Italian Cheeseaholic, Volume One, 1st Edition by Aidan Patrick Benbow

Â Italian Cheeseaholic, Volume one

Aidan Patrick Benbow

About – Italian Cheeseaholic

Table Of Contents About Me

The Advantages of Buffalo’s Milk

Buffalo Mozzarella English style

The Fresh Prince of cheeses

Where it all began

It’s all in a name

Only the beginning

Calories, things are starting to heat up

Provolone, a cheesy example

The upside of cheese

It’s all about moderation

It’s all about where it’s from

Parmesan, not quite what you might expect

About – Italian Cheeseaholic

About – Italian Cheeseaholic Back to the Modern Day

A Real Monster

Inconspicuous Beginnings

The Way It’s Made

From Caves to the Modern Day

Standardisation

An Unsung Hero

White (liquid) Gold

A Fortuitous Discovery

Curds and Whey

A Step Further

Miss Muffet’s Role

The Name Says It All

The Process Itself

Uses

Types

Click here for Five Types of Ricotta Cheese to Try!

Fresh Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta Salata

Ricotta Impastata

Soy Milk Ricotta

Ricotta Di Bufala

Making Cheese Go Further

Other Advantages

About – Italian Cheeseaholic

About – Italian Cheeseaholic Click here for some processed cheeses to try

But are they good for you?

Don’t Over Do it!

Velveeta

Easy Cheese

American Cheese

Cheez Whiz

Parmesan

How It All Came About

From Then to Now

Who Wants Dinner out of a Pit?

Two for the Price of One

Light out of Darkness

Where it all began

What’s in a name

How it comes to be

Becoming Fontina

A fountain of Fontina

The Basic Starting Point

The Caciocavallo Family

Take Your Pick!

What’s the Difference?

The Usual Finish

Final Characteristics

About – Italian Cheeseaholic

About – Italian Cheeseaholic The Importance of Origin

The Real Thing

A Different Way to Mature Cheese

Flies are Actually Good for Something!

Maggot Made Cheese

Other Types

The Final Word

The Abruzzo Region of Italy

A Flagship Cheese

The Final Touch

Vital Statistics

One Among Many

Not Just Another Brick in the Pecorino Wall

What’s so Special about del Sannio

The Nitty Gritty

The Not so Unexpected Ending

A Special Cheese Among Special Cheeses

A Parallel Starting Point

A Spitting Image Process

Counting Calories

The Bottom Line

Final Remarks

A Very Italian Sounding Name

The Guarantee of Quality

About – Italian Cheeseaholic

English Buffalo Mozzarella – An Unexpected Delicacy – Italian Cheeseaholic Two Different Types

What To Do With Asiago

The Final Word

A Vegetable Beginning

Bean Cheese

Otherwise Known as Tofu

A Cheese of Many Uses

Pecorino Toscano

100

About Me My name is Aidan. I was born in East London and grew up in Romford, a small town in the Northeast suburbs of London. After finishing secondary school, I studied Chemistry at UCL in London. My intentions were to study as well as I could and then get a job working at the University. However, God’s plans were different! I felt like He was calling me to go and live and work abroad. I applied to IFES, an organization involved in student ministry, and was accepted. After spending some time in Austria, I realised that it was my calling to get involved in the Romanian speaking world and so I have now spent quite a bit of time living and working in first Romania and currently Moldova. When I was growing up, I was always very health conscientious. I played a lot of sport and faithfully went for a run around the local park every Saturday and Sunday morning. Alongside this, I did my best to avoid junk food and eat as healthily as I could. I guess this is where my passion and interest in Italian food came from. It seemed like the cuisine with the perfect combination of being both tasty and healthy at the same time! I particularly enjoyed Saturday lunchtimes, where we always ate in our family pizza with vegetables. On the occasions when I had the chance, I tried doing my own pasta dishes, although never more than using prepared sauces (or sometimes, I have to admit, entirely prepared meals!). The best, though, was Tuesday evenings, where sometimes we would get to eat spaghetti bolognese with Parmesan cheese!

There’s more than just Parmesan

English Buffalo Mozzarella – An Unexpected Delicacy – Italian Cheeseaholic

English Buffalo Mozzarella – An Unexpected Delicacy – Italian Cheeseaholic Having lived and worked abroad for a number of years now, I have had to adapt my diet to the different food styles of the places that I have been in. More so, I have had to do my own cooking a lot. A shining light in this culinary darkness has always been Italian food. It seems like where ever I am there’s invariably an Italian restaurant not too far away or an Italian food section at the local supermarket. As a result, I have become accustomed to eating loads of pasta, not to mention quite a bit of pizza. However, contrary to how the saying goes, at times it does seem like you can have too much of a good thing. This is where, though, the plethora of Italian cheese varieties can come to your aid. Growing up, I was aware of just Parmesan, mozzarella and Gorgonzola, but actually, these are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the huge variety of Italian cheeses. It’s estimated that there are over 450 varieties. This means then that there’s a lot of room for giving new life to your Italian dishes by trying out different cheeses. Not only that but by venturing into the world of Italian cheeses. We can find a number of delights to spice up any meal!

Hard Italian Cheeses The vast array of Italian cheeses might seem daunting at ﬁrst, but I aim to make the hardness of it all much easier. In this website, I hope to be able to present information in an as accessible as possible way. Everything from history, production, varieties to interesting facts. When I was growing up, I invested a lot of time in watching Italian football, but haven’t got much to show for it, except for a good knowledge of nineties Italian footballers plus a bit of Italian geography! Hopefully, though, you will agree that time invested in this website, will be well spent! There are some adverts and Amazon links on this site. This is not an attempt to get rich, but rather my thinking is that if I could earn some money via this website, I would then invest it in helping people and the ministry in Moldova that I am involved in. We will see what God’s plan will be! If you ever need a hand or have any questions, feel free to leave them below and I will be more than happy to help you out. All the best, Aidan Benbow http://italiancheeseaholic.com/

English Buffalo Mozzarella – An Unexpected Delicacy – Italian Cheeseaholic

Mozzarella is undoubtedly one of the most famous Italian cheeses. There can’t be many people who are unfamiliar with the sight of glistening white balls of it or at least the taste of it on pizzas or in salads. However, you’ve probably never stopped to think about where it comes from or how it’s made. When we think about the origin of cheese, I guess cows, sheep or possibly goats come to mind, but did you know that authentic Italian mozzarella is actually made from buffalo milk? This Italian buffalo mozzarella (otherwise known as ‘Mozzarella di latte di bufala’) is notoriously hard to reproduce due to the ideal conditions and many years of experience in Italy, but one English farm is having a go at producing English buffalo mozzarella.

The Advantages of Buffalo’s Milk Something that you’ve probably never really thought about, but is nonetheless still true, is the fact that buffaloes produce milk. Logical really seeing as this is what mammals do. Buffaloes’ milk is richer than cows’ milk as it contains more solids, meaning that it has higher levels of protein, fats, and minerals. This, in turn, makes the milk good for processing into products such as cheese. It is unclear historically how buffalo came to be living in Italy, but what is for sure is that today the buffalo population there is large (for example in 2013 it was reported as 402,659). As a result, Italy is one of the world’s largest producers of buffalo milk. One of the many dairy products that is produced from this buffalo milk is mozzarella. Mozzarella can also be produced of course from other types of milk, but due to the fact that buffaloes’ milk is thicker and creamier, more cheese can be produced from less milk thus making it more economical, not to mention producing a cheese with higher nutritional properties.

English Buffalo Mozzarella – An Unexpected Delicacy – Italian Cheeseaholic

The Process of Producing Mozzarella The production of mozzarella is a fairly simple process compared to other cheeses as mozzarella is usually eaten fresh and so there is no need for a long or complicated maturation period. There are a number of other cheeses whose production in the early stages is very similar to mozzarella, but then the method diversifies along the way to produce different results. With regard to mozzarella, there are probably various ways and special techniques used to produce it, but all using the same basic process. The buffalo milk is first warmed together with whey left over from the preceding batch of mozzarella that has been made. This whey helps to increase the number of bacteria in the milk. Rennet, a complex of enzymes that helps milk coagulate, is then added. The result of all this is that in time the curds in the milk separate from the whey. Next, the whey is drained off and the curds are cut and stirred and then left until the pH reaches between 5.2 and 5.5. At this pH, the curds have formed together in such a way as to make it possible for them to be easily manipulated by hand. The following stage is for the curds (which are by now cheese like) to be immersed in hot water (or whey). Usually, before this, they are cut into balls. They are left until they float, a sign that most of the liquid has drained out of them. Finally, these balls need to be kneaded by machine or hand until they reach the right texture. They are then cut and shaped as desired to produce the final mozzarella. Often it is placed in brine to preserve it, but in any case, it is best consumed fresh, either on the day of production or in the next few days. This whole process is called, ‘Pasta Filata’ (Italian for ‘spun paste’) and as already mentioned is also used in the manufacture of other Italian cheeses. The cutting of curds used in the production method is also the origin of the name mozzarella as ‘mozza’ means ‘to cut’ and ‘rella’ is an ending that gives the sense of making something smaller. In other words, mozzarella is a little cut off the whole batch of cheese!

English Buffalo Mozzarella – An Unexpected Delicacy – Italian Cheeseaholic

It’s not just about Buffalo The process for producing mozzarella can, of course, be applied to any sort of milk. Outside of Italy buffaloes’ milk is not necessarily so easily available, not to mention the fact that it’s not just any type of buffalo milk that is used, but specifically water buffaloes’ milk. As a result, a lot of mozzarella is made using cows’ milk, producing a cheese which is called in Italian, “Fior di latte”. There are also regions of Italy where mozzarella is made using sheep’s milk and sometimes called, “mozzarellapecorella”. More recently, some mozzarella has been produced using goat’s milk in order to offer an alternative for those who have problems digesting cows’ milk. A few other terms that are good to know are ‘mozzarella affumicata’ which is mozzarella that has been smoked. Bocconcini are small balls of mozzarella and burrata, which is a ball of mozzarella with a cream filling.

Buffalo Mozzarella English style Although buffalo mozzarella is very much an Italian specialty, others have given ago to producing their own versions. One such attempt can be found at Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire, England. Here the owners have invested a lot in visiting Italy to learn some of the secrets of this renowned cheese and then setting up their own production of English buffalo mozzarella. The flavor, as well as the look of mozzarella, can be influenced by the diet of the animal from which the milk came from. At Laverstoke, they have been feeding their buffaloes on a special diet of a mixture of 31 herbs, grasses and clovers thus trying to instill in their English buffalo mozzarella a distinctive taste. Who knows, maybe one day it will rival the Italian variety for the crown of best mozzarella in the world.

English Buffalo Mozzarella – An Unexpected Delicacy – Italian Cheeseaholic

The Fresh Prince of cheeses Mozzarella is most certainly a popular cheese and not without good reason. There is a simplicity, yet elegance to its production. The ﬁnished product is best consumed as soon as possible adding a light, fresh taste to a host of diﬀerent dishes. It can even be enjoyed just like in Italy, sliced and eaten on its own. No matter what type of mozzarella you go for, you’re unlikely to be disappointed by this simple, but versatile cheese.

Even to those of us who aren’t fans of Italian food, the names of Italian Cheeses (at least a few of them!) are probably familiar. Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and Parmesan are famous Italian cheeses, known by many people throughout the world. However, these three are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Italian cheeses. Italy is the fourth largest cheese producing country in the world and there are estimates that Italy actually has over 450 varieties of cheese.

English Buffalo Mozzarella – An Unexpected Delicacy – Italian Cheeseaholic

Names of Italian Cheeses – A Linguistic Feast! – Italian Cheeseaholic

In this article, we will see very brieﬂy the origins of cheese production in Italy followed by some examples of Italian cheeses belonging to diﬀerent categories of cheese.

Names of Italian Cheeses – A Linguistic Feast! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Where it all began Nobody actually knows where or when cheese production began. Milk was almost certainly consumed many thousands of years ago, ever since humans started domesticating animals. In the Biblical book of Genesis, for example, Abel, one of the first humans to have ever lived, is reported to have offered some of his flock as sacrifices to God. Basic cheese is made by curdling milk using enzymes from animals’ stomachs. Animals’ stomachs themselves were used as storage and transportation containers for animal products. So more than likely, at some point in history people realized that milk being contained in animals’ stomachs was starting to turn into cheese. Over time cheese production developed. People began to devise methods to extract rennet (the enzymecontaining substance in animal stomachs that curdles milk) and use it to make cheese. Gradually, different types of cheese were produced using variations on the basic method. As time went by people also discovered that by allowing the cheese to mature in different ways, also resulted in different types of cheese. In any case, there are different ideas and claims about the origin and early development of cheese, but one thing is for sure, that by the time of the Roman Empire, cheese making was a well-spread art!

Roman Cheese Spread Obviously, due to its size and high level of civilization the Roman Empire had many lasting eﬀects on human society. Cheese was a popular food during Roman times and as a result, its consumption spread to many places, which had been conquered by the Romans and where previously cheese making was not so welldeveloped.

Names of Italian Cheeses – A Linguistic Feast! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Names of Italian Cheeses – A Linguistic Feast! – Italian Cheeseaholic More so than this, cheese being a popular Roman food led to the discovery throughout Italy of many techniques that could be used to produce all sorts of diﬀerent cheeses. Over the centuries these cheese making processes have been reﬁned and added to, resulting in the modern-day diversity of types of cheeses available in Italy.

It’s all in a name Classification of cheeses is a difficult business. One method used is based on the firmness of the cheese. In this case, soft cheeses refers to those that haven’t undergone a maturing process. The most famous example of this in terms of Italian cheese is mozzarella. This cheese is literally the product of the basic cheese making process and this is reflected in its name, which means ‘little cut’, as in a little cut off the curdled milk. A variation on mozzarella is burrata. This is another Italian soft cheese, made in exactly the same way as mozzarella, except that it is filled with butter or cream. This then explains the name as in Italian burrata means ‘buttered’.

A ﬁnal cheese worth mentioning in this category is Bocconcini. This cheese is in essence simply small balls of mozzarella. In Italian, its name simply means ‘small mouthfuls’.

Moving on up the scale The problem with the firmness scale as a measure for categorizing cheese is that firmness is a very subjective quality. There’s an obvious difference between something that is soft and hard. But in between, it’s hard to say if something is harder or softer. This in preciseness means that it is debatable where different cheeses go in the classification and different terms such as semi-soft, medium-hard, semi-hard are employed. In any case, a cheese which is most certainly harder than mozzarella, but not hard compared to some other cheeses, is Gorgonzola. It is an Italian blue cheese, which means that it is matured in such a way as to allow mold to develop, thus giving the cheese a blue element to its color and a very distinctive flavor. The name Gorgonzola comes from a town near Milan, which claims to be the origin of this cheese.

Names of Italian Cheeses – A Linguistic Feast! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Names of Italian Cheeses – A Linguistic Feast! – Italian Cheeseaholic Finally, we reach the hard cheese category, the king of which is Parmigiano-Reggiano. Quite possible you have never heard of this cheese, but actually, you probably have, just under a different name. Parmigiano-Reggiano is the true name for Parmesan cheese. In fact, according to European Law, the name Parmesan can only be used to describe Parmigiano-Reggiano, whereas in other parts of the world Parmesan is often the name for various different cheese that are approximations of Parmigiano-Reggiano. This is a very hard cheese, so much so that although it can be eaten on its own, it is usually added to pasta, soups or salads by grating. It has a strong flavor, so is a seasoning for these other foods. The name refers to Parma and Reggio Emilia, which are the two main areas of Italy in which it is produced.

