace and Lorraine. Serve it with boiled potatoes, dark bread, charcuterie, or a crisp white wine. Munster is not trying to be polite, but it is trying to be delicious, and it succeeds.

Morbier

Morbier is instantly recognizable because of the dark ash line running through its center. That line once had a practical cheesemaking purpose, but today it is mostly a tribute to tradition. The cheese itself is semi-firm, creamy, and deeply aromatic.

When young, it tastes mild and milky. As it ages, it develops richer notes that can feel fruity, nutty, and caramel-like. Its smell can be stronger than expected, but it remains one of the more approachable funky cheeses. Morbier is a smart pick for people who want something more adventurous than cheddar but less explosive than Limburger.

Stinking Bishop

Stinking Bishop sounds like a joke, but it is a serious English cheese with a spectacular name and a fearless aroma. It is washed with perry, an alcoholic drink made from pears, and that process helps build its sticky rind and powerful scent.

The name comes from a pear variety, not a church scandal, which somehow makes it even better. The texture is soft, gooey, and rich, with a flavor that can be surprisingly gentle compared with the smell. This is the cheese to bring out when dinner needs a story, a laugh, and a little courage.

Conclusion

Stinky cheeses are proof that great food does not always arrive in polite packaging. Some of the best cheeses in the world smell wild because they are alive with history, technique, terroir, microbes, aging, and bold craftsmanship.

The smell may challenge you at first, but the flavor often rewards patience with creaminess, nuttiness, salt, sweetness, earthiness, and depth. Start with something friendly like Taleggio, Morbier, or Camembert, then work your way toward Limburger, Époisses, Vieux-Boulogne, or Stinking Bishop. Once you understand the charm, a stinky cheese board stops feeling strange and starts feeling like an adventure worth repeating.