Cheese can be divided into different categories, depending on texture or
whether it has been ripened (also called cured). The texture of cheese varies
from soft to semisoft, firm, and hard. Ripened cheeses are those that have
been fermented with bacteria or molds. By contrast, unripened cheese are
fresh and untreated. Unripened cheese are generally more perishable that
ripened cheeses. The processing time is very short and no time is needed
for ripening. When the cheese is manufactured, it is packaged and sold
with a relatively short expiration date compared with ripened cheeses.
Popular types of unripened cheeses include ricotta cheese and cottage cheese.