Most taste panels pick Vieux Boulogne as the world’s smelliest cheese, with powerful washed-rind rivals like Époisses close behind.
Ask a cheese seller about the world’s smelliest cheese and you will usually see a grin first, then a story. Strong aroma is part of the fun, and people love to argue about which wheel truly rules the counter.
The phrase “what is the world’s smelliest cheese?” shows up often in travel shows, pub quizzes, and late-night chats between food fans. There is no single cheese police for the planet, so every list depends on which cheeses enter the test, how ripe they are, and how the panel judges strong smell versus strong taste.
What Is The World’s Smelliest Cheese? Tests And Traditions
In 2004 a group of British researchers used an electronic nose to compare a range of famous cheeses. The gadget measured the strength of aroma compounds above each sample and ranked them.
That experiment named Vieux Boulogne, a washed-rind cow’s milk cheese from northern France, as the strongest smelling of the bunch. Later tasting panels and articles have repeated the result, so Vieux Boulogne often carries the “world’s smelliest cheese” crown in the media.
Cheese lovers also point to Époisses de Bourgogne, Munster, Limburger, and Stinking Bishop. These cheeses may not always match Vieux Boulogne in lab tests, yet they fill a room fast once you lift the lid on the box.
| Cheese | Style And Origin | Typical Aroma Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vieux Boulogne | Washed-rind cow’s milk, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France | Beefy, yeasty, barnyard, hint of cabbage |
| Époisses de Bourgogne | Washed-rind cow’s milk, Burgundy, France | Strong farmyard, meaty, faintly boozy from Marc de Bourgogne |
| Limburger | Washed-rind cow’s milk, Belgium and Germany | Foot odor, earth, damp cellar |
| Munster | Washed-rind cow’s milk, Alsace and Vosges, France | Sulfur, hay, damp cellar, lactic tang |
| Pont-l’Évêque | Soft washed-rind cow’s milk, Normandy, France | Cooked cabbage, toast, wet straw |
| Stinking Bishop | Washed-rind cow’s milk, Gloucestershire, England | Fermented pear cider, earth, bacon rind |
| Taleggio | Washed-rind cow’s milk, Lombardy, Italy | Mild cabbage, yogurt, wet hay |
This table shows how many of the contenders share a similar profile. Most are washed-rind cheeses from northern European regions with cool, damp aging rooms and a long history of strong table cheese.
Washed-rind cheeses form a loose family: they are usually made from cow’s milk, aged in humid cellars, and rubbed over and over with brine that loads the rind with active microbes.
Why Strong Cheeses Smell So Intense
The nose of a cheese comes from living microbes and the way they break down milk fat and protein. Soft, orange rinds often host a mix of bacteria and yeasts that throw off powerful sulfur compounds and short-chain fatty acids.
Scientists at Washington State University explain that bacteria such as Brevibacterium linens help create the smell of some famous washed-rind cheeses and also live on human skin, which is why people link these cheeses with sweaty socks or feet.
Other styles gain their scent from Penicillium molds inside the paste or from long aging that dries the cheese and concentrates flavor. Blue cheese veining, in particular, brings spicy aromas, while aged Gouda leans more toward butterscotch and toasted nuts.
Bacteria On The Rind
To make a washed-rind cheese, the producer brushes or bathes the young wheels with brine, sometimes mixed with a local spirit or beer. The damp surface encourages orange and pink bacteria to grow, while washing keeps white fluffy mold under control.
The bacteria digest amino acids and fat, then release gas molecules that drift up to your nose. Compounds based on sulfur, such as methional and dimethyl trisulfide, show up in many stinky cheeses and also appear in cooked cabbage or onions.
Because the same species can live on skin, our brains connect the smell of these cheeses with gym bags or work boots. That mental shortcut makes the aroma seem stronger than it actually is on a chemical scale.
Paste, Moisture, And Aging Time
Moisture also plays a big part. A soft, high-moisture paste gives bacteria more freedom to work, which means more aroma in less time. Dry, crumbly cheeses tend to smell mild even when they taste sharp on the tongue.
Aging time shapes the profile too. As cheese matures, its center often moves from chalky and quiet toward runny and fragrant. A young Époisses can smell modest next to a wheel that has rested in a cave for eight weeks and soaked up repeated washes of Marc de Bourgogne.
World’s Smelliest Cheese Ranking By Aroma Tests
Scientific studies that try to rank smell have to simplify a messy topic. They usually measure the total strength of airborne compounds, then cross-check that data with a tasting panel. That method favors cheeses with moist rinds, active bacteria, and plenty of surface area.
Under those lab conditions Vieux Boulogne does especially well. The cheese has a sticky rind washed with beer, a soft interior, and a long ripening period, so aroma compounds flow freely. Tasters often describe beef stock, boiled cabbage, and low tide all at once.
