Which cheese is made in italy

Gorgonzola : This famous Italian Blue Cheese comes in two distinct varieties: Dolce sweet and creamy and Mountain piquant and semi-soft. Both types are made from cow's milk exclusively in the Piedmont or Lombardy regions of Italy.

Gorgonzola was named after the town of the same name and has been produced since the 9th century. Streaked with a specific blue-green mold called Penicillium Glaucum , Gorgonzola's paste is white to pale yellow in color. Mountain Gorgonzola's flavor falls somewhere between mild and sharp, whereas the Dolce variety is mellow and creamy. Gorgonzola is superb in salads, as well being called for in many recipes for pasta, risotto and beef.

Gorgonzola is also excellent in soups, sauces or dressings and adds a unique tang to desserts when paired with fresh fruit such as apples, grapes or pears. Mascarpone : Mascarpone is a fresh milky-white Italian Cheese originally made in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Mascarpone is made from the cream of cow's milk without any cheese starter or rennet. This soft, spreadable and rich Italian Cheese is the star ingredient in tiramisu.

Mascarpone is exceptional when served for dessert with fresh berries, and is also commonly used in Italy the same way we use butter - as a spread on toast or crackers. Monte Veronese is white to pale yellow in color with tiny holes dispersed throughout.

Monte Veronese has a familiar, milky-sweet flavor and a semi-soft texture. Mozzarella di Bufala : Mozzarella di Bufala is a fresh drawn-curd Italian Cheese made from the milk of water buffalo.

This legendary Italian Cheese is a true delicacy that has a rich, slightly sour flavor with a somewhat grassy aroma. Parmigiano Reggiano : Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard, crumbly Italian Cheese made from raw cow's milk typically aged for 18 to 24 months.

Parmigiano Reggiano is sweet and fruity with a hard dark yellow rind. This most famous Italian Cheese is named for the areas of its production in the Italian provinces of Parma, and Reggio Emilia. Parmigiano Reggiano is a protected designation of origin PDO cheese which under European Union law requires that the cheese be produced only in these provinces.

Many cheeses that try to imitate Parmigiano Reggiano are typically called "Parmesan", or may also be called "hard Italian Cheese type". Often used as a grating cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano is excellent in soup, salads, veal, chicken or pasta. However, this succulent Italian Cheese is equally at home as part of an antipasto course, chunked and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and paired with olives, Prosciutto di Parma and grissini. It is mild with hints of lemon when fresh, developing more boldness and a honey aftertaste when aged.

Pecorino Toscano's name is derived from the word pecora, meaning "sheep" in Italian and Toscana, meaning "of Tuscany". Fresh Pecorino Toscano is matured for only 30 days and up to a year when sold as an aged Italian Cheese. Originating in ancient Roman times, Pecorino Romano is one of Italy's oldest cheeses. Pecorino Romano's sharpness depends on its maturity, getting bolder with age. Pecorino Romano Genuino is a name used when this Italian Cheese is made in Lazio, its originally zone of production.

However, most Pecorino Romano today is made on the island of Sardinia. Pecorino Romano is an excellent grating cheese, especially when served with pasta, soups or salads but is perhaps too salty and overpowering to be enjoyed by most people as a table cheese. Piave is made unique by that fact that its milk comes from two daily milkings, one of which is partially skimmed for cream. Medium-aged Piave, called Piave Mezzano, is aged for six months and has a buttery-sweet flavor with notes of hazelnut.

Piave Vecchio, aged for one year, is still sweet but has an added sharpness and intensified flavor. With a texture often compared to Parmigiano-Reggiano, Piave Vecchio is an ideal table cheese and is equally wonderful shaved over a salad or polenta. Provolone : Originally produced in southern Italy, Provolone is considered to be Italy's national cheese.

Now made in the northern Piedmont and Lombardy regions of Italy, Provolone is a member of the same family of cheeses as mozzarella, called stretched curd cheeses.

In its manufacture, the curd is stretched, then molding into the shape of a pear, ball or cylinder. Provolone is then hung and cave-aged for three to twelve months where it develops its rind and spicy character. Provolone is drier and sharper than mozzarella, making this Italian Cheese an excellent choice for sandwiches or for use as a table cheese. Ricotta : Ricotta, meaning "recooked" in Italian, is a fresh, soft, spreadable Italian Cheese made from the second pressing of the whey.

Creamy, mild and sweet, Ricotta is similar to cottage cheese, but lighter with more flavor. Ricotta is frequently used in lasagna and in desserts. Ricotta Salata : Ricotta Salata is the result of pressing and aging fresh Ricotta. Ricotta Salata is pure white in color, rindless, and has a chalky, milky flavor. This traditional Italian Cheese is perfect for grating and is superb in pasta dishes and salads. Taleggio : A member of the Stracchino family of cheeses, Taleggio is a soft, pungent cow's milk Italian Cheese produced in the Bergamo province of Italy.

Taleggio has a buttery texture and fruity, slightly salty flavor with a craggy inedible rind. Enjoy Taleggio as a hors d'oeuvre with crusty Italian bread, or melt Taleggio into a main dish or on vegetables.

When searching for gourmet Italian cheese online, look no further than igourmet. Best-Selling Gifts. Shop all Gifts. Gifts by Occasion. Gifts by Martha Stewart. Shop all Cheese. Regional Cheese Guide. The Grilling Collection. Foodies can learn how long the cheese needs to age and which is the best pair for certain kinds of cheese.

Some of these are also great to be paired with great white wine , red wine , or sparkling wine as well! Above all, we have to name Parmigiano Reggiano, which is a typical hard cheese from the Emilia Romagna region.

