Most Israelis will tell you that there are two kinds of cheese: yellow and white. Yellow cheese is a hard cheese with the consistency of mild cheddar and “the taste of childhood,” according to Haim Cohen, who owns the restaurant Dixie in Tel Aviv and hosts the popular Israeli television show, “Salt, Pepper, Garlic and Oil.” Mr. Cohen, who is a consultant to New York’s Taboon Restaurant (773 Tenth Ave., 212-713-0271) and his brother-in-law, Taboon owner Danny Hodak, spoke recently at an event at Artisanal Cheese Center sponsored by the Israeli Dairy Board to increase awareness of Israeli cheeses.

Named after the large oven in which most of their “middleterranean” food is prepared, the restaurant features Israeli cheeses such as feta (familiar to us from Greek cuisine) and halloumi, a semi-hard cheese that browns and caramelizes when heated, but retains its shape in dishes such as halloumi cheese sauteed with garlic, thyme, and spinach. Chef Efi Nahon’s menu at Taboon also features zucchini cakes made with feta, scallions, and mint ($8) and calamari salad with romaine, halloumi cheese, and pomegranate with sherry vinaigrette ($12). Rozanne Gold, a cookbook author, restaurant consultant, and self-proclaimed advocate of Israeli cuisine, said she first discovered Israeli cheese when she cooked for Prime Minister Menachim Begin and his wife as Mayor Koch’s chef at Gracie Mansion in the late 1970s. When Mrs. Begin offered to help make breakfast one morning, the first ingredient she required, Ms. Gold said, was “white cheese,” a substance that Ms. Gold described as being not sour cream, not yogurt, not fromage blanc, and not creme fraiche. In fact, it bears as much similarity to these thick, gently soured, lactic-fermented milk-based products as they bear to each other. White cheese has the consistency of very thick yogurt, but has its own distinctive taste, more savory than sour cream or yogurt. Within the category of white cheese, there are variations, depending on the percentage of fat (5%-9%) and it can be flavored with olives, rosehips, guava, and grapefruit. In Israel, white cheese is typically mixed with cucumber, tomatoes, and other vegetables to be served at breakfast. In New York, it is available at Fairway.

Perhaps the biggest surprises at the Artisanal event were the European-style cheeses made by the Israeli dairy Barkanit and imported by Atalanta (908-351-8000). These included Gilboa, a firm, mild manchego-type cheese made from Israeli sheep’s milk; Shahat, a pliant, creamy white-rind covered goat-and-sheep’s-milk blend; and Kadurim, bite-size spheres of fresh goat cheese rolled in herbs and spices such as sumac, a red-purple spice with a sharp tangy, almost citrusy flavor, that is often used in Middle Eastern cooking. Barkanit cheeses are available at www.igourmet.com, Whole Foods, Fairway, and Zabars.