Only the beginning In this article, we have seen a little about the origins of cheese in Italy and we have very briefly become acquainted with a few of the most famous names in Italian cheese. There really are many more Italian cheeses, which we can discuss on another occasion. Just to mention a few in passing to whet your appetite before we close though: Asiago, a semi-hard cheese, which is good for grating in its aged form and in sandwiches when fresh. Caciocavallo is a medium-soft cheese produced in a manner similar to mozzarella except that the cheese is formed into balls and tied in twos after production. These pairs are then hung to dry and mature. This is possibly the origin of the name which translates as “horse cheese”, as the cheeses are saddled up and left to age. The cheese itself has a sharp taste. Provolone is another cheese produced using the same method as mozzarella, except that the final product is semi-hard due to the cheese being left to age. For provolone dolce (sweet provolone) the aging process is two to three months and for provolone piccante (sharp or spicy provolone) the process is at least four months. This cheese has a claim to fame as it is the cheese used in the USA in Philadelphia Cheesesteak sandwiches. In this day and age, healthy eating is a big deal. Advancements in scientific knowledge and research mean that more and more is known and can be surmised about the possible health benefits and drawbacks of different foods. This can create a dilemma for most cheese lovers, as the high sodium and saturated fat content of many kinds of cheese are often deemed to be detrimental to health. In this article, we are going to think a little about this, but focus more on the issue of calories and concentrate on the specific example of calories in provolone cheese.

Calories, things are starting to heat up

Names of Italian Cheeses – A Linguistic Feast! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Calories in Provolone Cheese – A Recurring Dilemma – Italian Cheeseaholic

Calories are a unit of energy often used when we talk about food. There are a few diﬀerent scientiﬁc considerations when discussing exactly what calories mean, to do with atmospheric pressure and starting temperature, but put simply the so-called food calorie (Cal) is the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. For us human beings, calorie intake is an important measure related to our health and well-being. This is due to the fact that calorie consumption is closely related to our weight. If we take more calories into our bodies than the energy we consume in our daily activities, we will begin to gain weight. This is because the fat, protein or carbohydrates containing this energy are not used up and therefore are deposited in our bodies. Conversely, if we take into our bodies fewer calories than we use in our daily activities, we will start to lose weight as the excess material deposited in our bodies will begin to be burned up in order to produce the extra calories that we need.

Calories in Provolone Cheese – A Recurring Dilemma – Italian Cheeseaholic

Provolone, a cheesy example

Provolone is a semi-hard Italian cheese. It is produced using the pasta filata method, often known as stretched curd method in English. This involves the milk being curdled, often by mixing with whey extract and rennet, an enzyme containing substance from animal stomachs. The curds are then cut, excess whey is drained off and left to rest. After this, the curds are soaked for several hours in a bath of hot whey or water, until they float, which indicates that the majority of the excess liquid in them has been removed. The final step in the process is for the curds to be kneaded until they reach the desired consistency, usually a soft, elastic ball. In the case of some cheeses, such as mozzarella, the production process is essentially complete at this stage. However, for provolone, the cheese is now put through an aging process, with different variations depending on what the desired final product is. With regard to calories, it is estimated that a one-ounce slice (that’s 28.35 grams for those of us on the metric system!) of provolone cheese contains 98 calories. To put this in context, an average sized 35-year-old female would need to walk for 27 mins, jog for 11 mins or swim for 8 minutes to burn up this amount of energy.

Health, it’s not just about the calories Judging by the above-mentioned information, it’s not going to be a good idea to eat too much provolone cheese each day. Just one slice requires a reasonable amount of physical activity to burn it oﬀ. However, when we think about the healthiness of particular foods, there are a number of other factors to take into consideration.

Calories in Provolone Cheese – A Recurring Dilemma – Italian Cheeseaholic

Calories in Provolone Cheese – A Recurring Dilemma – Italian Cheeseaholic On the negative side, it is also important to think about how much saturated fat and sodium a particular food contains. High saturated fat intake is generally associated with heart disease and high sodium intake is linked to blood pressure problems. Our above-mentioned provolone slice doesn’t do too well on either of these counts either, although it’s not completely disastrous. A one-ounce slice of provolone contains approximately 2.9 grams of saturated fat (roughly 15% of the daily recommended intake for an average person) and 149 milligrams of sodium (about 6% of the recommended daily intake). Once again, these are obviously both quite high if someone consumes a lot of provolone per day. However, they are not desperately large if provolone consumption is moderate and combined with other foods.

The upside of cheese When thinking about cheese, there are also a number of potential positive benefits of consuming it. Cheese is a source of calcium and protein, both important parts of a healthy diet, as well as a number of vitamins and minerals, also important in the human diet, such as vitamin A, B12, riboflavin, zinc and phosphorous. There is some evidence that cheese reduces acidity in the mouth when eaten, and as such could help prevent tooth decay caused by acid produced from eating sugary products. There are also some suggestions from different studies that cheese may help people lose weight, protect against certain cancers and even be good for your heart. However, a lot of this research is non-conclusive.

The primary and most likely beneﬁt from cheese is then the high calcium and protein content, which can be good for teeth and bones and muscle function.

Calories in Provolone Cheese – A Recurring Dilemma – Italian Cheeseaholic

It’s all about moderation At the end of the day, a cheese lover is faced with something of a dilemma. There are a few potential health benefits of eating cheese, but as we have seen the high saturated fat and sodium content of cheeses such as provolone, not to mention their high-calorie count, mean that there are also potential negative effects of eating cheese. There’s a saying that goes ‘you can’t have too much of a good thing’, although this would seem not to be true in the case of cheeses. That being said, there’s also another wise phrase which goes, ‘all things in moderation’. It would appear then that this is the best approach when it comes to enjoying provolone and indeed many other kinds of cheese. Enjoy them by all mean, but use them more as a flavoring or accompaniment to a meal rather than the main thing. Eat more of strong tasting varieties, such as provolone piccante, so that you can use less, but still sense the flavor. Finally, look for reduced fat versions of your favorite cheeses or eat lesser of them and complement them with other lower fat types of cheese.

Cheesemaking is big business. In 2014 for example, the world production of cheese from cow’s milk was estimated at 18.7 million tonnes. Now that’s a lot of cheese and it doesn’t even include many other types of cheese that are also produced. Obviously, with such a large scale of cheese production going on in the world, there are going to be many types of cheese produced and within these cheeses, there is a going to exist a whole range of diﬀering qualities. Certain places are particularly known for producing quality cheeses. France, Switzerland, and Holland, to name but three, all have a good reputation in the cheese world. Arguably though, Italy produces some of the bestloved cheeses around. Famous cheeses can often come at a price. In this article, we are going to think about why this is and whether cheap Italian cheese is really worth it.

Calories in Provolone Cheese – A Recurring Dilemma – Italian Cheeseaholic

Cheap Italian Cheese – A cheese lover’s dream! – Italian Cheeseaholic

It’s all about where it’s from The quality of products is often closely associated with their origin. Indeed, in the Russian language, the expression ‘Chinese’ is actually used to describe a product that breaks easily. In the case of cheese, there are a number of types of cheese that have a good reputation and certain countries and areas of the world that renowned for their cheese production. For this reason, Italian cheeses are often labeled DOP, which stands for ‘Denominazione di Origine Protetta’. In English, this translates as ‘Protected Designation of Origin’. It refers to the fact that according to European Law, certain cheeses can only be produced in particular regions of Italy. In other words, cheeses bearing a DOP label are in effect certified as having been made in a specific region, using traditional methods. The taste and quality of a cheese are obviously going to be greatly influenced by the way it is made. As well as this, they can also be affected by the location in which the cheese is made. This is because the properties of the milk from which the cheese is made will differ depending on the diet, and even the general environment in which the cow or another animal that has produced the milk, has lived in. These DOP cheeses are going to be more expensive than other more locally produced ‘Italian’ cheeses as they have a stamp of authenticity plus transportation costs due to the very specific region in which they can be produced.

Cheap Italian Cheese – A cheese lover’s dream! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Parmesan, not quite what you might expect Parmesan is one of the best known Italian cheeses. It is used all over the world, particularly in grated form to flavour pasta dishes. The name Parmesan is the English way of describing something from the city of Parma, which is in one of the regions of Italy where this type of cheese was first produced. The cheese its self is grainy and crumbly, with a crystalline structure formed over a period of ageing. It can be aged for different lengths of time to produce slightly different textures and flavours. In the European Union, the name Parmesan can only be used to refer to a DOP cheese produced in a certain region of Italy. For this reason, cheese llabelledParmesan is usually quite expensive. However, there are other cheeses available that are cheaper and are similar to authentic Parmesan cheese. Some of these cheaper alternative cheeses are probably not very high quality, but that’s not necessarily the case for all of them. In the USA, the use of the name Parmesan is not regulated, so a cheese labeled Parmesan could be the authentic DOP variety or a cheaper alternative. In taste tests, almost every time the DOP Parmesan came out the winner. The one exception was Sarvecchio cheese made in Wisconsin, which was close to the authentic Italian version.

Parmigiano-Reggiano, the real deal The Italian name for Parmesan cheese is Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is the Italian way of saying ‘from Parma’ and ‘from Reggio Emilia’, another Italian city also in a region where Parmesan cheese was historically produced.

Cheap Italian Cheese – A cheese lover’s dream! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Cheap Italian Cheese – A cheese lover’s dream! – Italian Cheeseaholic The production of DOP Parmigiano-Reggiano is closely monitored thus ensuring a quality product. The cows from which the milk comes are fed a strict diet of local grass and natural animal feed. The milk itself is processed fresh and by a skilled cheesemaker. 14 liters of milk is used to produce one kilogram of cheese. In other words, around 550 liters of milk go into making just one wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano. The cheese is handmade and during the aging process independently quality controlled by the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese consortium. As you might expect, this detailed and controlled production method guarantees a good ﬁnal product but also means a higher price.

Getting the most out of your cheese From this discussion, we can see that cheap Italian cheese actually comes at a price. In the case of Parmesan cheese, cheaper versions, have probably gone through a less strict production process and so are likely to be of a lower quality. Indeed, in America, it is allowed that Parmesan cheese have up to 4% cellulose added to them as an anti-caking agent. Such details as this obviously reduce the quality of the cheese. For someone on a tight budget then, simply buying the cheapest cheese available is not necessarily the best option. It’s best to buy from the deli counter a wedge of cheese cut from a wheel, rather than grated cheese from the supermarket aisle. The wedge of cheese might be more expensive, but it will be higher quality meaning you can use less to achieve the same ﬂavoursome results. Overall then, the extra money will be worth it. A second thing to do is to be careful about which company has produced the cheese. There was once a case of Pennsylvania cheese manufacturer, whose Parmesan cheese was actually found to contain no Parmesan! Investigate the company and brand of cheese and go for the cheaper alternatives that are nevertheless made by reputable companies, such as the Sarveccio mentioned above.

You get what you pay for Cheap Italian Cheese – A cheese lover’s dream! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Cheap Italian Cheese – A cheese lover’s dream! – Italian Cheeseaholic There’s a saying, ‘you get what you pay for’ and this seems to be the case for cheese. As we have seen, there is cheaper Parmesan cheese for example, but they are lower quality. I recommend investing a little more in buying DOP Parmesan cheese or at least cheese from reputable producers. The extra cost will be well worth it as the cheese will be better quality and in the long term, you will probably use less and so recuperate some of the extra money. If you would like to try a selection of Italian cheeses, click here. Feel free to share any comments below:

Veganism is the practice of not eating any animal related products. It can be taken a step further and include not using any products, which contain material taken from animals. This is something more than standard vegetarianism, which is generally just not eating meat. Indeed, the term vegan was born in 1944 when some members of the Vegetarian Society in Great Britain decided to give up dairy products as well and formed the word ‘vegan’ by abbreviating ‘vegetarian’, in order to refer to their new approach to eating.

Cheap Italian Cheese – A cheese lover’s dream! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Vegan Substitute for Parmesan Cheese – A way for everyone to enjoy the bene ts of parmesan! – Italian Cheeseaholic There are a number of reasons why people adopt veganism. One of the main ones is due to the potential health beneﬁts of consuming a natural, low-fat diet based on plant products. There could be other reasons, such as in the case of people who react badly to certain animal-based products (for example lactose found in milk) and so need to avoid eating them. Some people want to ﬁght against cruelty to animals, to promote a green lifestyle, or simply belong to a religious group that believes in veganism. Whatever the reasons for veganism, one thing’s for sure and that’s that it’s on the rise! Statistics show that many countries in the world have at least a small percent of the population who are vegan. In Great Britain for example, the number of vegans has grown from 150,000 in 2006 to 542,000 in 2016. Obviously, if someone converts to a vegan diet it will mean giving up a lot of the foods that they enjoy and are used to eating. However, these days, due to the popularity of veganism there exist many plants based alternative foods that people can include in their diets. Following on, we are going to look at just one example, that of a vegan substitute for Parmesan cheese. Click here to try a diary free cheese sauce!

Parmesan, the king of cheese toppings Parmesan is a cheese well-known for its use in grated form as a topping for many dishes in order to add ﬂavor. The authentic Italian version of Parmesan cheese is called, ‘Parmigiano-Reggiano‘. This is a hard cheese, which has been produced for hundreds of years in certain regions of Italy. Its hardest and crystalline texture combined with strong pleasant taste is what makes it is ideal for grating and adding to dishes as a ﬂavoring.

Vegan Substitute for Parmesan Cheese – A way for everyone to enjoy the bene ts of parmesan! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Vegan Substitute for Parmesan Cheese – A way for everyone to enjoy the bene ts of parmesan! – Italian Cheeseaholic Buying original Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese produced in Italy can be expensive due to a number of reasons; it can only be produced by manufacturers in certain regions of Italy; it undergoes a traditional, well-controlled manufacturing process and ﬁnally, once made has to be shipped out all over the world for sale. As a result of this, a number of cheaper alternative Parmigiano-Reggiano style cheese exist, which are cheaper and generically known as Parmesan cheese. Unfortunately for vegans, both Parmigiano-Reggiano and these other Parmesan cheeses are all oﬀ limits as they are made using cows’ milk. However, the good news is that a number of plant-based alternative Parmesan cheeses exist.

Soybeans to the rescue.

Soybeans were cultivated in East Asia long before records even began and gradually over the centuries their cultivation has spread throughout the world. Initially, their use was more for practical purposes, such as in crop rotation due to the fact that the soybean plants helped renitrogenese soil. Also, they were used in animal feed. Gradually though, people been to discover and appreciate their many other uses as a food substance. Soybeans are an excellent source of protein and can be used as a meat substitute due to the fact that they contain a good spread of proteins, such that by consuming them someone obtains the proteins they need without having to worry too much about eating other foods. For this reason, they are a good option for vegans who are in danger of lacking proteins in their diet as a result of not eating meat or dairy products. By boiling soybeans and then ﬁltering the product soy milk can be produced. Yogurt or a yogurt starter can then be added to this milk, which after being left to stand in a warm place, will start to separate into liquid and solid, mimicking the process of curdling cheese. The curd produced can be used just like any other cheese, giving rise to, amongst other things, the possibility of Parmesan cheese suitable for vegans.

Almonds, a nutty alternative Vegan Substitute for Parmesan Cheese – A way for everyone to enjoy the bene ts of parmesan! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Vegan Substitute for Parmesan Cheese – A way for everyone to enjoy the bene ts of parmesan! – Italian Cheeseaholic As well as beans such as soy, nuts are also a good source of protein for vegans. This is good news for vegan cheese lovers as nuts can be very easily blended into a cheese-like food that can be used in many ways. In the case of almonds, they are simply blanched (that is to say boiled brieﬂy in water and then cooled and the skin removed), and then blended in a blender with nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder until a ﬁne powder is formed. This can then be stored and used to sprinkle on food as an excellent alternative to Parmesan cheese.

