It’s officially called Stracchino di Crescenza, but often just Crescenza and sometimes just Stracchino. Crescenza is a soft Italian cow’s milk cheese with a very thin, soft natural rind (encouraged by a short bath in brine). Crescenza has a tart, fruity, fresh flavor. Stracchino di Crescenza was first made in the Italian region of Lombardy, specifically in the Po Valley. “Stracca” means tired, a reference to the tired cows herded up and down the Alps who were milked to make Stracchino di Crescenza. It was thought that tired, well-exercised cows gave extra rich milk with a high butterfat content perfect for making Crescenza. The cheese was traditionally made with raw milk but most versions now are made with pasteurized milk.

Credits: CheeseMaking, theSpruce