Five cheeses the moon could be made from

We’re here to put NASA’s theories to the test, and also make you think about cheese.

50 years on, and the question still burns – was it Swiss, cheddar or chevre? Source: Getty Images

50 years ago, on 20 July 1969, The United States Apollo 11 landed on the moon and both Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the cratered lunar surface. 50 years on, and the question still burns – was it Swiss, cheddar or chèvre?

Let’s start with the most obvious:

'Swiss cheese' in America is a blanket term for cheese made domestically in Emmental style. Source: PxHere

Emmental

Upon visual inspection, it would seem that the moon is made from the semi-hard Swiss Emmental cheese. Its cratered surface and savoury but mild characteristics match well with the demure, glowing moon. This is not to be confused with ‘Swiss cheese’ which is a blanket term given by American manufacturers for cheeses mimicking the Emmental style.

Gorgonzola craters, or moon craters? Source: PxHere

Gorgonzola

Gorgonzola dolce, that is. The gooey, mild white cheese is peppered with spots of savoury blue mould just below its surface creating cratered, greyish patches. Seems familiar…

On earth, this buttery blue delight is made in the Piedmont and Lombardy regions of Italy using cow’s milk and is typically aged for just 3-4 months.

Dimpled and grey... if only the moon was made from Selles Sur cher Source: Getty Images

Selles-sur-cher

Although a little harder to find (maybe because it only exists in outer space), this regional French cheese made in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France bears a stark resemblance to the moon’s shape and surface. It’s made using goats milk and is coated in charcoal, which helps a natural grey-blue mould form giving the cheese a musty, strong flavour.

If Wallace and Gromit taught us anything it's that the moon is made from Wensleydale. Source: PxHere

Wensleydale

Going off the Wallace and Gromit episode in which the duo runs out of cheese and travels to the moon, the only logical conclusion here is that the moon is made from Wensleydale cheese. The English cheddar-like style cheese is made across many commercial outlets, however, only the true Wensleydale cheese made in the region will be labelled as Yorkshire Wensleydale.

That must be it! A big ole ball of burrata in space.

Burrata

It’s pretty chilly out in space – perfect for storing a big ball of burrata. If our predictions are correct, there should be a ball that covers a radius of 1,737.1 km stuffed with cream and chunks of fresh stracciatella. It might be easier to book flights to Apulia, Italy than it would to pull off a moonzzarella-landing mission though.

Be right back, going to look at more cheese recipes right here...