Cashews, a nutty alternative to the nutty alternative The above mentioned Parmesan cheese using almonds can just as easily be made using cashew nuts. The method and ingredients are identical except that cashews replace the almonds and so the process is slightly simpler as the cashews don’t need to be blanched. It is even possible to use a mixture of blanched almonds and cashews to produce a nut combination Parmesan.

No need for vegans to miss out As we have seen, it is quite possible for vegans to enjoy the taste of Parmesan cheese on pasta, pizzas and the like. There are a number of commercial products available that imitate well Parmesan cheese, but use plantbased ingredients such as soybean, almonds or cashews. Those of us, who for whatever reason are following a vegan diet can try out some of these commercial products to see which one is most to their liking. But, as these vegan substitute Parmesan cheese are so easy to make, it’s also worth trying to make your own at home. By experimenting you can come up with your perfect combination and never have to miss out on that Parmesan cheese goodness again! Feel free to leave below any experiences or suggestions you have regarding alternative Parmesans. By clicking on the link below you can aslo try some cheese sauce made from cashews:

Vegan Substitute for Parmesan Cheese – A way for everyone to enjoy the bene ts of parmesan! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Asiago Cheese Alternatives -The Diversity of Italian Cheese – Italian Cheeseaholic

Over the centuries Italy has developed a rich cheesemaking tradition. As a result, there are very many types of Italian cheese. Although each Italian cheese is unique due to the speciﬁc method used to produce it and subtle diﬀerences in milk and other ingredients, there are also similarities between the cheeses. Asiago is one of the most popular Italian cheeses. In this article we are going to learn a bit about it, but also some Asiago cheese alternatives that can be used in a similar way.

Asiago, a cheese of two faces Asiago is a cheese, which in its original, authentic form, is made in the alpine area of northern Italy. There are two types, which are produced and are different to each other. The first one is Asiago Pressato (pressed). This name refers to the fact that in the production process the cheese is pressed to get out as much remaining moisture as possible. The resulting cheese has only a short maturing period of 20 to 40 days. The final product is soft, elastic and had a yellowish color.

Asiago Cheese Alternatives -The Diversity of Italian Cheese – Italian Cheeseaholic

Asiago Cheese Alternatives -The Diversity of Italian Cheese – Italian Cheeseaholic The second type is Asiago d’Allevo (raised up i.e. aged). This cheese has a slightly different method of production, but the main difference is that it is left to age for longer. It can be left for anything from 3 months to more than 18 months to produce Mezzano (middle), Vechio (old) or Stravechio (very old) varieties. These cheeses are much harder and crumblier than the pressato and offer varying tastes. The Asiago Pressato is a good cheese for slicing and adding to sandwiches. The Asiago d’Allevo varieties or on the other hand much harder cheeses so lend themselves to grating and use primarily as a flavoring for various different dishes.

Grana Padano, an Asiago rival! Grana Padano can be seen as a close neighbor to Asiago cheese, both literally and figuratively. It originated from a region of Italy not far from where Asiago cheese originated. Like Asiago it can be aged to three different degrees, producing three different types of hard cheese. These all have a crumbly, grainy texture hence the name ‘Grana’. Due to its hardness, Grana Padano is also mainly used as a grating cheese, although there are a number of dishes that use it as a side or even main ingredient. In terms of production, it is made using cows’ milk, at least some of which has been skimmed. The cows are pasteurized in a region of Italy not far from those whose milk is used for Asiago thus both final cheese products have a similar taste. As a result, if Asiago cheese is not available or if you want to try something a little different, Grana Padano can readily be used as a substitute for Asiago d’Allevo, the hard version of Asiago cheese. Grana Padano is specifically produced as a hard cheese, so isn’t, however, going to be able to replace Asiago Pressato as a sandwich cheese.

Asiago Cheese Alternatives -The Diversity of Italian Cheese – Italian Cheeseaholic

Provolone to the sandwich rescue

If you are looking for an alternative to the soft, sweeter Asiago Pressato cheese, provolone dolce is a good option. Provolone cheese is also manufactured in Northern Italy, particularly in the North East. It is however made slightly diﬀerently to Asiago. The cheese curd is from full-fat milk and it is kneaded before being hung up to dry and age, as opposed to Asiago which is cut when in curd form, placed in a cylindrical wheel metal container and pressed to get out excess moisture. Provolone can be aged for just a few months to produce provolone dolce, a mild, sweet tasting cheese which is a good alternative to Asiago Pressato. There is also Provolone Piccante, which is provolone that has been aged for longer. It has a stronger, distinctive less sweet taste, but is not So crumbly and so is not such a good replacement for Asiago d’Allevo.

Pecorino Romano and other less well-known options Pecorino Romano is another famous Italian hard cheese. It is made from sheep’s milk ( hence the name pecorino which means sheep in Italian) and originated it in the countryside around Rome, which is where the Romano part of the name comes from. It is a cheese that keeps for a very long time and as such was a popular food ration for Roman soldiers in ancient times. Pecorino Romano has a sharp, salty taste and due to its hardness, its main use is as a grating cheese to give flavour to different dishes. In this sense, it can be used as an alternative to Asiago d’Allevo in dishes that need some extra flavour.

Asiago Cheese Alternatives -The Diversity of Italian Cheese – Italian Cheeseaholic

Asiago Cheese Alternatives -The Diversity of Italian Cheese – Italian Cheeseaholic Another less well-known Italian cheese, which could work well as an alternative to Asiago d’allevo is Baita Friuli. This is also a hard cheese with a salty, sharp taste, but it is produced in smaller quantities, and so ages faster. A batch can be ready in as little as 5 to 6 months thus lessening production costs. A vegan solution that could be used in the place of Asiago d’Allevo and indeed the various other cheeses mentioned above, which are obviously milk based and so not animal product free, is nutritional yeast flakes. Nutritional yeast is simply a yeast culture that has been heated to kill the active bacteria and then dried to produce yeast flakes. These flakes have a strong flavour, not unlike many of the cheeses mentioned above, so can be added as a vegan suitable flavoring to many dishes in place of grated cheese. Two other natural, non-dairy alternatives to flavour various different dishes would be seasoned breadcrumbs or even more natural, diced oil-cured olives. Both of these can be sprinkled on or into foods to give extra taste.

Trial and error make perfect. Overall then, we have seen that there are many alternatives to using Asiago cheese, both based on using other cheeses or even just non-dairy based products to give flavour. This means that by trying out different options, various enhancements can be made to dishes, either for the sake of variety or just to be able to get around the problem of not having Asiago cheese or finding it for sale in the local supermarket.

Asiago Cheese Alternatives -The Diversity of Italian Cheese – Italian Cheeseaholic

Where to Get Real Parmigiano Reggiano – Italian Cheeseaholic

We human beings like to categorize everything. From best to worst, from biggest to smallest, from cheapest to most expensive, you name we’ve got a category for it. The world of cheese is no exception. Many paragraphs could be written discussing the smelliest, tastiest or most expensive cheeses, or making top ten lists of such. However, when it comes to the category of the world’s best cheese there is already an unofficial champion, who in many people’s books, makes such pontifications unnecessary. Our champion is non-other than Parmigiano Reggiano, otherwise nicknamed the king of cheeses. Is this status justified? Following on, we will look briefly at this cheese and try to understand how it got such lofty position in the world of cheeses and see where to get real Parmigiano Reggiano.

Where to Get Real Parmigiano Reggiano – Italian Cheeseaholic

Where did Parmigiano Reggiano come from? The question about origins can be a tricky one to answer in many cases, such as embarrassed parents discussing with their oﬀspring about the origin of a new baby brother or sister, or the many heated debates that rage about the origin of the universe or life on Earth. When it comes to cheese though their origins are not usually quite so embarrassing or hotly debated. That being said, it can still be diﬃcult to know the exact details of how certain cheese came into being.

In the case of Parmigiano Reggiano, it is believed that monks around the Parma area (hence the Parmigiano, meaning ’of Parma’) first started making a hard cheese by maturing the solid extract from cow’s milk as many as 800 or even 900 years ago. It is believed that this forerunner to Parmigiano Reggiano was not very different to the modern variety, thus it can be claimed that Parmigiano Reggiano has been a prominent cheese for at least nine centuries. The first recorded mention of Parmigiano Reggiano is in a 1254 document in which a noblewoman from Genoa trades her house for a guaranteed annual supply of 53 pounds (24 kg) of this cheese. From then on, there are many historical and literary mentions using various different names. One famous one is in the 1351 work called, ”Decamerone” by Giovanni Boccaccio. Here a fictitious land of food named Bengodi is described, which includes a mountain of grated Parmigiano cheese! (Now, that truly would be paradise!).

How is it made? Now, maybe you are wondering about the signiﬁcance of the Reggiano part of the cheese’s name. This refers to the town of Reggio Emilia, which is not far from Parma. In the area between both towns, a very similar hard cheese was produced. Over time, it’s production spread to a few other local areas. Since 1954, cheese makers in these areas joined together to form the ’Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano’. This is an alliance, which standardised the production of Parmigiano Reggiano and ensures that until this day strictly controlled traditional methods are used to produce the cheese. There are in essence only three ingredients, milk, salt and rennet (enzymes that initiate a process that separates the solid and liquid part of the milk).

Where to Get Real Parmigiano Reggiano – Italian Cheeseaholic

Where to Get Real Parmigiano Reggiano – Italian Cheeseaholic Local cows are milked twice a day (a rule is that the milk has to reach the factory where the cheese is made in under two hours). Each mornings’ milk intake is mixed with skimmed milk from the previous evenings’ milking. This milk combination is poured into copper bell-shaped vats and has rennet plus the previous days’ whey (the liquid produced as a result of separating the solids out of milk) added. In around 10 minutes the milk coagulates, in other words, the solids start to separate out. A special tool called a ’Spino’ (sort of like a large whisk with a long, wooden handle) is used to mix the solution. It breaks down the curd (solid milk) into small granules. This milk solution is heated to up to 55 degrees Celsius, which causes the milk granules to sink to the bottom of the vat and to form one, big solid mass. This mass is skillfully removed by a cheese maker and cut into two parts. Each half is wrapped in a special cloth and put into a wheel-shaped container, which will be the cheese’s home for the next few days until it has started to become dry and ﬁrm. The ﬁnal step is for the cheese to spend a period in a bath of salt water, in order to absorb the salt that preserves them. This salted cheese wheel is then placed in a maturation room, where it will sit for many months until it has reached the desired hardness.

A Quality Product As you can see, this is a relatively simple process. Two of the main factors that are inﬂuencing the quality of the cheese is the milk that it is being made from and the conditions in which the cheese is produced and matured. Along the way, the production process is strictly controlled to ensure a quality product. The cows, from which the milk is taken, are fed only on local grasses. The milk is quality controlled before use. Each cheese is given a unique number, which allows it to be traced and quality controlled. After 12 months in the maturation room, all cheeses are inspected and only those that pass the test, are allowed to remain and be matured and sold.

Where to Get Real Parmigiano Reggiano – Italian Cheeseaholic

The End of the line

The final products are cheeses that have been matured for at least 18, 22 or 30 months. All are granular in structure and crumbly, but each has a distinctive taste. They can be eaten on their own, as an accompaniment to different foods and drinks, but in particular, they shine as cheeses to grate onto many dishes to add flavouring.

A true champion Overall then, Parmigiano Reggiano, is a cheese with a rich history and due to the great care taken in monitoring its production, the consumer can have conﬁdence they are getting a quality product. The cheese itself is versatile, with diﬀerent uses and as we have seen is produced naturally, without additives, resulting in a tasty, easy to digest cheese. It’s not hard to see why Parmigiano Reggiano has been nicknamed the king of cheeses! There are many imitations of Parmigiano Reggiano, but you can get real Parmigiano Reggiano here.

Where to Get Real Parmigiano Reggiano – Italian Cheeseaholic

Casu Marzu, the cheese that’s alive! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Oftentimes, we think of things getting worse with age. How much money is spent for example on beauty treatments to firm up and smooth out wrinkled skin or on products to restore lost hair. This is true in many cases when we talk about food. Given the choice, most people would prefer a fresh loaf of bread compared to a hard and dried up one from a couple of days before, or recently picked fruit as opposed to fruit harvested many days previously, which is already starting to go bad. Milk and milk products can though buck this trend. Usually, we think of old milk as being spoilt, but actually if watched over carefully, milk can become something tasty and healthy in the form of sour milk. Beyond this, cheese is perhaps one of the best examples of something that generally speaking improves with age. We could say that there’s no such thing as old cheese, there’s just mature cheese! The aging ( or maybe more rightly termed maturing process) adds not only flavour to cheese, but it changes it’s consistency and structure, often making it suitable for different uses, such as grating, plus preserving it and concentrating its nutritional value. One particularly interesting example is Casu Marzu, an Italian cheese which is ‚matured’ in a very notable and debatable way.

An Im-pecorino Start Casu Marzu actually begins life as a diﬀerent cheese called, “Pecorino Sardo”. Pecora in Italian means sheep and so “Pecorino” is a family of cheese made from sheep’s milk. The “Sardo” refers to “of Sardinia”, in other words, “Pecorino Sardo” is a sheep’s milk cheese from Sardinia.

Casu Marzu, the cheese that’s alive! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Casu Marzu, the cheese that’s alive! – Italian Cheeseaholic The Pecorino cheeses can be matured for diﬀerent lengths of time in order to produce cheeses that range from soft to hard and crumbly. Cheese which has been left for 20 to 60 days forms a thin rind, is straw coloured and has a sweet taste. Alternatively, by leaving the cheese to mature for at least 120 days, a darker rind is formed, the cheese itself becomes straw-coloured and the taste is now strong and slightly spicy. Whatever the variety, these Pecorino Sardo cheeses are pleasant cheeses with many diﬀerent uses. One might say that they are impeccable. However, there is a further method that can be used to mature them, producing what is known as Casu Marzu.

A step too far? Once a nice wheel of Pecorino cheese has been obtained, it would be tempting to think that the cheesemaker’s work is done and now the time has come either to enjoy the cheese himself or to make a little profit by selling it. In Sardinia, though this is not necessarily the case. At some point in the past it was discovered that by removing part of the rind of the Pecorino cheese and then leaving outside, the cheese becomes infested with small white worms. These are the larvae of the so-called ‘cheese fly’, a little insect that loves to lay its eggs in cheese (not to mention meats and fish). The eggs hatch resulting in the cheese becoming full of the white worms, which begin to eat away at the cheese. Not, you might imagine, the best of situations. However, as it happens, the worms simply break down the fat in the cheese, causing it to become softer and slightly liquidy. The cheese itself remains edible and in terms of taste, many would say that it is actually improved rathered than harmed in spite of the presence of the little invaders.

