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Some Popular And Recognizable Italian Cheeses

By: Frank Zaftra

There are so many types of Italian cheeses that you may not have heard of all of them, but everyone has their favorite. The artisanal Italian cheese will have a specific protected designation of origin that follows EU law. This states that in order to have that designation the cheese was made from ingredients form that area and following very specific methods for creating the cheese.
Asiago is one of the better known cheeses from Italy and is used in many different types of cooking. Asiago is found in Panini, past, salads, sauces and soups. The texture of Asiago will vary depending on how long it has been aged for. Long aging periods create crumbly texture and short tagging periods create smoother textures. A true Asiago cheese is made in the town of Asiago.
A soft mild cheese that is quite well known is Bel Paese. This cheese was specifically designed to be a more delicate style of cheese. It is made in many parts of the world but was first produced just outside or Milan. It has a very short aging time of up to 2 months and is made primarily from cow's milk. The name Bel Paese means Beautiful country and is taken from the name of a famous Stoppani book of the same name.
A fun bite sized cheese is Bocconcino. This cheese comes in small balls that are made of unripened cheese. This unripened cheese does not have a rind and is typically made of buffalo milk. Today some bocconcino is also made of cow's milk. In order to keep the cheeses texture, which is spongy, bocconcino is packaged in water or whey.
Burrata is a type of cheese made form cream and mozzarella. The outside of the cheese is only made of mozzarella and the inside is softer and is made of cream and mozzarella. Burrata was first produced in the early'00s in a small spot of the Apulia region. It has since become and artisanal cheese. It is best serves when sliced open so the softer center can flow out. It should be eaten in 24 hours otherwise the flavors will diminish.
Caciocavallo was first made in Sicily of cow's and sheep's milk. It has a European Union protected designation of origin. This cheese is shaped in a tear drop and the taste is like provolone. The name actually means cheese on horseback as the very first versions of this cheese may have been made of mare's milk.
A very ancient Italian cheese is casciotta d'Urbino. There are many different forms of casciotta and this type is very old and is traditionally made of mainly sheep's milk with about 20% cow's milk. Casciotta d'Urbino was a favorite of Michelangelo and Pope Clement XIV. The body of this cheese has a mild flavor and is white or yellow in color and is surrounded with a yellow rind.
Castelmagno is a semi hard cheese that is half fat. It is made using whole cow's milk and is made in Cuneo. The cows that provide the milk must eat hay from pasture, meadows or fresh forage. This type of cheese is traditionally used in veloutees or fondues and can be added to polenta, pasta or rice. It is very good when paired with honey or fortified wines.

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Learn more about Itlian cheeses. Stop by Frank Zaftra's site where you can find out all about Italian cheeses and what it can do for you.

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