How to Travel With Cheese and Keep It Fresh

Say you’ve taken planes, trains, and a winding car ride deep into the French alps, snagged that fromage cave tour, and have just nibbled on the most bewitching slice of aged cow’s milk. Maybe this is the best cheese you’ve tasted. Maybe it’s the cheese moment of your life. Can you bring a wedge home to share the bliss?

Whether you consider yourself a turophile or casual cheese fan, gastronomic moments like this are part of what make traveling—especially abroad—so transcendent. While toting a brick of Le Buerre Bordier home has become a favored pastime for some culinary-inclined, cheese is another story. In fact, is travelling with cheese even allowed?

Technically, yes. You can bring cheese back from most countries, so long as it does not contain meat and is not pourable (Note: ricotta is legally classed as pourable). Confirm you’re in the clear by checking the US Custom & Border Protection prohibited and restricted items list before making any commitments. And be sure to declare any food items upon re-entry.

Whether you should bring cheese back is a different story. We spoke to Anaïs Saint-André Loughran, certified cheese professional and owner of Chantal’s Cheese Shop in Pittsburgh, for her expert opinion on the pros and cons of shuttling your wheels and wedges home.

Don’t travel with soft varieties

While it’s legal to bring most cheeses home, Loughran is adamant that you should leave soft varieties behind altogether. “Cheese is alive and constantly aging and ripening,” she notes. “Soft European cheeses (fresh goat cheese or anything aged under 60 days made from raw milk) will never taste the same” as when you consumed it in its place of origin. “The bacteria will start digesting the cheese outside-in, from the rind to its center. After that, there’s nowhere for it to go, so your cheese dies.”

Do vacuum-pack the wedge

“You can always ask the cheese shop if they vacuum-pack,” as the sealing process is your best bet, Loughran says. Whether they do depends on the size of the cheese shop and what they offer, but “always ask.” In France, where Loughran hails from, cheese is typically fresh-cut. Cheese paper is usually leakproof, so if your product isn’t too stinky (like a Comté), you can rest easy with it stored in its original wrapping. US Customs & Border Protection requires you to declare all agricultural items upon arrival. You risk fines or confiscation if you don’t.

Do check the bag if possible

Your luggage is kept “in the coldest part of the plane, so it will be more secure and in a better temperature than if it were with you” on board, says Loughran. If you’re already checking a bag, that’s a good place to pack your cheese.

Do refrigerate, don’t freeze

Hard cheese may gather some sweat from the journey. That’s because “it’s losing a little butter fat,” but the grease should not alter taste. Store it in the fridge and plan to eat it within a few days. “If you have a cheese cave or grotto,” Loughran jokes, “well, that’s a whole other story.” Most importantly, never freeze artisan cheese. “Doing so destroys everything you want from a specialty product,” says Loughran, like texture complexity and flavor profile—all benefits from sourcing quality milk.

Don’t worry if it’s not meant to be

For Loughran, to travel somewhere is to revel in “the smell of the place, the terroir, the weather, the sun, the rain…you’re eating something local that is made there for a reason. Because of where the cows are grazing, and the water. And you are drinking the same water too. Everything shapes this moment when you fall in love with a cheese.” So, if you can’t bring it back home, “it’s okay if you don’t have it again.” Write down the name and any details, like texture, and it’s possible your local shop can find something comparable—and just as magical. Traveling is about curiosity. As Loughran encourages, “why not carry that same spirit with you and try something different at home?”

Whether you’ve got the goods or you’ve picked up a vacation-inspired item from your local shop, you should definitely be cooking with cheese. Check out these recipes for more ideas.