Who Would Have Thought of That! On first hearing, it is hard to believe that people came up with the process for making Casu Marzu, let alone began eating it. With a little meditation though on the subject, a possible explanation is not too difficult. Perhaps in the past, when fridges weren’t around, some poor peasants in Sardinia found that their last block of Pecorino cheese had become infested by maggots and started to decay. However, due to hunger and poverty preventing them from finding an alternative, they just went for it and ate the cheese anyway. They were probably pleasantly surprised to find that the cheese still tasted good, arguably better than before, and not suffering any serious ill effects afterwards, decided that in the future a good way to make the most of old Pecorino cheese is to let it decay into Casu Marzu. A Dangerous Delicacy

Casu Marzu, the cheese that’s alive! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Casu Marzu, the cheese that’s alive! – Italian Cheeseaholic Maybe in the past, people consumed Casu Marzu as a result of not having any choice. In this day and age though we are often much more health and hygiene conscience when it comes to our diets. Because of this, a cheese that contains live worms is probably not everybody’s cup of tea. Indeed, it is debatable if the cheese is even legal due to the fact that it’s production breaks many hygiene rules. The main health risk of Casu Marzu is that the worms might survive the ingestion process and continue to live in a person’s intestines as parasites. For this reason, the worms can be killed before consuming the cheese either by refrigeration or by sealing the cheese in an airtight bag to starve the worms of oxygen. Ironically, a sign that the cheese itself is safe to eat is the fact that the worms in it are still alive. If the worms have died naturally, it shows that the cheese has gone too far down the road in the decay process, and so isn’t ﬁt for human consumption anymore

Try it if You Dare! The very name of this cheese makes it not sound very appetising. ‘Casu’ is a word that means cheese and ‘Marzu’ means rotten or putrid. Arguably, not the ﬁrst thing that you would want to go for on a restaurant’s menu or to accompany your dinner after a long day’s work. That being said, in Sardinia at least there is a long tradition of making and eating Casu Marzu, so it can’t be all bad. Personally, I haven’t tried this cheese and would have to think twice about whether I would if given the opportunity, but for those of us with a strong stomach and an appetite for adventure, it might be worth a go!

Casu Marzu, the cheese that’s alive! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Gorgonzola Origin – Italian Cheeseaholic

Undoubtedly, one of the Italian cheeses that most people have heard of is Gorgonzola. The name itself is certainly ear-catching and one to remember. It might sound like it would be better suited to a mythical monster, but as we shall see, it is actually quite fitting to this particular cheese and not without reason. The cheese is definitely monster sized in terms of its production, with over 4 million wheels produced every year, leading to a multi-million dollar industry. However, the thing that makes Gorgonzola stand out is its appearance. Its soft white, crumbly frame is laced with blue threads, or veins, which at first glance might give the impression that something is not quite right. However, once tasted, both cheese lover and ordinary Joe alike can rest assured that everything is most certainly in order. In the following few paragraphs we will find out a little bit more about the Gorgonzola origin and why it can definitely claim to belong to cheese royalty!

A town somewhere in Italy

Gorgonzola Origin – Italian Cheeseaholic

Gorgonzola Origin – Italian Cheeseaholic As already mentioned, the name Gorgonzola is a bit of a mouthful and raises the question, where such a name would have come from. The very simple answer is that there is a town in Italy, just outside of Milan, which goes by the very name of Gorgonzola. As to where the town itself got the name, there is some debate. Most probably it was a corruption over time of a diﬀerent name, “Curte Argentia” and “Concordia” being two possible candidates. At some point in time, the town was obviously associated with the cheese and the name got passed on. Indeed, it would not seem unreasonable to presume that Gorgonzola cheese originated in the town of Gorgonzola, although this claim is disputed by other towns, such as neighbouring Pasturo.

The Monster Lives

Many a Hollywood blockbuster has been centred around the creation or discovery of all sorts of monsters. Gorgonzola cheese itself could be considered a bit of a monster in the cheese world, due to its slightly odd appearance of crumbly white cheese interspersed with greenish blue lines. These coloured streaks are caused by a mould called, “Penicillium Glaucum”, which is introduced into the cheese during the production process. When we think about mould, we usually consider it to be something bad and inedible. How often do you see a mouldy piece of fruit and think to yourself, “Hmmh, looks like a tasty treat”? For most sane people, that would be a not very. In the case of Penicillium Glaucum, things nevertheless are a little diﬀerent. This is a mould which doesn’t develop bacterial contamination. In other words, it doesn’t contain any harmful bacteria, so is perfectly safe for humans to eat. In fact, some might say that it’s actually quite tasty! The upshot of all this is that by adding this mould to the cheese, rather than spoiling the product, the result is actually the complete opposite. The mould stimulates the ripening of the cheese curd, which results in what we know as Gorgonzola!

Gorgonzola Origin – Italian Cheeseaholic

Who would have thought of that! When one thinks about making cheese, probably the artificial introduction of mould is not the first technique that comes to mind! Indeed, the anti-bacterial properties of Penicillium Glaucum were first noticed only in 1874 by Sir William Roberts, a physician from Manchester, so evidently, the origins of Gorgonzola lie more in the natural introduction of the mould, rather than any artificial efforts. As should be the case for all good cheeses, the appearance of Gorgonzola is often linked to a love story. The tale goes that one time a young cheesemaker was so distracted by a young lady that he accidentally left the cheese curds he was working on, out to drain overnight. The next morning, in an attempt to cover up his mistake, he mixed these curds in with the morning’s fresh batch. After a few weeks of aging, he noticed that the cheese he was making had a blueish colour throughout. Bravely he gave it a tasted and discovered that he had accidentally created the first Gorgonzola! Whether or not the first person to make Gorgonzola was a star-struck young lover remains to be seen, but in any case, the principle of this story is probably far from the truth. By leaving out cheese curds overnight in an area such as that around the town of Gorgonzola, was a way to natural introduce mould that lived in the vicinity into the cheese. Historically this part of Italy had a large production of milk, so at some point (probably by the 11th century) people realised that leaving out excess cheese curd overnight and then missing it in the following morning with fresh curd resulted in blue cheese.

Back to the Modern Day

Since these early days of Gorgonzola production, the techniques and methods have become much more reﬁned. These days it is rarely made by mixing in overnight curds with morning fresh curds. Rather it is made from a single batch of milk, to which either the mould Penicillium Glaucum or Penicillium roqueforti (very similar and used in the production of many blue cheeses). Once the cheese curd is extracted from the milk and put into a container, it is left to age. During the aging process, it is pierced with metal rods to allow air to enter. This air is then used by the mould to grow, causing the aging of the cheese and the spread of the blue mould throughout it.

Gorgonzola Origin – Italian Cheeseaholic

Gorgonzola Origin – Italian Cheeseaholic Two types of Gorgonzola are generally manufactured, the diﬀerence between them being the length of aging. The younger one is called, ‘Gorgonzola Dolce’ and is sweeter and softer. The older version is called, ‘Gorgonzola Piccante’ and is sharper in taste and ﬁrmer.

A Real Monster Overall then, Gorgonzola is certainly a monster of a cheese. Not just in the sense that it was created by the accidental introduction of mould into cheese curd, something that could have produced a disaster, but actually resulted in a tasty cheese. More than this though, it a monster of a cheese because of its great reputation and signiﬁcant place in the world of cheeses!

In life, not everyone can be a superstar. That, of course, doesn’t mean that each person isn’t important or can’t live up to certain standards. The same can be said of cheeses. Taleggio cheese is not a household name and probably many people have never even heard of it. However, that doesn’t mean to say that it is not a good quality cheese, with many interesting qualities. As we shall see, this cheese has been made for centuries, producing a tasty, nutritious product, which in this day and age is now made to the highest standards.

Inconspicuous Beginnings Gorgonzola Origin – Italian Cheeseaholic

Taleggio, a Cheese that Makes the grade! – Italian Cheeseaholic It’s hard to know exactly when what we know as Taleggio cheese came into being. Some claim that it has been around since Roman times. The production process for Taleggio is fairly simple and cheese has certainly been around since ancient times, so it’s more than possible that something similar to Taleggio was consumed by Caesar and his friends. In any case, there exist documents from the 13th century that suggest that by this time, Taleggio was alive and kicking and both being bought and sold as well as being used in bartering. As it happens, the name Taleggio is a more modern addition. It comes from the Val Taleggio, an alpine valley found in the Lombardy region of Northern. Before this, Taleggio went by the name of “Stracchino Quadro di Milano”. In 1914, the name morphed into “Stracchino Quadro di Taleggio”, eventually being shortened to just Taleggio.

Taleggio, a Cheese that Makes the grade! – Italian Cheeseaholic

The Way It’s Made As they say, necessity is the Mother of invention and this seems to be the case for Taleggio. Most probably, it came into being as a result of people in days gone by looking for ways to preserve their excess milk. As already noted, Taleggio is a type of Stracchino cheese. The name Stracchino is derived from the adjective ‘Stracco’ in the Lombard language (a Romance language spoken in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy), which means tired. It is a reference to the fact that cows were taken in the warmer months up onto the mountains in the Lombardy area to find lush green pasture. By the autumn they were then marched down again off the mountains. As one might expect, the cows were considered to be tired after their warm weather exploits in the mountains, hence the cheese made from this cows’ milk was given the name Stracchino or in other words tired cheese! In English, tired cheese doesn’t sound the most appetizing, but actually, the milk from these tired cows was thought to be of better quality as they had spent time grazing on fresh mountain pasture and as a consequence gave good yields and transmitted a variety of flavours to the cheese.

From Caves to the Modern Day The Stracchino cheese produced can be eaten in a fresh or briefly ripened form, but obviously, in order to not waste the large quantities being produced, it was necessary to put some of the cheese into storage. This need is more than likely the beginnings of what we today know as Taleggio cheese. In days gone by, the Stracchino cheese would have been put in local caves to store them as there the conditions were cool, a bit like a natural version of a fridge. The caves, however, contained moisture and different bacteria and moulds. As a result, the cheeses were regularly washed with a salt solution to preserve them by cleaning off unwanted mould formations on their surfaces. Ironically, this regular washing of the cheese not only eliminates unwanted bacterial and fungi growth but actually encourages the development of others such as Brevibacterium and Geotrichum mould. These help the cheese mature and far from being harmful, are actually themselves perfectly edible.

Taleggio, a Cheese that Makes the grade! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Taleggio, a Cheese that Makes the grade! – Italian Cheeseaholic The upshot of all this is that modern-day Taleggio was probably initially discovered and produced due to the need to preserve the large amounts of Stracchino cheese being produced. This is also the reason why Taleggio is known under the category of washed rind cheeses because it is made by regular rind washing using a salt solution. Two more interesting little details are that the reddish rind of Taleggio is a feature of many cheeses produced in a similar way and is a consequence of these moulds that grow on the cheese’s surface and help it mature. Secondly, if you have ever wondered why cheese sometimes smells a bit like sweaty feet, here’s the answer because the Brevibacterium which form on the cheese are also present on our feet!

Standardisation

Obviously, over the years the actual process and techniques, not to mention conditions, used to produce Taleggio and its precursor cheeses have varied. This means that many kinds of cheese known as Taleggio could have been quite diﬀerent in their appearance and taste. In response to this problem, Taleggio was granted DO (Designation of Origin) status in 1988 and PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) Status in 1996. These are fancy names for Government decrees that limit the area in which a particular type of cheese can be made and regulate the process by which the respective cheese is made. In other words, to ensure that Taleggio is a standard, quality product it should have a PDO label. Any other cheese purporting to be Taleggio, but without this label, is just a copy. Authentic Taleggio can only be produced in three regions of Northern Italy, the main one being Lombardy as already mentioned.

Taleggio, a Cheese that Makes the grade! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Taleggio, a Cheese that Makes the grade! – Italian Cheeseaholic The actual production process is not dissimilar to many other kinds of cheese. After the curd is extracted from the milk, there are three key phases. Firstly, the heating of the curd, which is done at 22-25 °C for 8 to 16 hours. Next, the cheese is salted by either having salted spread over its surface or being soaked in a salt solution. Finally, the cheese is matured by being placed in cells that replicate the conditions in the caves where Taleggio would have been originally aged. The cheeses are turned and sponged with salt water once a week. This lasts for at least 35 days.

An Unsung Hero In conclusion, we can say that Taleggio is a great cheese. It is not as well known as its cousin Gorgonzola (which in essence is very similar, the main diﬀerence being that it is matured by mould inside, rather than on the surface) or produced on such a large scale as other more famous cheeses. However, it has all the elements of cheese greatness and is well worth a try! Feel free to mention in the comments below if you have ever tried this cheese and what you think of it. In life, there are words and phrases that everybody knows, but not everyone can deﬁne. For those of us who have grown up in the English-speaking world, probably once such example would be the phrase ‘Curds and Whey’. On hearing the very mention of curds and whey, the image that probably comes to most people’s minds is that of a little girl sitting and eating something under a tree with a spider waiting to pounce.

But what is that something that little Miss Muﬀet is so heartily enjoying? And for that matter, why is that spider so keen to bother her?

Taleggio, a Cheese that Makes the grade! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Curds and Whey, Miss Muffet’s Delight! – Italian Cheeseaholic

White (liquid) Gold We are all familiar with milk. This is essentially a white liquid secreted by female mammals to nourish their young. For this reason, it has many nutritional properties, is readily available and is rather tasty. Admittedly, it is neither solid nor a precious metal, but nonetheless, it is certainly very valuable for what it oﬀers us, humans. This white gold has nevertheless a defect. It is full of bacteria, as you might expect being produced in the stomachs of animals. These bacteria multiply fast causing all sorts of decay and spoiling, and so milk cannot be stored for long. Over time, people sought solutions to this problem, one of which was using animal stomachs as storage bags (this was pre-fridge freezer days!)

Curds and Whey, Miss Muffet’s Delight! – Italian Cheeseaholic

A Fortuitous Discovery Gradually, something would have been observed by our ancient friends. The bacteria in milk slowly break the sugar down, producing lactic acid, which raises the pH of the solution. At a certain pH, the solid content of the milk begins to separate from the liquid. Obviously, our ancient friends wouldn’t have understood the biochemical processes involved, but they would have observed the new product. Something similar would have been seen with regard to the milk stored in animal stomachs. Here the biochemical mechanism is a bit diﬀerent. It’s all to do with enzymes that would have been present in the walls of the stomach. These are used by the animal to initiate a process like the one mentioned above, which results in the separation of the liquid and solid parts of the milk.

Curds and Whey

Curds (right) and Whey (left) This separated substance is what has come to be known as ‘curds and whey’. Curds refers to the solid part and whey to the liquid. In many cultures, a technique of producing curds and whey has been developed using acid, starter cultures (that is to say a solution containing the bacteria necessary to initiate the curdling process), rennet, which is a name for the enzymes needed to cause milk to curdle, or indeed a combination of these. Often, that’s all there is to it. Curdle the milk and voila (as any good French cheesemaker might say!) a tasty edible cheese solution. An example of this is Cottage cheese. This simple cheese is nothing more than this separated milk with some of the whey drained oﬀ. Indeed, the name of Cottage cheese probably originates from the fact that this basic cheese was produced as a way of using up any excess milk that people had at their cottages in rural areas.

Curds and Whey, Miss Muffet’s Delight! – Italian Cheeseaholic

A Step Further In many respects, this production of curds and whey is the first step in all cheese production. Once milk has been separated into its curds and whey, there are very many things that can be done to further process this solution (actually in modern methods a gel usually results, which is the solid curd suspended in the liquid whey) and produce a whole host of different products. The first thing to be done is to drain the whey from the curd. Once the curd/whey gel has been formed it can be broken apart, or cut, using a stick, or in more modern times a special spatula. Disturbing the mixture causes the curd to coagulate together into one big solid, sitting in the whey. The whey can then be drained off. Some cheeses require heating at this stage. Also, the curd needs to be broken into different sized pieces, depending on the cheese to be produced. The smaller the pieces the easier it is for whey to be drained out. Consequently, for the production of very hard cheeses, the curd needs to be broken (a process called cutting the curd) into very small hazelnut or even rice sized pieces. For softer cheese, the curd can be broken into slightly larger pieces. This curd can then be folded, moulded and pressed as required to further shape it and extract whey and facilitate the onward cheesemaking process. The whey itself is not necessarily a by-product to be wasted. In and of itself, the whey can be consumed as a protein filled drink. In modern times, it can be dried to form a solid that can then be sold as a dietary supplement due to all the protein it contains. Something especially useful for bodybuilders who are looking to develop a muscular frame. It is also possible to produce certain cheeses from the whey such as ricotta. Finally, cream can be taken from whey to be used as an alternative to cream taken directly from milk, or to be converted into whey butter.

