Cheddar is a type of cheese that originated in the English village of CHEDDAR in Somerset. It is a hard, off-white or orange, sometimes sharp-tasting cheese. CAMEMBERT is a soft, creamy, surface-ripened cheese from France. BRIE is a soft cow's milk cheese named after the French region BRIE. COLBY is an American cheese made from cow's milk and is similar to CHEDDAR but milder in flavor. Edam is a semi-hard cheese from the Netherlands that is usually sold in a round shape with a red wax coating.