Vieux Boulogne, The Reigning Champion
Vieux Boulogne comes from the French coastal town of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Makers wash the rind with local beer as the wheels mature, which feeds the bacteria that color the outside orange and deepen the smell.
The paste is supple and pale, with a flavor that feels less aggressive than the nose suggests. Many tasters report a mild, milky core under the rind once they push past the first whiff.
Close Rivals On The Stinky List
Époisses de Bourgogne rarely tops the electronic nose scale, yet it might win if you vote by reputation. The cheese carries French AOP and European PDO protection, which sets detailed rules for milk, washing liquid, and aging zones.
Producers wash the rind with a local spirit called Marc de Bourgogne, so the smell mixes fruit, smoke, and farmyard notes. Official tasting notes from French PDO guides describe a creamy center with a red-orange rind and a clear, balanced aroma instead of simple shock value.
Limburger, Munster, and Stinking Bishop sit close behind. All rely on surface bacteria and regular washing, and all can seem fierce when served warm with the rind intact. Many fans claim these cheeses taste gentle and sweet once you move from nose to palate.
Tasting The World’s Smelliest Cheeses At Home
So far we have looked at tests and rankings, yet many readers mostly want to know how to try these cheeses safely at home. A good cheesemonger is the best starting point. Ask for a small wedge or a mini wheel so you can taste, share, and see how the smell behaves in your kitchen.
When you ask “what is the world’s smelliest cheese?” in a shop, the staff will often steer you toward a washed-rind classic like Vieux Boulogne or Époisses. They may also suggest milder yet still punchy options such as Taleggio or Reblochon for a first step.
Buying And Storing Strong-Smelling Cheese
Look for cheese that feels springy at the center, with a rind that looks moist but not slimy. Avoid deep cracks, dry edges, or strong ammonia notes that sting your nose. Those signs can hint that the cheese is past its best stage.
Food safety guides for mold-ripened cheeses recommend chilled storage, with soft cheeses held below about 8 °C. Wrap your piece in breathable paper, then place it in a container in the fridge so the smell does not spread to other food.
Specialist guides on cheese storage suggest parchment, waxed paper, or purpose-made cheese paper instead of tight plastic wrap, because a little airflow keeps the surface from sweating and turning slimy.
Soft cheeses should not sit out for more than a couple of hours at room temperature. Take them out shortly before serving so the center can soften and the flavor can open up without straying into unsafe territory.
Serving Ideas That Keep The Aroma In Check
Presentation makes a big difference to how people feel about strong cheese. A heaping slab on a hot plate can seem harsh, while the same cheese in small wedges with the right sides feels inviting.
Sharing a board with friends also spreads the aroma around the table, so one portion does not overwhelm any single nose.
| Serving Tip | What To Pair | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Serve At Cool Room Temperature | Take cheese from fridge 45 minutes before eating | Texture softens while smell stays below full strength |
| Cut Small Wedges | Thin slices or bite-size pieces | Less surface area means less aroma shock per bite |
| Add Crunchy Sides | Crusty bread, crackers, raw celery, or radishes | Fresh texture balances the soft, sticky cheese |
| Use Sweet Accompaniments | Fig jam, honey, ripe pears, or apples | Sweetness softens bitter or sulfur notes |
| Pour The Right Drink | Malty beer, off-dry white wine, cider | Bubbles and acidity lift fat from the palate |
| Limit Portion Size | One or two small pieces per person | Lets guests enjoy the flavor without fatigue |
| Ventilate After Serving | Open a window or store leftovers promptly | Clears lingering aroma from the room |
Safety, Smell, And When To Throw Cheese Away
Strong aroma alone does not mean a cheese is unsafe. Washed-rind styles are meant to smell bold, and the sulfur notes often grow sharper near the rind. The real question is whether the scent matches the style and whether the texture still feels healthy.
Watch for pink slime, fuzzy black or green spots in places where they do not belong, or a harsh ammonia smell that makes your eyes water. These signs suggest unwanted microbes are taking over.
Food hygiene experts advise that soft cheeses should stay chilled, travel in a cool bag if you buy them on a warm day, and return to the fridge once you finish serving. Leftovers should be wrapped again in breathable paper and eaten within a week if the cheese was already ripe.
If you are unsure about a cheese that has been in the fridge for a while, rely on sight and smell together instead of the date alone. When in doubt, throwing away a small piece costs less than a night of stomach trouble.
Putting The World’s Smelliest Cheese On Your Table
There may never be an absolute answer to which cheese counts as the world’s smelliest, because smell is personal and depends on memory, mood, and even the last thing you ate. Still, Vieux Boulogne, Époisses, Limburger, and their cousins stand out as repeat champions in both labs and tasting rooms.
If you love bold flavor, start with a small piece from a trusted cheesemonger, add good bread and fruit, and let the cheese warm slightly before your first bite. With a bit of planning, the world’s smelliest cheese can move from trivia question to the star of a relaxed evening at home or outdoors together.