Miss Muffet’s Role Having seen briefly then what curds and whey are, one important question still remains; what does all this have to do with little Miss Muffet? The answer to this question is however not clear cut (unlike the curds that she was enjoying!). At the basic level, it can be seen that nursery rhyme first appeared in print in 1805 in a book entitled ‘Songs for the Nursery’ so it must have existed before that. These were the days before big scale cheese production, so it wouldn’t have been uncommon for people such as Miss Muffet to eat simple curdled cheese, without too much processing or add-ons.

Curds and Whey, Miss Muffet’s Delight! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Curds and Whey, Miss Muffet’s Delight! – Italian Cheeseaholic Obviously, little girls are often afraid of spiders, thus the rhyme makes sense as a little ditty to keep children happy. Some have sought to find a deeper significance, such as Miss Muffet being Mary Queen of Scots, who during the period of Reformation when there were many tensions between Catholics and Protestants, was frightened by John Knox, a religious reformer. This is, however, speculation and maybe the best thing to do is to take both the rhyme as well as the curds and whey that it so famously mentions, as something simple to be enjoyed at face value without too much further ado.

Waste not, want not, is a common expression in the English language. Not just because it sounds good, but also because it contains a very practical truth. Those of us living in (or at least brought up in!) the western world are prone to not adhering to this adage. It’s much easier to just throw out old or excess items, rather than going to the bother of finding alternative uses. However, this is not a wise approach to life as who knows how long the resources we have will last and indeed if we all made better use of what we’ve got, we would have more to share with others. Many people in today’s world don’t have the luxury of being wasteful and for sure many living in days gone by when food preservation methods weren’t so high-tech, also had to find ways of making the most of what they had. Ironically, this need for being efficient with available resources gave rise to many of the food products that we enjoy today. For example, cheese was born out of the need to preserve milk. There are a vast number of different cheeses in existence, each with a story to tell about how it came into being. Ricotta is one such cheese, the origin of which very much being to do with the need to make the most of any available milk.

The Name Says It All

Curds and Whey, Miss Muffet’s Delight! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Ricotta Cheese, A way to Make the most of Milk! – Italian Cheeseaholic The name Ricotta in Italian literally means ‘recooked’. This reﬂects the fact that Ricotta cheese is traditionally made by heating the liquid left over from making other cheeses, in order to extract remaining proteins from the solution. These can then be used to further produce cheese. As it happens, this left-over liquid is called, ‘Whey’ (as in Miss Muﬀett fame) and so Ricotta is known as a whey cheese because it is made from this liquid. In some respects, whey could be considered a by-product of cheesemaking, but at some point, in history, people realized that by carrying out this re-heating process, more cheese could be made thus making the most, of what otherwise could have gone to waste.

Ricotta Cheese, A way to Make the most of Milk! – Italian Cheeseaholic

The Process Itself The actual method for producing cheese from whey is fairly simple. As already mentioned, in the process of making cheese, a by-product liquid called whey is formed. Whey is basically the liquid part of milk, but it still contains proteins. Originally, whey left-over from the production of Mozzarella was used to make Ricotta, but in fact, any sweet whey can be used. The whey is heated, and salt is added. Cream or milk can be also be added to increase yield. Whey itself has a very low concentration of proteins so without the addition of other sources of protein, a lot of whey is needed to produce even a small amount of cheese. Finally, adding acid to this heated whey causes the proteins in it to solidify taking with them any other proteins that have been added to the solution. These coagulated proteins trap air and so ﬂoat to the surface of the liquid. From here they can easily be siphoned oﬀ, cooled and packaged and hey presto, your Ricotta cheese is ready for sale and consumption!

Uses

Obviously, once the hard work of obtaining Ricotta cheese has been done, the big question is what can it be used for? The cheese itself is light in color and texture with a mild, slightly sweet taste. It is not dissimilar to Cottage cheese, although there are slight diﬀerences in the production method. Ricotta’s shelf life is not long (about three weeks if properly packaged and stored at 4 degrees Celsius or less) so it is not so much eaten on its own, but rather used as to complement other ingredients in a range of dishes and products.

Ricotta Cheese, A way to Make the most of Milk! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Ricotta Cheese, A way to Make the most of Milk! – Italian Cheeseaholic It can be sweetened and used in desserts such as cannoli and cheesecake. It can be added to pasta dishes to provide flavor and texture and also a light contrast to dark pasta sauces. It is often combined with spinach in pasta or on pizzas. Ricotta is a good compliment for eggs, so it is often used in egg dishes such as omelets, souffles and even scrambled eggs. Ricotta cheese’s two main culinary weapons are however its moistness and resistance to melting. The moistness of Ricotta is due to the fact that it is a fresh cheese, eaten shortly after production so retains some of the liquid whey. Also, the whey proteins that it contains have a high water holding capacity. Thus, Ricotta can be included in breads, muffins, and pancakes, which would otherwise be dry and hard to eat. Ricotta is also resistant to melting, again due to the properties of the whey proteins that it contains. This means that it can be used in recipes for soups and sauces to add viscosity.

Types There are three main types of Ricotta cheese. Whole milk Ricotta, which funnily enough is made from full-fat milk. Part-skim Ricotta, which is made from reduced-fat milk. Thirdly, there is Ricotta from whey or skimmed milk (or a combination of the two). This is the more traditional form of Ricotta and so the reason why it is known as a whey cheese. This type of Ricotta is often referred to as Ricottone. There are slight diﬀerences between the three in terms of sweetness and creaminess. The ﬁrst two generally being a bit sweeter and creamier than Ricottone. Whilst Ricotta is usually used in its fresh state, it can nevertheless be aged and processed by salting, smoking, and baking to produce some longer lasting variations on the basic Ricotta theme.

Click here for Five Types of Ricotta Cheese to Try!

Ricotta All the Way! Ricotta Cheese, A way to Make the most of Milk! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Ricotta Cheese, A way to Make the most of Milk! – Italian Cheeseaholic We have seen then that Ricotta is a relatively simple cheese to make, which has many diﬀerent applications. It is in a very real sense a way of making the most of milk! What are your experiences with Ricotta? Feel free to leave a comment below. Sources and Further Reading: Canadian Dairy Commission ‘Ricotta Cheese’ Cheese: Chemistry, Physics, and Microbiology: Major Cheese Groups p. 345/346 University of Guelph, Cheesemaking Technology e-book Wikipedia, Ricotta

Ricotta is one of Italy’s best known and best-loved cheeses. This is probably because it is relatively easy to produce, and it has many qualities, making for a versatile cheese that can be used in many different ways. There are many different types of Ricotta Cheese to buy. If you aren’t already familiar with this most useful of cheeses, maybe now is the time to give it ago. Below are five different variations on the Ricotta theme, waiting to be discovered:

Fresh Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese Standard Ricotta cheese is usually consumed soon after production and so is referred to as fresh (i.e. recently produced) cheese. It can be made from whole milk, skimmed milk, whey (the liquid part of milk) or a combination of these. Traditionally, Ricotta was made from whey as a way of making the most of the liquid left over after other cheeses had been produced from milk. However, due to low yield (as the whey doesn’t have much protein content) these days it is more common for Ricotta to be made directly from full-fat cow’s milk.

Ricotta Cheese, A way to Make the most of Milk! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Ricotta Cheese to Buy – Italian Cheeseaholic The essence of the traditional production method is nevertheless often still preserved. The milk is heated to a high temperature and acid is added. This causes the proteins in the milk to separate out from solution and form a floating solid, which is extracted, cooled and packaged giving rise to Ricotta cheese, the most simplest of cheeses! The simplicity of Ricotta is also its beauty as it can be used in many ways. It can be eaten on its own as a little cheese snack. It can be used as a light filling for pastries. The light flavor and texture contrast well with many other ingredients in preparing pleasant and nice-looking pasta dishes. The moistness of Ricotta makes it suitable for adding moisture to otherwise dry foods such as breads or muffins. Its resistance to melting makes it good for adding viscosity to soups and sauces. Click on the following link, if you fancy trying this Fresh Whole Milk Ricotta!

Ricotta Cheese to Buy – Italian Cheeseaholic

Ricotta Salata

This can be thought of as a preserved, hardened version of Ricotta. As already mentioned, standard Ricotta is eaten fresh, soon after production. Indeed, even if packaged straight away and stored at below 4 degrees Celsius, it still only has a shelf life of three weeks. However, if Ricotta is made from sheep’s milk and then pressed, dried, salted and then left to age for three months, Ricotta Salata results. This is essentially Ricotta cheese, but that has hardened by losing some of its moisture content. It was originally produced in Sicily but is now widely available. It retains the pure white color of Ricotta and doesn’t form a rind, even though it has been left to age. The main advantage over standard Ricotta is that it is firmer so can be easily sliced or grated and added to various different dishes. It has a mild sheep milk’s flavor and isn’t too salty despite the production method. It’s worth trying if you are looking for a cheese that is easier to handle than standard Ricotta, keeps a little better once opened or want to add a light sheep milk’s taste to certain recipes. Click here to try

Ricotta Impastata This can be translated as ‘mixed’ or ‘pasted’ Ricotta. In other words, Ricotta Impastata is Ricotta cheese that has been whipped to remove lumps and produce a much smoother cheese product. This form of Ricotta is particularly good for use as a sweetened dessert ﬁlling, such as in Cannoli (little pastry tubes with a sweet ﬁlling).

Ricotta Cheese to Buy – Italian Cheeseaholic

Ricotta Cheese to Buy – Italian Cheeseaholic Try it here

Soy Milk Ricotta Those of us who are lactose intolerant or for whatever other reason don’t consume milk-based products, need not despair. There is even a version of Ricotta cheese made using Soybean milk. By heating Soybean milk and adding acid, the proteins in it can be extracted in much the same way for ordinary milk. They ﬂoat to the surface of the solution and can be gathered, drained and rinsed leaving a product analogous to Ricotta cheese. This Soybean milk ricotta can then be used in the same way as Ricotta cheese, having the advantage of not containing any animal products or any lactose and being low fat. Thus, it’s suitable for vegans, people who don’t tolerate or like milk products and those who are just looking for a healthier, lower fat diet. A version of Soybean Milk Ricotta is available here.

Ricotta Di Bufala

This is Ricotta cheese made from Buﬀalo’s milk. It is a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheese, which means that in its authentic form it can only be produced in certain regions of Italy, using traditional methods. This ensures quality. It is a smooth and creamy Ricotta, which can be used in much the same way as other types of Ricotta but adds a little Italian authenticity to one’s cooking. It can be obtained here. There also exists Ricotta Di Pecora, which is Ricotta made from Sheep’s milk. Both of these are products for those who are looking for quality ingredients, prepared in a traditional way. The use of one or the other depends more on personal preference than any striking diﬀerences between them.

Ricotta Cheese to Buy – Italian Cheeseaholic

Ricotta Cheese to Buy – Italian Cheeseaholic Ricotta can also be baked (Ricotta Infornata), smoked (Ricotta Aﬀumicata) or aged and mixed into a paste (Ricotta forte). These versions are however not readily available outside of the Southern regions of Italy, so are something to look out for, if you ever make it on vacation to that part of the world! This is just a brief tour of the world of Ricotta cheese. Like with any food products, no matter how much is written about them, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting, so now’s the time to give them a go. Feel free to leave below any thoughts, comments or experiences with Ricotta cheese.

Sources and Further Reading: Cheese (Kitchen Pro Series): page 39. Wikipedia Ricotta Veganwiz, Soy Ricotta Cheese Mediterranean Harvest: Vegetarian Recipes from the World’s Healthiest Cuisine p. 20

We human beings love to improve things. Whether it be a bit of DIY at home, changing jobs or upgrading to the latest smartphone, we are always looking for things to be better. This is very much true in the domain of industry. The more of a particular product that can be made, using less expensive raw materials, the bigger the potential proﬁts.

Ricotta Cheese to Buy – Italian Cheeseaholic

Processed Cheese – Friend or Foe? – Italian Cheeseaholic This desire for improvement is what has given rise to the development of processed cheese. The 30-member countries of the International Dairy Federation produce over 1.5 million tonnes of processed cheese a year, which is a lot of cheese! What actually is processed cheese, though? Why the big demand for it? And is it any good for you?

Making Cheese Go Further One of the problems about manufacturing cheese is that it doesn’t last long. Cheese is a product that contains a lot of microbiological life (indeed, this is what gives it its flavour!), but a consequence is that these microbes multiply quickly and begin to spoil the cheese. This is particularly true of softer cheeses, but even harder cheeses that have undergone a long maturation process, still go super hard and inedible after a relatively shorter time exposed to normal conditions. Thus, one of the driving factors for the development of processed cheese was the desire for creating a cheese with a longer shelf life. This was first tried around the mid-1890’s in Germany and Holland resulting in soft cheeses such Camembert having their shelf life extended by being heated in metal cans! Admittedly, heated cheese in a can doesn’t sound the most appetizing. Over time though, different methods were developed to melt, and heat together blends of natural cheese to produce a processed product that lasted longer than then individual cheese on their own. Evidently then, another driving force in the development of processed cheese is an economic one as basic natural cheeses could be increased in quantity by being blended together with other ingredients, resulting in more product to sell.

Other Advantages Obviously, increasing shelf life and yield are two major advantages of processed cheese. Another big advantage and so motivational factor for the production of processed cheese is the fact that a cheese product can be created which melts uniformly. A big problem with many cheeses is that they melt in an inconsistent way and indeed, many cheeses on melting produce a globular mess as the fat and other cheese components separate. In other words, there’s a good reason why the cheddar cheese hamburger never really caught on!

Processed Cheese – Friend or Foe? – Italian Cheeseaholic

Processed Cheese – Friend or Foe? – Italian Cheeseaholic Aside from this, by processing cheese the appearance and flavour of the product can be influenced by adding certain ingredients thus resulting in a variety of products with a variety of uses. One other important aspect is that by processing cheese a standardized cheese results, which can be produced on a large scale. Traditional cheesemaking includes a lot of hard to control variables such as bacterial content of the milk and the atmosphere and conditions in which the cheese matures, so often the final cheeses produced can differ greatly in aspects such as taste and quality even though they are the same type of cheese, made in the same way. That is to say that natural cheeses can be something of a lucky dip! However, modern industrial cheesemaking methods have to a certain extent ironed out these variables in natural cheese production and even more so in processed cheese.

Click here for some processed cheeses to try

There’s More than One Way to Process a Cheese

The basic ingredient of processed cheese is, as one might expect, cheese! However, there exists a large range of other ingredients that can be added to influence stability, flavour, and appearance. Consequently, processed cheese is actually just a generalized name for a large group of different products. No international standard exists for these products, so the different types and sorts can be categorized differently depending on the laws of the countries in which they are produced. In America for example, a product could be labeled pasteurized blended cheese, pasteurized process cheese, pasteurized processed cheese food or even pasteurized processed cheese spread. For the average consumer, these names don’t mean much, but each refers to the ingredients permitted in the product and its composition i.e. moisture and fat content.

