system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why are some cheeses made into wheels but others in blocks?
gpt
Generally aged cheese is wheel shaped(think parmesan reggiano) and fresh cheese (like mozzarella) is in a block/sphere form because those shapes are more beneficial to their manufacture.

Parmesan is shaped like that because each individual unit is big and heavy, so to make moving them around easier, they are shaped like a wheel so they could be rolled and pivoted around on their side. This is much easier than if they were in a block shape. The reason why they make the wheels so big and heavy is that the cheese ages better when it's that size. The wheel shape also gives flat sides to stably set the cheese down, while also allowing for better airflow than a box shape.

Commercially made Mozzarella is shaped in blocks, because it doesn't have to age, so you can make the individual packs smaller and blocks stack nicer with less wasted room. Handmade mozzarella is made into balls because of tradition and it looks pretty.

Some cheeses are shaped a certain way simply out of tradition and respect for the old way of doing things.