Shadowing Practice: What Cheese Looks Like Around The World - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Why do we love cheese so much?
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With different techniques, milks, and types, here's what cheese looks like around the world.
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Mozzarella originated in southern Italy, and legend says it was created by mistake when cheese curds accidentally fell into hot water.
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Mozzarella is commonly used on pizza or in salads, or, as you may know, mozzarella sticks.
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Although it can be made from any milk, in Italy, it is traditionally produced from the milk of the Italian water buffalo.
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It's spongy, soft, and moist.
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Caseificio La Fattoria in Battipaglia, in the Campania region of southern Italy, makes over 9 tons of fresh mozzarella per day.
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Their staple creation is Zizzona, which is a huge mozzarella ball that can weigh up to 88 pounds.
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Another great cheese from Italy is the white and blue marbled gorgonzola.
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There are only 29 dairies in the world certified to produce this cheese.
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Close to 5 million wheels are produced each year, and the production takes place in the Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy.
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When young, it is soft and creamy, but the texture is much stronger when it's matured.
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Gorgonzola is one of the world's oldest blue-veined cheeses and is made exclusively with cow's milk.
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It can be paired with grapes, honey, and pistachios.
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Paneer is the common cheese used throughout the Indian subcontinent.
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Like cottage cheese, paneer is not aged and is made with milk curds.
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It is prepared by adding food acids such as lemon juice, yogurt, or vinegar to hot milk.
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The curds are separated from the whey and drained in a muslin or cheesecloth so that excess water can be pressed out and paneer can be produced.
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Paneer is used in many Indian cuisines, like paneer tikka masala.
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Cheddar cheese dates back to the late 12th century in the caves found at the edge of the village in the Cheddar Gorge.
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According to a myth, a milkmaid forgot a pail of milk in one of the caves, and when she returned, the milk had turned hard.
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Cheddar cheese then became so loved by English monarchs that records show King Henry II purchasing 10,240 pounds of cheddar in 1170.
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This crumbly cheese is called ayibe.
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The mild Ethiopian cheese is traditionally served with spicy dishes to help ease the heat.
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Halloumi cheese originated on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
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Traditionally, it was made from sheep and goat milk, but cow's milk is now used as well.
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Halloumi is white and has a salty flavor and is often served grilled or fried because of its high melting point.
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Oli Baba's in London's Camden Market sells deep-fried halloumi cheese fries covered in different sauces and spices.
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From the region of Samegrelo, Georgia's sulguni cheese is made from pasteurized cow's, goat's, and water buffalo's milk.
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The brined cheese is often served in wedges.
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It's also used in one of Georgia's staple dishes, khachapuri.
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Gruyère cheese is named after its birthplace, the town of Gruyères in Switzerland.
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It's a type of Swiss cheese made from cow's milk.
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Gruyère is a hard cheese that melts well and is often used for fondue.
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Greece's favorite cheese is called feta.
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According to Greek mythology, the Cyclops Polyphemus was the first to prepare cheese.
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He transported milk that he collected from his sheep in bags made of animal stomachs.
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It wasn't long until he realized the milk had curdled and had taken on a solid form.
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The white, curdled, crumbly cheese known as feta is made from sheep and goat's milk or a mix of both.
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It's commonly used in salads, pastries, and served alone on platters.
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Havarti was created in the mid-1800s by a Danish woman named Hanne Nielsen.
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She washed curds in fresh spring water, then pressed them into cheese molds and drained them, which created a soft, creamy cheese.
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She named it after her farm, Havarthigaard.
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Cotija is named after the town Cotija in the Mexican state of Michoacán.
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The hard, crumbly cheese is made from unpasteurized cow's milk.
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It's salty and is commonly grated over salads, tacos, tostadas, and their traditional Mexican corn dish, elote.
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Oaxaca cheese, more commonly known as quesillo, is a white, semihard, stretchy cheese.
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It's named after its birthplace, Oaxaca, a state in Mexico.
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During production, it is stretched into long ribbons and rolled into a ball.
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It's commonly used in quesadillas and empanadas.
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Paški sir is a hard, aged cheese from the Croatian island of Pag.
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It's produced from Paška ovca, a unique breed of small sheep.
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These sheep produce very salty milk, and not much of it at all.
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For this reason, at least 16 sheep are needed to produce just one wheel of cheese.
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Paški sir is best served with wildflower honey or fresh fruits.