Processed Cheese – Friend or Foe? – Italian Cheeseaholic

Processed Cheese – Friend or Foe? – Italian Cheeseaholic For example, a pasteurized process cheese spread must have a moisture content between 40 and 60 % (which is what gives rise to its spreadability) whereas a pasteurized processed cheese food must have a moisture content less than or equal to 44% and so will be a ﬁrmer product. Another example would be that the ingredients for a pasteurized blended cheese and a pasteurized processed cheese are the same except that the later is allowed to contain an emulsifying salt (a chemical compound that helps homogenize and hold the product’s ingredients together) and/or a food-grade organic acid (i.e. an edible acid).

But are they good for you? When all is said and done, the big question is, however, is good to eat processed cheese? Surely, it’s better to eat natural, authentic cheese, rather than an artiﬁcial, Frankenstein version. Also, don’t they just put cheap, low-quality cheese in processed cheeses, in order to make more money? Actually, though, these two accusations aren’t necessarily accurate. A lot of processed cheeses are made with good quality cheese, which has nevertheless had many other ingredients added to it. These added ingredients don’t necessarily lessen the nutritional value of the cheese, indeed many of them have been developed using science over many years to accurately replicate the qualities of natural products. One more thing that could be said for processed cheeses over natural cheeses, is that due to their mass, but carefully scientiﬁcally controlled production, their quality is often standardized, whereas the quality of naturally produced cheeses can be variable. Also, processed by their very nature, have been designed to last longer and don’t spoil so quickly.

Don’t Over Do it! Having very briefly looked then at processed cheeses what can we conclude? Certainly, processed cheeses have a number of things going for them; long shelf life, uniform quality and many and varied applications. On the other hand, they have been artificially created by using modern technology. The bottom line is then, is it better to eat naturally occurring and produced products or for the sake of other advantages, are artificial products still good? This is a decision that each of us has to make for ourselves, but my personal feeling is that nothing is good in excess, but a little won’t do much harm. All things in good measure as it were. What do you think?

Processed Cheese – Friend or Foe? – Italian Cheeseaholic

Processed Cheese – Friend or Foe? – Italian Cheeseaholic Sources and Further Reading Processed Cheese and Analogues, Ch. 1 Cheese: Chemistry, Physics, and Microbiology, Ch. 16 Cheese has been around a long time. In fact, nobody actually knows exactly when human beings began processing milk to produce this very fundamental and important food. In any case, archaeological evidence such as artifacts showing signs of having been used in cheesemaking have been found. It is known that in the early history of agriculture humans domesticated milk-producing animals (Indeed, even in the Bible Abel is mentioned as having kept flocks). At some point in history, people realized how to make cheese out of the milk from these domesticated animals and so cheese production was born. Since then the methods of making cheese have developed to such an extent that today hundreds of different types of natural cheese exist. However, humans being humans, in the last hundred or so years using scientific and technological advancements, many more types of cheese have come into existence. So-called, ‘Processed cheeses’ and ‘Cheese substitutes’. Following on are a few artificial cheese types for sale, to wet your appetite for what Humans can do when they play with nature!

Velveeta

This catchily named Processed cheese is, as the name suggests, named after velvet, a material renowned for its smoothness. As you might expect then, it was named this way to reﬂect the smoothness of the product.

Processed Cheese – Friend or Foe? – Italian Cheeseaholic

Arti cial Cheese Types For Sale – Italian Cheeseaholic It has a mild taste, is butter like at room temperature, sliceable when chilled and easily and uniformly melts. It was artiﬁcially developed in the 1920’s to produce a product with these qualities, not to mention a long shelf life, nutritious and easily storable. It could be described as bionic cheese, although technically it is ‘Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product’ as it contains milk protein concentrate rather than actual cheese. Nevertheless, Velveeta is an easy to use and versatile product!

Easy Cheese This is essentially processed cheese spread in a spray can.

For a product to qualify as processed cheese spread, it must have a moisture content of between 44 and 60 % and contain more than 20 % milk fat. Easy cheese contains some cheddar cheese, so in this sense, we could say that it is a good option in terms of processed cheeses as it contains some natural ingredient. Of course, this natural cheddar cheese has been expanded in quantity and shelf life as well as standardized in quality through the addition of other ingredients, but this doesn’t necessarily lessen its usefulness as a food. Indeed, the processing of cheese can produce a product with certain advantages over natural cheese and so, as long as it is consumed in the context of a healthy diet, there’s no reason to not enjoy it in soups and sandwiches or on crackers.

Arti cial Cheese Types For Sale – Italian Cheeseaholic

Arti cial Cheese Types For Sale – Italian Cheeseaholic Easy cheese has been around since the mid-1960s, which gives it an air of credibility and is available in spray cans, which make it quick and easy to dispense!

American Cheese Unsurprisingly, the term American Cheese originally referred to cheese (Cheddar) made in America. It was coined in England as a way to distinguish this Cheddar from English made varieties. However, over time the usage changed and today American Cheese is used to refer to processed cheese which may or may not contain some cheddar. Indeed, today’s American cheese can be a mixture of diﬀerent cheeses or as is often the case just contain some dairy products such as milk, cream or whey. Although this doesn’t sound appetizing at ﬁrst, there are a number of advantages over natural cheeses, in particular, consistent cheese quality and even cheese melting, which makes American Cheese nevertheless a good option for many uses. American Cheese is available in slices.

Arti cial Cheese Types For Sale – Italian Cheeseaholic

Cheez Whiz This is a sauce that belongs to the category of processed cheeses foods. It was originally developed in the 1950s as a sauce for use in the preparation of the dish ‘Welsh Rarebit’, which otherwise required a complicated, time-consuming sauce to be made. Since then, due to its mild, but tangy flavor, it has found many uses such as a dip for chips, a spread for crackers and a sauce for hot dogs. Most famously it is used in Philadelphia Cheesesteak sandwiches, with many insisting that the true cheesesteak sandwich is made with Cheez Whiz and onions. In the beginning, it was made with real cheese, but today there are both versions containing dairy products as well as the real cheese one. There are a number of different flavors available, not to mention two spray can versions (the original Cheez Whiz being sold in glass jars).

Parmesan Parmesan is one of the most cheeses of them all. However, authentic Parmesan cheese is actually another Italian cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano. Parmigiano Reggiano is made using strict controls and in Europe, only Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses may be labeled Parmesan. This is not the case elsewhere.

Arti cial Cheese Types For Sale – Italian Cheeseaholic

Arti cial Cheese Types For Sale – Italian Cheeseaholic Thus, grated Parmesan bought for example in the United States might contain other ingredients than just Parmigiano Reggiano. That being said, there are still controls and regulations and so Parmesan bought from a reputable manufacturer should still be of a high quality. The main points are that it should be made from Cow’s milk, have a minimum water and milk fat content and no more than 4% cellulose as an anti-caking agent. In any case, grated Parmesan may well be a processed cheese, but it’s still a good alternative to real Parmigiano Reggiano as it’s cheap, keeps well and still adds ﬂavor to a variety of pasta dishes.

Overall then, we have seen a number of diﬀerent examples of processed cheeses. Each one contains diﬀering amounts of real cheese and dairy products. This doesn’t mean that they are not useful for cooking as they have a number of advantages in quality and cooking properties of real cheeses. Obviously, though, the real cheese lover will want to combine the use of these processed cheeses for easy and convenience with the consumption of real deal cheeses when time, availability and budget allows. Sources and Further Reading Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and its Place in Western Civilization Wikipedia, Velveeta Better Than Homemade: Amazing Foods that Changed the Way We Eat, p. 98, 99

Arti cial Cheese Types For Sale – Italian Cheeseaholic

About Fossa Pit Cheese, A cheese that teaches a life lesson – Italian Cheeseaholic

We all feel like we are down in the dumps sometimes. Another way of putting it, is that sometimes we are stuck in a pit that we can’t get out of. The Italian word Fossa means just that, a pit. The interesting thing however about Fossa Cheese is that it is intentionally placed in a pit (hence Fossa pit cheese). Not the ﬁrst place that you might think of for putting cheese into to ripen, but actually the time spent in the pit does the cheese a world of good, producing a delicious cheese worthy of being savoured.

How It All Came About So, who first thought of the idea of producing great cheese by burying it underground? Or how did such a practise come into being? Unsurprisingly, we need to look back into history to try and find the answers (Obviously, with today’s health and safety regulations it is unlikely that someone would think of maturing cheese by burying it in a pit!). Necessity is the mother of invention and certainly this seems to have been the case for Fossa Cheese. It is said that in the late 15th Century there existed aggression between King Charles VIII of France and Ferdinand of Naples. When French soldiers passed through two Italian towns, Sogliano and Talamello, inhabitants buried their Sheep’s cheeses in holes and covered them over in order to protect them from being stolen. After a time, when the town’s folk unearthed their buried treasures, they found that the unusual conditions that the cheese had been exposed to, had caused some unexpected, but pleasant changes. In particular, a deformed shape, forest floor aroma, but most significantly a spicy taste.

From Then to Now

About Fossa Pit Cheese, A cheese that teaches a life lesson – Italian Cheeseaholic

About Fossa Pit Cheese, A cheese that teaches a life lesson – Italian Cheeseaholic Whatever the origins of Fossa Cheese, it’s clear that people in part of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy realised that burying Pecorino (that is to say Sheep’s) cheeses in pits and leaving them sealed there for a time, resulted in a transformation of the cheese from standard fair into something a bit special. The reason for this is that the lack of oxygen allows the microorganisms in the cheese to indulge in an anaerobic fermentation process, which changes and matures the composition of the cheese. Over the years, the tradition developed of sealing small sheep’s milk cheeses in the fossas around mid-august and then getting them out again on the 25th November, the feast of Saint Catherine.

Obviously, having a limited period when cheeses could be produced resulted in a limited cheese yield. Since then production has been increased to include other periods of the year, but using the same traditional methods. This results in a higher annual yield of fossa cheese and cheeses with diﬀerent characteristics depending on the time of year when they are produced. Also, originally cheeses were considered ready for consumption after being removed from the fossa, but nowadays cheeses are often subjected to a further maturation process even after coming out of the fossa.

Who Wants Dinner out of a Pit? After a long day’s work, probably food that’s been prepared down a pit is probably not the first or most appetizing option that is going to come to mind. However, in the case of fossa cheese a number of precautions are taken to ensure that the final product is of a high quality. The fossa is prepared for use by being filled with straw. This straw is then burnt in order to sterilize the pit and reduce moisture content. Before being placed into the fossa, cheeses are placed in canvas sacks. The fossa is once again lined with straw and then it is stacked full of cheeses (it wouldn’t be a profitable business, unless the fossa is chockablock!). Finally, the entrance to the fossa is sealed with sand and covered (traditionally with cobblestones in order to hide the cheeses!). This once again protects the cheeses and the pressure created also contributes to the ripening process.

About Fossa Pit Cheese, A cheese that teaches a life lesson – Italian Cheeseaholic

Two for the Price of One There are actually two main types of fossa cheese. Formaggio di Fossa is made in the town of Sogliano al Rubicone by placing sheep’s cheese in Fossa made out of tuff rock (which is actually not so tough, as it is formed from the remains of volcanic ashes and so lends itself to being hollowed out into fossa). On the other hand, Ambra di Talamello is made in the nearby town of Talamello, where the fossa are made out of tufa limestone (harder than the rock at Sogliano, one would imagine, but nevertheless also suitable for digging out pits). Here, the final chees products is slightly different to that from Sogliano, in particular it has an orange color hence the name Ambra (Italian for amber). Either way, the cheeses have a very specific sharp taste and are good for adding to regional soups (Cappelletti or passatelli), as ever great for grating over pasta or simply eating on their own with bread and maybe a little honey of balsamic vinegar.

Light out of Darkness After our brief tour of the world of Fossa Cheese, one question remains. What is the life lesson that we can learn from it? Indeed, what can a cheese teach us about life? We often think of pits as being negative places. Dark, dingy and not really where anyone would want to spend any significant amount of time. Although, as we have seen with the example of Fossa Cheese, spending time in a pit can actually have a beneficial effect. It’s this time in the pit that transforms Fossa Cheese from standard sheep’s cheese into a tasty, fragrant special cheese. This then should give us hope that although sometimes in life we might feel like we are stuck in a dark pit, the things that we learn and the character that we develop in it can actually be positive and transforming to our life once we get out of the pit, and even while we are still in it. If you want to know more about what to do in a pit, why not check out Psalm 40? Further reading The Oxford Companion to Cheese, p. 289

About Fossa Pit Cheese, A cheese that teaches a life lesson – Italian Cheeseaholic

Where to buy Fontina dop, the cheese that melts in your mouth! – Italian Cheeseaholic

There are many reasons for liking cheese. One of them has to be the deliciousness of melted cheese, whether on its own or mixed into a speciﬁc dish. Fontina dop is a cheese from the Aosta valley in Northern Italy, near the alps. It’s claim to fame is it’s meltability, making it the prime ingredient for Fonduta (Italian Fondue) and is used in the dish Fonduta alla Valdostana (Fontina mixed together with milk, eggs and truﬄes). Where to buy Fontina? Try here

Where it all began It is believed that Fontina cheese has been made in this Northern region of Italy since at least the 12th century. Of course, in those days it was just the cheese they made and was probably simply known as Caseus (from Latin, meaning simply cow’s milk cheese).

Where to buy Fontina dop, the cheese that melts in your mouth! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Where to buy Fontina dop, the cheese that melts in your mouth! – Italian Cheeseaholic There are some references over time to a cheese that sounds like Fontina. For example, it is mentioned in the 1477 edition of Summa Lacticinorum, a work by an Italian doctor and is depicted in a 1480 painting. The actual name Fontina begins to appear though only in the 1700’s. Here it is seen in the shopping lists of monks! The meaning of the name is debated. It could come from the name of a hamlet, Fontin, or a village, Fontinaz or even from a 13th century surname, de Funtina. It might also be derived from the old French words Fontis or Fondis, which were to do with melting. In Italian, Fondente is a word in the same vein (and for those English speakers among us, there’s also fondant icing!). In any case, Fontina Val d’Aosta (Fontina from the Aosta valley) is the authentic original Fontina cheese.

What’s in a name There are a number of other cheeses with names similar to Fontina. Fontella, Fontinella, and Fontal can all be found. Some of these derivative cheeses might be similar and of a good quality, however Fontina Val d’Aosta cheese has a special status which guarantees a quality product. In 1955 it was awarded a DOC (denominazione di origine controllata – controlled designation of origin) by the Italaian government. In other words, it was recognized as speciﬁc product produced in a certain way and area of Italy. Not only this, but in 1995 the European Union awarded it a PDO (Protected designation of origin – otherwise known as DOP in Italian hence the name Fontina dop). This means that in the EU only cheeses made in a particular area of Italy and in a specially monitored way can be labelled Fontina. This is enforced by the Fontina Consortium, which is then, if you like, an organization protecting the quality of Fontina Val d’Aosta cheese and promoting its sale and consumption. The bottom line is that there are many would be Fontina style cheeses, but only one that is produced in a controlled way, using time honoured techniques. When buying Fontina cheese, its best to check for a label or other guarantee that it is authentic PDO Fontina from the Val d’Aosta.

How it comes to be This all being said, how is Fontina cheese actually made? Well, as with all cheese, it starts with milk!

