Friday, November 27, 2009

Italian Cheeses - A Few Favorites

By Frank Zaftra

There are many different types of Italian cheeses and most are very traditional to a specific area of the country. Cheeses that have regional designations or have label with the protected designation of origin have a specific set of rules that must be followed. In order to have a label from that region it must be made in a specific way and with products from that region.

One of the most famous Italian chesses is Asiago. The texture of this cheese will differ depending on its age and very fresh Asiago is smooth and aged Asiago is crumbly. Asiago can only be made in the town of Asiago which is in the Veneto region of Italy. This cheese is frequently used in sauces, pasta, soups, salads or sliced on sandwiches and panini.

Bel Paese cheese is a semi-soft cheese that was originally created to be delicate and have a mild flavor. This cheese was first made outside of Milan but can be found in Italy and the US. This cheese is made from cow's milk and is only aged for a short time, 6 to 8 weeks. Its name is from the Stoppani book whose titles translate to Beautiful Country.

Bocconcino is a type of unripened cheese that does not have a rind. This cheese originates from Naples and at one point in time it was only made using buffalo milk. However today it is also made of cow's milk. In order to maintain its spongy texture bocconcini is packaged in water or whey. The name means small mouthful as you can eat one piece at once.

A lovely cheese that is comprised of mozzarella and cream is burrata. Burrata has a firmer outer layer that is made only of mozzarella and the center is made of a mixture of mozzarella and cream, which makes a softer center. This cheese originates from Apulia in the'20s and is considered an artisanal product. You serve burrata by slicing it pen so that the center can flow out but you need to eat the cheese within 24 hours as the flavor will quickly dissipate.

A traditional Sicilian cheese made of sheep and cow milk is caciocavallo. This cheese comes with its own EU designation of origin as the cows and sheep must be feed particular food and the cheese must be made in a specific way. The flavor of caciocavallo is very similar to provolone and the cheese is generally shaped like a tear drop.

Casciotta d'Urbino is made in central Italy and mainly consists of sheep's milk with a bit of cow's milk. This cheese is very old as it was a favorite of Pope Clement XIV and Michelangelo. This is a type of Caciotta cheese. The flavor is mild and the body is yellow or white normally with a yellow rind.

A semi hard cheese that has a lot of fat in it is Castelmagno. This high fat content is due to the fact that whole cow's milk is used to make the cheese. The cows must eat very specific foods such as fresh forage and hay from a meadow or pasture. Castelmagno is normally found in fondues and veloutees and is excellent when paired with fortified wines or honey.

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