Cheese and feet can smell similar because they share some of the same types of bacteria. You see, both cheese and our feet are home to these tiny creatures, and these bacteria are actually what give off those stinky smells. Specifically, a bacterium called Brevibacterium is often found on both cheese and human feet. When Brevibacterium eats the dead skin on our feet or the proteins in cheese like Munster and Limburger, it produces a gas called methanethiol, which has a strong, pungent smell.
A study published in 2013 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that cheese has more than 600 volatile compounds responsible for its flavors and aromas, and many of these are also produced by foot bacteria.
So, when you say cheese smells like feet, you’re noticing the scents created by some very similar bacteria! But don’t worry, the bacteria on the cheese are perfectly safe to eat, while the bacteria on the feet are not. In other words, it’s still much better to nibble on a piece of cheese than on a toe!
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