Where to buy Fontina dop, the cheese that melts in your mouth! – Italian Cheeseaholic

In the case of Fontina, cow’s milk is used and only milk from one cow milking. According to the aforementioned PDO rules, the milk must be raw whole milk (i.e. not pasteurized or skimmed) from the Valdostana breed of cattle, which can traditionally be found in the d’aosta valley. The first stage of all cheese manufacture is about separating the solid part of the milk from the liquid. The solid part, mainly containing the protein casein, can then be processed to form various different cheeses as indeed can, in some cases, the liquid part. Separation is caused naturally by increasing the milk’s pH (the reason why spoilt milk starts to go lumpy and smelly!). By chance, in the past people discovered an enzyme called rennet, which also causes milk separation. In order to produce Fontina, some bacteria are added to the milk, which increase pH and can be useful in the later ripening process. The milk is then heated and rennet added in liquid form. After around 45 minutes, a viscous gel is formed. This gel is cut into small, corn kernel sized pieces. This results in moisture being expelled from the solid cheese protein (known as curd). After further heating, the solid cheese curd is removed from the liquid by using a cheese cloth. This solid mass is then put into a cheese mold and pressed in order to expel more moisture. The final step in this stage of the cheese production is salting. This can be done both by rubbing salt into the cheese, but also by submerging it and leaving it for a time in brine (that is salt water) solution.

Where to buy Fontina dop, the cheese that melts in your mouth! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Becoming Fontina There are a few different methods and variables in obtaining cheese curd. However, the stage of cheesemaking which really gives its cheese its distinctiveness, is the ripening. This refers to the way the curd is treated once obtained, up until it is ready to be packaged and sold. In the case of Fontina, the salted cheese curd is placed on Norway spruce wood selves and stored at high humidity and a lowish temperature. The key though to producing Fontina is the fact that the stored cheeses are turned and washed on the outside with salty water every other day. This washing of the rind encourages the action of bacteria in the cheese which aid ripening. After three months, the inside of the cheese is semi-hard with a sweet, strong taste and small holes. The rind is smooth, thin and firm. It is actually edible, but some people prefer not to indulge. The classic characteristic of these washed rind cheeses is a strong smell (although don’t let that put you off!).

A fountain of Fontina So in conclusion, Fontina is a classic Italian cheese, which preserves some of the best qualities of Alpine milk and literally ﬂows on the plate due to its meltability. Not quite the fountain of life (that is to be found elsewhere!), but a cheese worth trying nevertheless!

Where to buy Fontina dop, the cheese that melts in your mouth! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Caciocavallo, A Cheese of many Faces! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Variety is often said to be the spice of life. This is certainly the case when it comes to cheese. There exist hundreds, if not even thousands of different types of cheese. In Italy alone, there is thought to be more than 450 different varieties of cheese and the former French president Charles de Gaulle famously posed the question of how to govern a country of 246 varieties of cheese. Different types of cheese can even have many sub-varieties. This is true for Caciocavallo, which has a basic way of producing the cheese that can then be varied depending on the region in which it is made to produce many different Caciocavallo cheeses, hence a cheese of many faces!

The Basic Starting Point Milk is heated and has rennet (an enzyme that catalyzes the curdling process) added to it. After a time, usually up to an hour, the milk coagulates. That is to say that the solid protein part of the milk begins to separate from the liquid whey part. This results in a gel that needs to be broken up often using a ‘spino’, which is like a large fork.

Caciocavallo, A Cheese of many Faces! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Caciocavallo, A Cheese of many Faces! – Italian Cheeseaholic The solid produced, called ‘curd’, now needs to be further broken down and left to mature, either in hot whey or hot water or even by being taken out of the liquid and left on a board for several hours. In any case, gradually the acidity of the curd increases causing it to be ﬁrmer and elastic. The elastic curd can now be moulded and kneaded until it forms a characteristic teardrop shape. It is then left in a brine bath in order to absorb salt which preserves it. Finally, the cheeses are tied at one end into pairs which can then be hung out to further dry and mature. Traditionally, they were often hung in caves, but these days more likely they are hung in a cool room.

The Caciocavallo Family As already mentioned, using the above method with some variations, diﬀerent types of Caciocavallo cheese can be made. Here are some of the family members:

Caciocavallo di Agnone Unsurprisingly, this is Caciocavallo that is produced in and around the town of Agnone in the Molise region of Southern Italy. It is a fairly standard version of this type of cheese, coming in a milder or more piquant taste depending on whether the cheese has been curdled with lamb or kid rennet. It can be aged from between three months to a year.

Caciocavallo Silano DOP This cheese has been made for a long time, with documentation existing from at least the Middle Ages. There are many areas in Southern Italy that have the oﬃcial right to produce it (hence the DOP title awarded it on 1st July 1996). As the DOP covers such a large area, it can include both small-scale traditional cheesemakers as well as industrial productions of the cheese.

Caciocavallo, A Cheese of many Faces! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Caciocavallo, A Cheese of many Faces! – Italian Cheeseaholic The secret of Caciocavallo Silano is that after the milk is curdled, the curds are left out on a board or in a bucket for several days. This increases acidity. It is then stretched and salted and left in a cellar to mature. It develops a characteristic ivory rind with a golden yellow, crumbly and tangy to taste body inside. It is often eaten on its own or used in the dish called, ‘Pasta China’ made in the Cosenza region.

Caciocavallo del Monaco Contrary to how it might sound, we have not deviated on to French or other types of cheese! Monaco is, in fact, Italian for Monk, so we can surmise that this cheese was in the past the handy work of certain monasteries (although alternative theories exist, such as Monaco being derived from the name of a tool used in its production). In any case, the cheese itself is made with kid’s rennet. The ﬁnal product has a straw yellow to pale brown colour and is hard with a very piquant taste and a strong aroma. It has a less pronounced teardrop shape than other Caciocavallo types as the body of the cheese is tied up rather than just the neck.

Caciocavallo Podolico Alburni

Podolico is a type of cattle found mainly in Southern Italy. They are distinctive because of their grey colour and there are probably less than 100,000 alive. Thus, Caciocavallo Podolico is Caciocavallo cheese made with milk from Podolico cows. Podolico cows are taken in the summer months to graze high up on mountains. The cows consume not just grass but also mountain plants such as blueberries, rosehip, juniper and wild strawberries. These are said to inﬂuence the properties of the milk produced; it is even claimed that cows who have grazed on strawberries produce cheese with a reddish hew. Due to the fact that not so many Podolico cows exist, this cheese is more of a specialist product so can be expensive.

Caciocavallo Podolico Picentino

Caciocavallo, A Cheese of many Faces! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Caciocavallo, A Cheese of many Faces! – Italian Cheeseaholic This cheese originated in the Campania region of Southern Italy. It is made in municipalities including Montella, Ariano Irpino, Chiusano San Domenico, Vallata, Zungoli and Lacedonia. It is a stretched curd cheese (as indeed are all Caciocavallo types), meaning that after the curd is separated from the whey, it is cut and left in warm whey to ripen. After several hours it has firmed and can now be stretched and moulded in hot water into a characteristic teardrop shape. Traditionally the production process began on the mountain slopes where the Podolico cows were grazing. Once the cheese was formed, the cow herders who were making it tied two together and hung them over a piece of wood to begin the ageing process. Eventually, they were carried down off the mountain where the ageing process could continue. Both Alburni and Picentino are similar cheeses but made in different places with regional variations. The Alburni variety is darker in colour (hence the name!). They are eaten as table cheeses (i.e. on their own without cooking or adding to other dishes). Picentino can be mild or tangy to taste depending on how long it has been matured for.

Take Your Pick! As you can see, Caciocavallo comes in many different types. The differences resulting from the same basic cheese making method being applied in different places with regional variations. Whatever you say about variety, certainly there is a range of Caciocavallos to please different tastes! It is also a reminder of the beauty of diversity in the Lord’s wonderful creation!

Caciocavallo, A Cheese of many Faces! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Formaggella del Sannio, Modern Art using Ancient Practices – Italian Cheeseaholic

Someone once asked the question is there anything new under the sun and came to the conclusion that there isn’t. What is here now, was already here before. Of course, at ﬁrst, this might seem a bit strange as, for example, smart telephones certainly weren’t around in ancient times. However, the thought is that even the new and wonderful things that humans come up with are actually just modern ways of doing what human beings have always done. Mobile telephones may well enable us to communicate with someone many thousands of miles away, which would have been impossible even just a hundred or so years ago, but nevertheless, the idea of communicating with others has been around since the beginning of mankind. The methods of communicating have developed, but the essence has remained the same. This same principle can be applied to cheese. Formaggella del Sannio is a recently invented cheese, but its production is based on a modiﬁcation of the traditional way of making Pecorino, a cheese that has been made for centuries. A bit like creating modern art using ancient practices.

What’s the Diﬀerence? Formaggella del Sannio, Modern Art using Ancient Practices – Italian Cheeseaholic

Formaggella del Sannio, Modern Art using Ancient Practices – Italian Cheeseaholic Pecorino is the general Italian name for sheep’s cheese (The word Pecora meaning sheep in Italian!). Over the centuries, many different methods developed for how to process sheep’s milk thus resulting in many different types of Pecorino cheese. A clever chap in the Sannio region of Southern Italy (which finds itself in modern-day Abruzzo and Molise) came up with the idea of using the traditional Pecorino producing method of the local area, but with a twist in order to come up with a modified cheese. The special trick that was introduced in the production method consists of using only a small dose of rennet (lamb’s or kid’s in liquid form) in the coagulation stage. In other words, the basic ewe’s milk is mildly heated to 30 degrees Celsius, a small quantity of rennet is added and then it is left for a number of hours. Over time, the acidity of the solution rises and eventual,ly the solid curd separates out from the liquid whey. The use of just a small amount of rennet ensures that the keeps as much as possible of the flavours introduced into the milk during the sheep’s grazing period in different pastures.

The Usual Finish Once the curd has been separated out of the milk, retaining the grazing aromas, it is then processed onwards in a standard way. The solid cheese curd, which is mainly made up of the milk protein Casein, is broken into lumps, which remain fairy moist as larger pieces of curd drain more slowly than smaller ones. These are put into moulds and lightly pressed. It is then placed for a short time in a brine solution so that salt enters the cheese, which helps to preserve it. The final step is that the cheese is put in damp, cold stone cellars to age. During the aging process (which lasts from 20 to 30 days) the remaining liquid whey drains off the cheese, the cheese’s body becomes firmer, and develops both flavour and an outer rind.

Final Characteristics As cheeses mature the outside hardens due to exposure to the air to form a solid crust which is known as a rind. As Formaggella del Sannio is left to mature while still relatively moist, the gradual draining oﬀ of this moisture leaves a characteristic wrinkled eﬀect on the cheese’s rind. The rind is greyish brown in colour.

Formaggella del Sannio, Modern Art using Ancient Practices – Italian Cheeseaholic

Formaggella del Sannio, Modern Art using Ancient Practices – Italian Cheeseaholic The inside of the cheese is soft, although it would by most standards be classified as a soft-medium cheese as there are many cheeses much softer and more liquid than Formaggella. The inside flesh of the cheese retains some moisture and has a chalk-white colour. The cheeses are flat cylinders of around 15 to 20 cm in diameter, 4-6 cm in height and a weight of between 500 and 700 grams.

Abruzzo and molise

The Importance of Origin In cheesemaking, the area where a cheese is made has a significance. Milk is a product that can’t be kept fresh for long, so needs to be used quickly. As a result, it is rarely transported long distances and cheeses are then made using the locally available milk. The properties of the milk itself are influenced by what the cows that have produced have fed upon. In turn, these properties influence the flavour and characteristics of the cheese produced from it. On top of this, local variations in cheese making technique can also impact the final product as can be seen from the example of Formaggella del Sannio, which itself has been created by tweaking a long stand cheesemaking tradition. In the case of Formaggella, the full name tells us where it is from; Sannio! To most peop,le this might not be the best-known area of Italy, but it refers to an area in south central Italy which many centuries passed was occupied by the Samnites.

Formaggella del Sannio, Modern Art using Ancient Practices – Italian Cheeseaholic

Formaggella del Sannio, Modern Art using Ancient Practices – Italian Cheeseaholic In modern day terms, a part of this area is now called Abruzzo and Molise and contains a number of mountain pastures where cows can be grazed, and the milk then turned into a variety of traditional (and in the case of Formaggella, not so traditional) cheeses!

The Real Thing The name Formaggella can also be spelled Formagella and be used to refer to different cheeses. The two g’s is a more authentic Italian spelling and the version described above from Sannio is the more authentic Italian cheese, being produced in the said region in south central Italy. As mentioned, it is a simple reworking of the tried and tested Pecorino cheesemaking method, which has been used for many centuries in this part of Italy to produce a host of different Pecorino cheeses. Formaggella del Sannio can be considered the younger cousin of these much more ancient cheeses. If possible, why not give it ago and maybe even compare it to other Pecorino cheeses from the area to see what modern innovation can do for well worn methods! Waste not, want not is a common and wise expression in the English language. What could be better than making the most of what we have for personal benefit, not to mention in order to help those around. In the world of cheese making such a philosophy also exists. Over the years, as cheese making techniques developed, cheese makers found ways to make the most of any by-products or waste. One shinning example are whey cheeses such as Ricotta, which are made from the liquid part of milk called whey. The majority of cheeses are made from the solid part of the milk, but so as not to waste the whey, methods were developed for making cheeses out of the proteins which can be extracted from this whey by heating it. Another are cheese in the mould (as it were!) of Marcetto. These can be thought of as cheeses that are an attempt to salvage something from gone-off sheep’s cheeses. Whilst the thought of saving what would otherwise be waste cheese, is a noble one, the details involved are not for the faint hearted, or indeed weak stomached!

A Different Way to Mature Cheese In making cheese, there are two essential steps. Firstly, getting the protein out of the milk to form a solid. Secondly, this protein needs to be worked and matured to form the final cheese. There are many different variations on how to do this thus such a wide range of cheese are in existence.

Formaggella del Sannio, Modern Art using Ancient Practices – Italian Cheeseaholic

Marcetto, the Cheese with a Catch! – Italian Cheeseaholic In the case of Marcetto, a very special method is employed to mature the cheese. A big clue to what this method might be is given when we think about the origin of the name Marcetto. It is very likely that this is a dialect term for maggot! It sounds ominous and not altogether appetising, but it is actually true that certain maggots when introduced into cheese, break down fat and produce a soft cheese that is edible!

Flies are Actually Good for Something! Sometimes we could ask ourselves the question, what flies are actually good for? Well, in the wonder of God’s creation, even the more insignificant beings have their part to play. In the case of the so-called cheese fly, Piophila casei, one good thing that could be said is the larvaes’ role in helping to mature bad cheese. Sheep, or in Italian Pecorino, cheese is widely produced in Italy. With such a large production and less than well developed preservation techniques in days gone by, it was obviously the case that often not all the cheese produced was consumed. As a result, it would not have been uncommon for people to come across spoilt Pecorino. At some point, maybe by a daring cheese maker or seller, it was realised that over-ripe Pecorino cheese, if left for a long time, actually became edible again. The reason is mentioned above. Cheese flies landed on this cheese, laid their eggs and eventually cheese fly larvae hatched. These larvae began eating the cheese fat, which results in it being broken down and becoming soft. This soft product, once ready, it quite edible.

Maggot Made Cheese Over time, in varying regions of Italy, different types of cheese produced by maggots eating left over cheese developed. Amongst them, there are obviously differences depending on the origin cheese that was being consumed by the maggots. In the Abruzzo (South Central) region of Italy, Marcetto is the version of maggot, otherwise known as pitted (which sounds somewhat more appetising!), cheese. It takes about a year for the Marcetto to be ready. It starts with Pecorino cheese (a popular cheese in the region) which is in excess or no longer required because of poor quality or aging, being left in conditions where cheese flies have access to it. These in turn do their thing in laying eggs, which result in time with the bad Pecorino becoming infested with maggots. These eat their way through the cheese, until it suitably processed and ready for human consumption! The final product has a light pink colour and a creamy, but variable consistency (obviously, the maggots are fussy eaters!).

