Cheeses represent the most significant and at the same time the largest family of dairy products in the world. Cheese making has a long tradition in the world and in Croatia, going back to the distant past since the beginning of the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, cheese production developed and perfected and the largest number of cheeses known today was founded. Traditional cheese production is usually organized in rural households and small dairies. Cheeses began to be industrialized only around the middle of the 19th century and since then the traditional way of production has been increasingly forgotten. With the increasing automation of production in the food industry, cheeses have taken on one of the leading positions in human nutrition. Indigenous cheeses in Croatia are of increasing importance to the local population of rural areas because of job creation and an increasing source of income.