Table of Contents:
CHEESES.
SUMMARY.
Italian cheese and fruit are as crucial to dinner as the entrée. An entire course is for sitting and tasting small pieces of cheese and (when available) seasonal fruit. Maybe that’s why there are over 450 different kinds of cheese in Italy alone. Only Germany and France have more than that.
Indeed, we are not going to go through all 400+ types of Italian cheese. But here are some of the most popular for you to try:
Italian Cheeses From the North.
- Asiago – A cheese from the Alps, soft when young but hardens as it ages. Mild flavors that intensify with age but do not become sharp. Pair with apples and pears.
- Fontina – Think fondue. It comes from the Alps near the border with Switzerland. A firm cheese with tones of fruits, herbs, and nuts. Pair with dates, raisins, and figs.
- Gorgonzola – Maybe from the Milan area. This cow milk cheese is mild when young. This cheese gets more intense with age. – Apples or pears
- Grana Padano – A hard, slow-ripened, semi-fat cheese similar to Parmesan. One of the oldest hard cheeses as monks were making it back 900 years ago. Pair with figs and grapes.
- Mascarpone, – from the Lombardy region, has only two ingredients: cream and citric acid. You will find it in sweet and savory dishes. Pair with strawberries.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano – From Parma (near Milan). A hard cheese with a complexity of flavors including spicy, salty, briny, nutty. Pair with figs and grapes.
- Robiola – From Piedmont. Creamy, soft, and sweet – Pair with oranges and apricots.
- Taleggio – Also, from the Alps. Soft cheese with tart, salty, and beefy taste. Pair with nectarine and pears.
Middle
- Pecorino Romano – is Rome’s version of Parmesan. A hard, goat’s milk, salty cheese. Pair with apples and pears.
Italian Cheese from the South.
- Mozzarella di Bufala – From south of Naples. Best when young, it is a soft cheese with sweet, buttery, milky flavors. Pair with peaches and melon.
Mozzarella di Bufala
- Burrata – From the Naples area, it is a relative to Mozzarella with the addition of cream. Best when fresh. Soft cheese with mozzarella taste on the outside and creamier buttery flavor towards the middle. Pair with plums and berries.
- Provolone – is also a relative of Mozzarella. This cheese is a hard cheese that is salty and slightly oily. Mild when young, Provolone gets sharper with age. Pair with grapes, melon, and pineapple.
- Ricotta – Italy’s versatile cheese uses by-products from sheep, goat, buffalo, or cow’s milk. (depending on region). Predominantly made in the Rome and Naples area, but you should try ricotta salata (Sicily) if you can. Pairs with oranges and strawberries.
Final thoughts on Italian cheese.
In general, the stinkier (riper) you go with the cheese, the sweeter and riper your fruit choice should be.
Why? It’s all about opposites. And how they attract. Sweet with stinky, sugar with salt.
In general, the older the cheese, the stinkier it gets. Another option for softer, less stinky cheeses is a drizzle of honey.
As with all things involving food and drink, what I think is divine, may leave you cold. In other words, think of these as suggestions, not commandments.
In fact, (sadly) the fruit and cheese course may replace the dessert course for those without a sweet tooth. Then again, I might replace the cheese course with more dessert.