For a firm washed-rind cheese like Gruyère, it may be physically harder to eat the rind because it's hard, but you still can if you'd like.

On a recent episode of Pizza Quest, host Peter Reinhart and cheese expert Mark Todd discuss and taste several stinky cheeses, explaining that stinky cheeses are actually washed-rind cheeses ...

For a firm washed-rind cheese like Gruyère, it may be physically harder to eat the rind because it's hard, but you still can if you'd like.