Fontina
A very popular semi-soft Italian cows’-milk cheese, fontina is deep golden-yellow in colour with a reddish-brown rind. It has a firm, slightly springy texture and melts easily, so is great to cook with. Its flavour is delicate which makes it a good dessert cheese. When fully matured, it can be grated and used like parmesan. […]
Provolone
Provolone is an Italian cheese made from cow’s milk. Its origins lie in Southern Italy and the cheese is produced mostly in the Po valley region, particularly Lombardy and Veneto. The name derives from the Neapolitan words “prova” or “provola,” which mean globe shaped. Provolone cheese is classified into two forms: Provolone Dolce (soft), which is […]
Robiola
Robiola is an Italian soft-ripened cheese of the Stracchino family. It is from the Langhe region and made with varying proportions of cow’s, goat’s milk and sheep milk. One theory is that the cheese gets its name from the town of Robbio in the province of Pavia; another that the name comes from the word rubeole (ruddy) because of the color […]
Taleggio
At over a thousand years old, Taleggio is one of the world’s oldest soft cheeses. This washed-rind cheese is in a family of cheeses created by monks who made cheese from the milk of their grazing cows in order to eliminate waste. The story is that the monks repeatedly washed the wheels clean of any […]
Dolcelatte
Literally ‘sweet milk’ in Italian, this soft, blue-veined cows’ milk cheese from Lombardy was developed as a milder version of traditional Gorgonzola (hence it’s also sometimes known as Gorgonzola Dolce). It’s renowned for its soft, creamy flavour. Credits: BBC Food
Pecorino
Pecorino is the Italian name for ewes’ milk cheese, so in theory the term covers a wide range of varieties from around the country. In practice, however, it is generally used more specifically to refer to hard ewes’ milk cheeses from central Italy and the island of Sardinia. Although young, fresh pecorinos can be found, […]
Parmigiano-Reggiano, Parmesan
Originating from the Parma region of Italy, this is one of the world’s most popular cheeses, stamped with the official Parmigiano Reggiano mark as a guarantee of origin. Fragrant and tangy, it has a hard, grainy texture and a buttery yellow colour. Once tasted, it’s hard to resist the delicious piquant taste and crumbly texture […]
Burrata
Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from Mozzarella and cream. Burrata starts out much like Mozzarella and many other cheeses, with rennet used to curdle the warm milk. But then, unlike other cheeses, fresh Mozzarella curds are plunged into hot whey or lightly salted water, kneaded, and pulled to develop the familiar stretchy strings (pasta filata), then shaped in whatever form is desired. When making Burrata, […]
Mozzarella
An Italian fresh or unripened cheese traditionally made from water buffalo’s milk (Mozzarella di Bufala) around the Naples area. It’s a firm but creamy cheese that tastes like fresh milk with a slightly sour edge to it. It melts well and has a unique stretchiness, making it the classic pizza topping cheese. Credits: BBC Food, […]
Mascarpone
A thick, creamy, soft Italian cheese with a high fat content (40%). Mascarpone is an essential ingredient in the Italian coffee trifle tiramisù and is great in cheesecakes. Credits: BBC Food