Cheese cities

The American specialty cheese scene concentrates heavily. New York · Boston · San Francisco form the foundational tier; Los Angeles · Seattle · Philadelphia · Burlington bring the established tier. The gap between the leading cities and the median American city is enormous.

The world capital tier. Paris · Lyon · Milan define what serious cheese retail can achieve — multi-century traditions, AOP/DOP density, raw-milk regulatory advantages. London and Madrid approach the standard with their own national traditions.

Tokyo demonstrates Asian cheese retail at the highest quality bar. Per-capita consumption is small but the top end of curation rivals European tradition with Japanese precision applied.