Most people are familiar with this classic Italian cheese and tried it at least once. Italians have been consuming it since the Middle Ages. The more it ages, the more this Italian hard cheese gains a richer flavor. The texture is crumbly, the taste is savory and salty. Parmigiano Reggiano offers its best if aged between 26 and 30 months. Use Parmesan for these dishes: grate it fresh on pasta, gnocchi, and salads. However, Parmesan is good basically on every dish!

People often confuse this Italian hard cheese with Parmigiano Reggiano Even though the usage is the same, however, there are some differences. First of all, this variety is generally produced in the Lombardy region. In addition, Grana Padano is more delicate than Parmigiano Reggiano, which instead tends to have a stronger taste, which increases over time. In conclusion, we can say that both these Italian hard cheese can be used the same way.

Perfect on pasta dishes! The flavor can be slightly nutty, salty, or tangly depending on the aging timings. Pecorino varies from region to region and the are 6 main types. Also, the slightly different process determines the flavor.

Most use lamb rennet and age it for about 8 months. It is the best Italian cheese for pizza, therefore it is the most famous Italian soft cheese. What you may not know is that there are different varieties of mozzarella. The cheapest version is made with cow milk. The traditional and more savory mozzarella is made with buffalo milk.

This last one is creamier and lighter. In supermarkets, you can also find mozzarella blocks. This harder and less tasty version is shredded and used on pizza because it does not release liquid during the baking process.

As mozzarella is very versatile, is also a typical filling for sandwiches. Use mozzarella for these dishes: salads, and especially Caprese salad. This summer dish only needs few ingredients: mozzarella and fresh tomatoes. Season it with salt, oregano, and olive oil. It is the Italian blue cheese. With its unmistakable pungent smell and strong flavor, the Gorgonzola is one of the most famous Italian cheese. The texture is quite creamy but gets firmer when stored in the fridge. This savory cheese is made with whole milk and the addition of particular bacteria, which during the aging process are responsible for the typical flavor.

There are both sweet or spicy versions. The difference basically lies in the aging process. The spicy version ages for a longer period of time.

Use Gorgonzola for these dishes: Gorgonzola pasta or gnocchi sauce, but also for risotto. It has a fine, delicate flavor when fresh, becoming savory and spicy as it ripens.

This originated in the Orobic Valleys and the alpine pastures, the result of the favorable encounter between humidity, temperature and dexterity. It has a flavor rich in herbaceous aromas and improves with time. A form of Bitto can be preserved for over 10 years.

Its name derives from the Celtic word bitu, which meant perennial. It is recommended you taste it on its own, accompanied by a glass of still, full-bodied red wine.

The combinations are countless. It melts perfectly, making it suitable for first courses, risottos in particular. It goes very well with pumpkin, radicchio, and mushrooms and is excellent in quiches, flans, and pies. It goes well with polenta and baked pasta and it is perfect for fondue.

It is also delicious on its own. It is native to Romagna. This excellent cheese is similar to the more common stracchino, which has become well known and loved because it is a fundamental ingredient of a local delicacy: piadina. White in color, easy to spread, it has rural medieval origins. It is produced all year round; however, only in a few authorized dairies. Its unique and delicate taste expresses all the essence of the region to which it belongs. Squacquerone derives from the Romagnolo dialect squacquerare meaning to melt , evidently chosen due to its soft and creamy consistency.

It has a history of almost five hundred years and over that time, it has become an integral part of local culinary traditions. It comes in a small and circular shape. As it is fresh, it is perishes quickly and should only be kept for days in the refrigerator.

Soft and consistent, it is excellent eaten alone or matched with fresh pasta, savory cakes, or desserts, and maybe with a good still white wine. Pits here were used to store food and then to protect the cheese from sieges and epidemics. The peculiar characteristic that makes it famous is therefore the environment in which the maturation process takes place.

Its color varies from white to straw yellow, its taste is initially delicate and sweet and then becomes more spicy and bitter. Formaggio di Fossa is a passepartout in the kitchen: perfect for many recipes, from appetizers to desserts. It is a fat cheese, non-skimmed, with different maturations: young, medium, or aged. It has a pear shape with a small head, and hangs from a beam to dry hence the name.

It is sweet and quite aromatic, and is very eclectic in the kitchen. Raw or cooked, it can be used in any recipe, even those that are very quick. It can be grilled, sliced for salads, combined with vegetables or pan-fried. It is mainly produced in the provinces of Foggia and Bari, in places ranging from to meters above sea level.

It has a homogeneous surface but is crossed with streaks left by the rush baskets used to produce it. This technique is also mentioned in the Odyssey when Ulysses meets the giant Polyphemus.

Eclectic in the kitchen, it can be eaten alone or grated over fruit, vegetables, grilled meat, pasta with meat sauce or soups. And, depending on the seasoning, it goes well with more or less full-bodied white wines. The name scamorza refers to the work of the dairyworkers who will scamozza remove the curd with their hands to give it the characteristic pear shape, with the head choked by a thread of straw.

It is a spun and semi-hard white cheese, dense but elastic at the same time. It can be found fresh with a thin, straw-yellow rind or smoked, brown in color and more compact. It has a very delicate taste and is excellent for enriching salads, in baked preparations, or sliced and grilled, ideal for filling a large number of dishes, especially the recipes of the national tradition and in particular those of the South. The name derives from pischeddas, the perforated molds made of chestnut wood, used to give it the shape, on the bottom of which was carved a flower.