Formaggio (Italian for Cheese)
Any discussion of Italian food would not be complete without mentioning Italian Cheese. Cheese is an important part of the Italian culture and its cuisine. Cooking Italian would not be the same without it; it would be similar to eating a meal without wine.
Italy has almost as many cheeses as there are regions. You can take a tour of Italy through the eyes of cheese. Regions like Lombardy, Veneto, and Piedmont produce some of the finest cheeses in the world. Here is a great list of Italian cheese to help guide you.
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Asiago has a delicate flavor used as table cheese or for grating. A product of Veneto, this cheese is made from cow’s milk. |
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Bel Paese is Italian for "Beautiful Country;" it was origianlly produced in Metzo, a small village near Milan in the Lombardy region. It has a mild, buttery flavor for which it has been popularly eaten with fruity wines, such as dry red or white. It is favored by many as a snack or dessert cheese and melts easily for use on pizzas or in casseroles. It is often used as a substitute for mozzarella cheese. |
| Burrini is a mild soft cheese produced in southern Italy. This cheese is molded around a pate of butter, which will be spread on butter and eaten with the cheese. | |
| Caciocavallo is cheese made from cow’s milk and is a product of southern Italy and Sicily. When young it is mild in flavor and makes a great table cheese. When aged it can be used grated in a variety of Italian dishes. | |
| Crescenza is cheese form Lombardy, Veneto and Piedmont. It’s a soft mild cheese similar to cream cheese and is delicious mixed with various herbs. | |
| Dolcelatte is a smooth blue cheese, milder than gorgonzola. | |
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Fontina has been made in the Aosta Valley in northwestern Italy since ancient times. It is a semi-soft cheese, and slightly nutty tasting with a semisoft to hard texture. It has a mild, sweet and almost honey like flavor. This cheese melts easily and is the main ingredient in Fonduta, cheese fondue. |
| Grana Padano is produced in numerous regions throughout Italy. It’s flavor is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano. | |
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Gorgonzola in named for the town it originated in near Milan, but is no longer produced there. It is now produce in Como, Milan, Brescia and many other provinces in Italy. Gorgonzola is one of the finest of the world’s blue cheeses. This cheese is best eaten at the end of a meal with a nice dessert wine. |
| Gruviera is the Italian version of Swiss cheese. Mild in flavor, this cheese can be used in a variety of dishes. | |
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Mascarpone is a cow’s milk cheese used in many desserts and sauces. Similar the cream cheese, mascarpone is mainly produced in Lombardy. |
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Mozzarella di Bufala is made with water buffalo’s milk and is very soft and mild in flavor. Due to the scarcity of water buffalo, the majority of this cheese is now made with cow’s milk and used in a variety of dishes and especially on pizza. |
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Parmigiano Reggiano originated in the province of Reggio Emillia and is by far the King of Italian cheeses. Aged between one and two years, this cheese is incomparable to any other and used with a wide variety of recipes. |
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Pecorino Romano is made from sheep’s milk and is slightly sharper than Parmigiano. This cheese is produced throughout central and southern Italy and good for grating in many Italian dishes. Recipes calling for parmesan cheese can be substituted with Romano if you like a sharper flavor. |
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Provolone is an all-purpose semi-hard Italian cheese with a firm texture and a mild, smoky flavor. The thin, hard rind is golden-yellow and shiny. Italian-style provolone can be made with buffalo or cow's milk, or a mixture of the two. Sometimes it’s lightly smoked. Provolone, like mozzarella, is a pulled or stretched curd cheese and come in two varieties. Dolce (mild Provolone) is aged 2-3 three months, and is a semisoft, mild, smooth table cheese. Piccante is aged 6-12 months and has a stronger flavor. Provolone used for cooking, dessert purposes and grating. |
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Ricotta is not really cheese but a milk by-product. Ricotta is a popular ingredient throughout Italy and is used for a variety of dishes including lasagna, raviolis and manicotti. This soft moist cheese has a slight sweet flavor. |
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Taleggio [tahl-EH-zhee-oh] - Hailing from Italy's Lombardy region, this rich (48 percent fat), semisoft cheese is made from whole cow's milk. Its flavor can range from mild to pungent, depending on its age. When young, Taleggio's color is pale yellow and its texture semisoft. As it ages it darkens to deep yellow and becomes rather runny. Taleggio is sold in flat blocks or cylinders and is covered either with a wax coating or a thin mold. It's excellent with salad greens or served with fruit for dessert.
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