Everyone is familiar with these popular Italian cheeses: Parmesan, Mozzarella, Provolone, Ricotta and Asiago. You can find these in any grocery store, and they are popular in many recipes. But these are only a few of the delicious cheeses Italy has to offer! It's time to get to know some of the lesser known varieties and expand your knowledge and palette.
Ubriaco. The really wonderful thing about this cheese is that it is matured in wine! This is where the name comes from; in Italian ubriaco means drunken. It's made of cow's milk. Then it is covered with grape skins that are left after the pressing process. Once covered in the grape skins, it is left to soak in wine for sometimes up to six months. This give it a fruity flavor similar to the type grape used for the soaking. It has a dark purple rind created by the grape skins.
Castelmagno. This one is made mostly from cow's milk, with either sheep or goat milk added into the mix. They make it by letting the milk sit overnight and then adding fresh morning milk into the batch. Then it is left to age in damp cellars, which give it it characteristic fine blue veining. It tends to be pungent with a somewhat spicy flavor.
Ragusano. This is a Sicilian cheese. It is made in Ragusa, Sicily (an island off the main coast of Italy). It is made from the milk of a special breed of cow called a Modicana. Because of this, they make it in small batches only. While it's aging, it is repeatedly rubbed down with oil and vinegar. The result is a savory, slightly tangy flavor.
Montasio. Montasio was originally made by the Maggio monastery back in the thirteenth century. At that time it was made of sheep's milk, but now it is made with cow's milk. It is made exclusively in northeastern Italy. It's a hard cheese, and becomes harder as it ages. It has a fruity taste, sometimes with a hint of pineapple flavor.
Pannerone. Very soft and exceptionally creamy, it's made from cow's milk. It goes through a rigorous process of curdling, draining, and storing at warm temperatures for a week. In about two weeks it is ready for sale. This makes it difficult to find outside of Europe. It has a taste and look similar to that of Gorgonzola, but without veining. It is smooth and has a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Fiore Sardo. This cheese is made only in Sardinia. This is a region of Italy that is hot and dry, which are very different conditions from the typical northern Italian cheeses. They use unpasteurized sheep's milk. Depending on how long it matures, it is semi-hard to hard in texture. They cure it in smoke. It is also rubbed down in sheep's fat or sometimes olive oil. It can have a nice sweet taste that combines nicely with the smoky flavor.
These Italian cheeses are not commonly found in grocery stores, which is part of what makes them so appealing. To find them, you will have to visit a specialty shop. If you do not have an Italian foods market near you, check with another special foods market to see if they can order some for you. It may be expensive, but it is certainly cheaper than a plane ticket to Italy! And when you consider the wonderful experience of sampling some of the world's finest Italian cheeses, the cost is really very small.
Ubriaco. The really wonderful thing about this cheese is that it is matured in wine! This is where the name comes from; in Italian ubriaco means drunken. It's made of cow's milk. Then it is covered with grape skins that are left after the pressing process. Once covered in the grape skins, it is left to soak in wine for sometimes up to six months. This give it a fruity flavor similar to the type grape used for the soaking. It has a dark purple rind created by the grape skins.
Castelmagno. This one is made mostly from cow's milk, with either sheep or goat milk added into the mix. They make it by letting the milk sit overnight and then adding fresh morning milk into the batch. Then it is left to age in damp cellars, which give it it characteristic fine blue veining. It tends to be pungent with a somewhat spicy flavor.
Ragusano. This is a Sicilian cheese. It is made in Ragusa, Sicily (an island off the main coast of Italy). It is made from the milk of a special breed of cow called a Modicana. Because of this, they make it in small batches only. While it's aging, it is repeatedly rubbed down with oil and vinegar. The result is a savory, slightly tangy flavor.
Montasio. Montasio was originally made by the Maggio monastery back in the thirteenth century. At that time it was made of sheep's milk, but now it is made with cow's milk. It is made exclusively in northeastern Italy. It's a hard cheese, and becomes harder as it ages. It has a fruity taste, sometimes with a hint of pineapple flavor.
Pannerone. Very soft and exceptionally creamy, it's made from cow's milk. It goes through a rigorous process of curdling, draining, and storing at warm temperatures for a week. In about two weeks it is ready for sale. This makes it difficult to find outside of Europe. It has a taste and look similar to that of Gorgonzola, but without veining. It is smooth and has a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Fiore Sardo. This cheese is made only in Sardinia. This is a region of Italy that is hot and dry, which are very different conditions from the typical northern Italian cheeses. They use unpasteurized sheep's milk. Depending on how long it matures, it is semi-hard to hard in texture. They cure it in smoke. It is also rubbed down in sheep's fat or sometimes olive oil. It can have a nice sweet taste that combines nicely with the smoky flavor.
These Italian cheeses are not commonly found in grocery stores, which is part of what makes them so appealing. To find them, you will have to visit a specialty shop. If you do not have an Italian foods market near you, check with another special foods market to see if they can order some for you. It may be expensive, but it is certainly cheaper than a plane ticket to Italy! And when you consider the wonderful experience of sampling some of the world's finest Italian cheeses, the cost is really very small.
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