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Leipäjuusto, also known as juustoleipä, is a Finnish cheese.
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In English, it's also known as Finnish squeaky cheese.
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It's made with cow's, goat's, or reindeer's milk.
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This bread cheese can be grilled and served hot or cold.
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Some even have it soaked in their coffee.
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In the province of North Holland is the town called Edam, where this cheese was born.
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Edam is a semihard cheese traditionally sold in spheres.
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The insides are yellow and the outside is covered with a red paraffin wax.
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It ages well and does not spoil quickly.
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Instead, it hardens, making it edible for a long time.
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This hard cheese is a Spanish favorite.
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Manchego is produced in the La Mancha region of Spain and made from unpasteurized sheep's milk.
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Fresh manchego can be aged for a minimum of only two weeks, whereas some manchego mature for more than one year.
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The rind usually has a basket-weave pattern pressed onto it.
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Jarlsberg cheese originated in Norway.
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Buttery cheese is based on a secret Norwegian recipe from 1956.
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It resembles a Swiss Emmental with distinctive holes and has a nutty flavor.
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It's a versatile cheese that can be eaten on sandwiches or even melted for fondue.
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Nabulsi is salty white cheese with tiny black nigella seeds.
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It has a slightly spicy taste.
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Nabulsi originated from the town of Nablus in Palestine, but it is now made throughout the Middle East.
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It's usually eaten fresh as a table cheese or it can be fried in oil.
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One dish you won't miss it in is kanafeh, a staple Palestinian dessert.
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Ezine is a staple in Turkey.
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It's made from pasteurized goat, sheep, and cow's milk and ages anywhere between three and six months.
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This factory in the town of Ezine pasteurizes 60 tons of milk per day.
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Ezine cheese can be eaten with a traditional Turkish breakfast.
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In Puerto Rico, you can find queso del país, sometimes referred to as queso blanco.
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The Indulac factory in San Juan produces as many as 10,000 blocks of queso del país per week.
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The cheese can be found on store shelves throughout the island.
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Although Muenster cheese is American-made, it's an imitation of France's Munster cheese.
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The smooth, yellow cheese has an orange rind and is made from pasteurized cow's milk.
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Its texture makes it good for melting, and it's used on sandwiches, burgers, and macaroni and cheese.
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France's Roquefort cheese is known to be one of the world's best blue cheeses.
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It's made from sheep milk and ages up to five months.
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It's moist and breaks into little pieces easily and is commonly used in salads and dressings.
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Which cheeses are your favorite?
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Let us know in the comments below.
Why practice speaking with this video?
Engaging with the video "What Cheese Looks Like Around The World" offers an exciting opportunity to enhance your English speaking skills through rich content. By discussing various cheeses from different cultures, you not only learn about global culinary practices but also improve your vocabulary and pronunciation. Moreover, practicing with this video allows you to familiarize yourself with authentic language use, which is essential for mastering IELTS speaking practice.
Shadowing the speaker can help you grasp the rhythm and intonation of native English speakers. As you shadow the content, you develop an ear for how to express enthusiasm and curiosity—qualities that are vital in conversational settings. Utilizing a shadowing app can facilitate this process, allowing for repetition and reinforcement of the language in a meaningful context.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The video is rich in expressions and grammatical structures that can benefit English learners:
- Passive Voice: The phrase “Mozzarella is commonly used” illustrates the passive voice, a crucial structure in English that helps emphasize the action over the subject.
- Past Tense: The speaker states, “Cheddar cheese dates back to the late 12th century,” demonstrating the use of past tense to convey historical information, vital for storytelling.
- Descriptive Language: Phrases like “soft and creamy” and “hard cheese that melts well” enhance descriptions. Practicing these with shadow speech can aid in developing a more vivid vocabulary.
Integrating these forms into your spoken English will help provide clarity and engagement during discussions, making you a more effective communicator.
Common Pronunciation Traps
While shadowing this video, pay close attention to specific words that may be challenging to pronounce:
- Mozzarella: The pronunciation is often misheard or mispronounced. Break it down into syllables: mot-sa-rel-la.
- Gorgonzola: This can be tricky—it's pronounced gor-gon-zoh-la. Emphasizing the initial syllable can help.
- Paneer: Make sure to pronounce this word clearly as pa-neer, as it may sound similar to other words in rapid speech.
Practicing these words through shadowing can significantly improve your pronunciation and confidence in conversation.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.