Marcetto, the Cheese with a Catch! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Other Types Marcetto is not unique and as mentioned above there are a number of other cheeses produced in this way. Probably the most famous of them is Casu Marzu. Casu Marzu is made on the island of Sardina. In essence, it is simply a Sardinian version of Marcetto, with old Pecorino cheese being allowed to decay until the cheese ﬂy larvae living in it have fermented it enough to eat. Again, the name gives the game away as to what the cheese is all about, Casu meaning cheese and Marzu a dialect word for maggot. Other variations on this theme in Italy would include Bross Ch’a marcia in Piedmont, Cacie’ Punt in Molise, Furmai nis in Emilia-Romagna, and Salterello in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Marcetto, the Cheese with a Catch! – Italian Cheeseaholic

The Final Word The Salterello cheese also has a very telling name, as this term refers to the fact that the cheese contains little jumpers! This is in fact the main issue with Marcetto and other insect matured cheeses. There is not necessarily anything wrong with eating the cheese (apart maybe from the thought of eating something that has been processed by insect larvae!), but unavoidably the final cheese is obviously still full of possibly thousands of the larvae. Different techniques exist for killing off the little inhabitants before consuming the cheese, such as refrigeration or wrapping the cheese in an air tight plastic bag to starve them of oxygen, but it still means eating something that contains dead larvae, and who knows, maybe some have survived! Indeed, there have been cases of people being taken ill as these cheese fly larvae can survive digestion and remain in the peoples intestines. So the bottom line, before tasting Marcetto or any of its cheese cousins, make sure you take into consideration the risks. Probably, its best left to those with well worn stomachs or people who are looking for a real culinary adventure! We don’t usually think of cheeses belonging to families. But actually, cheeses can be classified into different groups, using different criteria, such as the production method used or firmness of the resulting cheese. One other way of grouping cheeses is based on the source of the milk used for producing the cheese. Such a classification gives rise to the Italian Pecorino cheese family. Pecora is the Italian word for sheep and so Pecorino cheese is cheese made from Sheep’s (i.e. Ewe’s) milk. Due to the diversity of cheese across Italy, but similarity in production techniques, there are many different types of cheese made from Ewe’s milk, many of them known under the name of Pecorino. One of them is Pecorino Abruzzese.

The Abruzzo Region of Italy To someone unfamiliar with the geography of Italy, this might seem like an obscure name. However, once one is aware that there is a region in south central Italy called Abruzzo, things become a bit clearer. Evidently, Pecorino Abruzzese is Pecorino cheese made in Abruzzo! The Abruzzo region has a number of notable cheeses, although all but two (Caciocavallo di Agnone and Stracciata) are linked in some way to Ewe’s milk and so are Pecorino type cheeses. Of these, Pecorino Abruzzese, as the name suggests, can be considered the standard version of Pecorino cheese from the area.

Marcetto, the Cheese with a Catch! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Pecorino Abruzzese, Part of a big, cheesy Family! – Italian Cheeseaholic

A Flagship Cheese Pecorino Abruzzese is made from ewe’s milk (worth taking into consideration that these are ewe’s that have been grazed in the Abruzzo area due to the difficulties in transporting milk long distances thus the milk takes on board flavours characteristic to the region). It is made using a fairly standard Pecorino method. Rennet, an enzyme that coagulates milk i.e. causes the casein protein in it to solidify and come out of solution, is added to ewe’s milk that hasn’t been pasteurised. The milk is treated raw so that it contains more bacteria that help in the maturation process. The rennet is added in liquid form and can be lamb’s or kid’s (i.e. baby goats!) rennet. Before the rennet is added, the milk is heated to 38 degrees Celsius. This increases the acidity of the milk, something which also aids the coagulation process. After the rennet is added, the solution is left for around an hour. Once this time has passed, the milk has formed a gel due to the protein solidifying. The solid part of the gel is called curd. By hand, this curd is broken up into large lumps and allowed to stand. This initiates the process of the solid curd separating from the liquid part, known as whey. Next, the curd is hand pressed to further drain it of whey. It is placed in rush baskets and once again pressed. This is followed by brief immersion in boiling whey. This alters the bacterial make-up of the curd and so influences the maturing process. After cooking, the curd is left for two days to dry and finally salted by being placed in a brine (i.e. salt solution) bath.

The Final Touch As with most cheeses (the exception being fresh cheeses that are eaten straight after production, such as Mozzarella) a key aspect of production is the maturation period. In the case of Pecorino Abruzzese, once the curd has been extracted from the milk and processed in the above mentioned way, it remains to be left to mature in order to perfect the ﬁnal product. Pecorino Abruzzese is generally left for 20 days in a warm, well-aired room, after which time it is consumable. However, in order to enhance the ﬁnal cheeses, they are usually left for a further month and rubbed with olive oil, before being given the go ahead to be sold and consumed.

Vital Statistics Pecorino Abruzzese, Part of a big, cheesy Family! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Pecorino Abruzzese, Part of a big, cheesy Family! – Italian Cheeseaholic The finished cheese has a hard rind that forms during the aging process. It is wrinkled and brownish in colour with occasional growths of (non-harmful) bacteria. The body, or flesh, of the cheese is firm and straw-coloured (i.e a pale yellow). The cheeses are flat and cylindrical, and can have a diameter of up to 14-22 cm. The height of Pecorino Abruzzese cheeses is usually between 4 and 10 cm and weight between 1 to 3 kg. The production area is all over the Abruzzo region of Italy.

One Among Many As mentioned in the beginning of this article, all over Italy very many different types of Pecorino cheese are made. Some use a standard method of production similar to the one described here above. Others however, introduce regional and technical variations to the method, resulting in a host of different cheeses, based nevertheless on a basic theme. A number of these Pecorino cheeses are what’s called PDO cheeses. This stands for Protected Designation of Origin. In other words, some Pecorino cheeses have a legally protected status, which means they can only be produced in certain areas of Italy, using carefully controlled ingredients and methods of production. Of these special PDO status cheeses, Pecorino Romano is probably the most famous. Whilst Pecorino Abruzzese belongs to this illustrious Pecorino cheese family, it hasn’t quite reached the heights of this PDO status. This means to say that the way it is made is not so rigorously controlled as some other cheeses. However, it doesn’t necessarily follow that Pecorino Abruzzese isn’t worth a try. Indeed, the lack of PDO makes it in some respects even more of a specialist cheese as it is not so well known or widely produced and sold. More so than that, in Abruzzo there are a number of other Pecorino cheeses made. Pecorino Abruzzese is however the standard (as the name suggests) on which these other Abruzzo cheeses are based. All in all then, Pecorino Abruzzese is a good example of a traditional local Pecorino cheese, which merits being given ago if the opportunity arises. It is a standard which can give a flavour of Abruzzo cheeses as a whole and also a good entry in the Parthenon of Pecorino cheeses, which any dedicated Italian cheeseaholic should give ago!

Pecorino Abruzzese, Part of a big, cheesy Family! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Pecorino del Sannio, a Variety on a Cheese Theme – Italian Cheeseaholic

Above image from gransigliodellaforchetta.it Variety is the spice of life, or so they say. If we sit down to think about it, there certainly seems to be some sense to this notion. What indeed would life be like if we all wore the same clothes, spoke the same language, did the same things each day, watched the same T.V. programmes and so on? Fortunately, the wonder of creation is that things aren’t always the same, and this certainly adds a lot of value and interest to what would otherwise be the mundanity of daily life. And even more fortunately for cheese lovers, this variety applies all the way to cheese! It is hard to say how many different types of cheese exist. Estimates range from hundreds to a thousand or more. It all depends on exactly how you define things. In any case, what’s for sure is that many different varieties exist, with many differences between them. Pecorino del Sannio is one of them.

Not Just Another Brick in the Pecorino Wall If we sit down and think about it, cheese is essentially something very simple and basic. It is little more than processed milk. In the same way that fruits are turned into jams, dried or put in pies, so is milk made into cheese in order to preserve it, not to mention to diversify its taste and uses. One such category of persevered milk is the Pecorino family. These are cheeses made in Italy from sheep’s milk. They are otherwise known as Ewe’s milk cheeses, logically really as ewe is the name for a female sheep, and milk or course comes from the female! The beauty of cheese is that diversity comes upon diversity. Pecorino is one of many types of cheeses, but even within the Pecorino family that are many subcategories, that is to say, different ways of processing milk, using milk from different areas, which results in many different types of Pecorino cheese.

Pecorino del Sannio, a Variety on a Cheese Theme – Italian Cheeseaholic

Pecorino del Sannio, a Variety on a Cheese Theme – Italian Cheeseaholic Whilst the various diﬀerent Pecorino cheeses undoubtedly have similarities, that also have subtle, or not so subtle diﬀerences, which gives them their own character and uniqueness.

What’s so Special about del Sannio There are a number of aspects that make Pecorino del Sannio somewhat different to other Pecorino cheeses. Firstly, as in the case of many varieties of cheese, the milk used is important. In the case of Pecorino del Sannio, the milk is specifically from Comisana ewes. Comisana sheep are a breed indigenous to Italy, originating in Sicily, but now found also in other Italian provinces. It is a breed of sheep for which the Italian national association of sheep breeders keeps a record (otherwise known as a herdbook). In 2013, there were only 28,428 sheep recorded. In other words, this is a select breed of sheep and so the specifics and peculiar qualities of their milk go into making Pecorino del Sannio. Next, and probably most significantly, the actual procedure for producing Pecorino del Sannio differs significantly from the traditional method used for making most Pecorino cheeses. To begin with, raw milk is used. This is not so different from many other small-scale, artisanal cheeses, but is a big difference to most mass-produced cheeses. Raw milk has a very different bacterial makeup to pasteurised milk as the aim of the pasteurisation process is just that, to destroy bacteria so that milk, and indeed anything made from it, lasts longer. However, these bacteria are a key component in the process of making cheese and the final product that results, so it is often thought that it is best to use raw milk to help and enhance the making of certain cheeses. In America and elsewhere the use of raw milk for cheesemaking is generally not allowed nevertheless as it is seen risky for the quality and health-giving, or otherwise, properties of the resulting cheeses. This raw milk is filtered to remove impurities and heated to 30 degrees Celsius, another deviation from standard Pecorino technique, which usually heats the milk to a slightly higher temperature. Next the main part, and arguably biggest difference, of the cheesemaking, begins.

The Nitty Gritty Cheesemaking can be thought of as having two key steps. Firstly, extracting the solid cheese protein from milk, and then secondly, the process of maturing this solid to produce the ﬁnal product. Once the milk has been warmed, a tiny amount of lamb’s rennet in the form of a paste is added. This stimulates the process of the solid protein separating out from the liquid part of the milk. However, using just a small quantity of rennet and only gently heating the milk causes the process to go slowly. For other Pecorino cheeses, this process can be done in less than an hour, in some cases even in 20 minutes. But not Pecorino del Sannio, which can take up to six hours to coagulate.

Pecorino del Sannio, a Variety on a Cheese Theme – Italian Cheeseaholic

Pecorino del Sannio, a Variety on a Cheese Theme – Italian Cheeseaholic The separating out of solid and liquid in milk is caused by an increase of acidity of the solution. A component called rennet is added to make this happen faster, so most cheeses can be called rennet coagulated cheeses, but Pecorino del Sannio is more of a rennet-assisted lactic acid coagulation cheese. The slow coagulation process influences the properties of the milk that are retained in the solid cheese curd that is precipitated from it, and so has a knock-on effect for the final cheese made.

The Not so Unexpected Ending Once the curd has been obtained, the rest of the process is specific for Pecorino del Sannio, but fairly standard in nature. The solid is cut up into rice sized pieces to aid the loss of moisture. These pieces are then hand pressed in moulds and turned over several times. This all helps the drying process. When dried out sufficiently, salt is rubbed into the embryonic cheeses. Finally, they are placed in damp, bur well-aired caves for between 50 and 90 days, in order to mature and take on their final appearance. Once extra little nuance is that whilst maturing the cheeses are regularly oiled. This protects them from the formation of unwanted fungus on the outside, and seals inside moisture and other properties.

A Special Cheese Among Special Cheeses As we have seen, there are a few aspects in its production, that make Pecorino del Sannio different, and thus special, when compared to other Pecorino cheeses. The main differences are the milk used and the procedure for extracting solid casein protein from the milk. There are also some more minor variations such as oiling the rind as the cheese matures and indeed the specifics of the region where it is made (the Molise side of Sannio in east-central Italy). All in all, this is what cheese is all about. Many different variations in production method are used to produce a great variety of different cheeses. From one point of view, Pecorino del Sannio is just another one of them, but on the other hand, its particular way of being made makes it special in its own right!

Pecorino del Sannio, a Variety on a Cheese Theme – Italian Cheeseaholic

A Cheese Substitute for Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

Grana Padano is not one of the best-known names in Italian cheese. Indeed, if we were to go out on the street and ask people to name what Italian cheeses come to mind, it wouldn’t be surprising if not many people even mentioned Grana Padano.

A Cheese Substitute for Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

A Cheese Substitute for Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic However, that’s not to say that Grana Padano isn’t a cheese worth checking out. Actually, Grana Padano would probably be better known if it wasn’t for the fact that it is somewhat overshadowed by Parmigiano Reggiano, otherwise known as Parmesan. Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano are actually very similar cheeses and this makes Grana Padano a great cheese substitute for Parmesan.

A Parallel Starting Point The beginnings of both Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano are in the stomachs of cows. This doesn’t sound so appetising, but the truth of the matter is that cheese is preserved milk, and milk comes into being as cows (or other lactating animals) process the food they are consuming. Thus a big influence of the cheese produced is the type of cow the milk comes from, and what it has eaten. Cows involved in producing Grana Padano can be fed on both fresh grass and silage (that is grass that has been stored – particularly useful for wintertime production), where as in Parmigiano Reggiano natural animal feed is preffered. Parmigiano Reggiano is also made in a much more restricted area which limits the amount of variation in fodder used to feed the cows involved, whereas Grana Padano is made in a much wider area and so there could be a wider difference in the diet of the cows that produce the milk that is then converted in Grana Padano.

A Spitting Image Process Once the milk has been obtained, the actual method used to work it and result in cheese is, for both Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano, in essence, the same. The milk needs to be added to a cheese vat, heated with rennet and allowed to coagulate. Next the curd produced is cut, cooked and eventually removed from the vat using a large cheese cloth. Enough curd is extracted to make two cheeses. This curd is drained in a mould and then left to mature until the final product is ready. In this method though, there can be some differences in the detail which affect the final cheese.

A Cheese Substitute for Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

Grated Grana Padano

Counting Calories Before the milk is placed in a vat for processing, it is left to stand. This allows the cream (the fatty part of the milk) to rise to the surface. This can then be skimmed off (hence the term skimmed milk!). Cows are generally milked twice a day. For Grana Padano, milk from a morning and evening milking on the same day is skimmed and then used in cheese manufacture. However, for Parmigiano Reggiano milk from an evening milking is skimmed, but then mixed with the next morning’s full fat offering. This means that the basic ingredient of the cheese for Parmigiano Reggiano is fattier than that for Grana Padano. The knock on effect is that Parmigiano Reggiano matures more slowly than Grana Padano as cheese aging has alot to do with how bacteria breakdown the fat, and the curd for Parmigiano Reggiano has a higher fat content to breakdown. Other factors can also have a part to play in the development of the cheese, such as the rennet used, and conditions and precise length of maturing.

The Bottom Line As is the case in most areas of life today, a lot of things at the end of the day come down to money. This is an area where Grana Padano has a certain advantage over Parmigiano Reggiano. Grana Padano is a very widely produced cheese. In fact, of the Eu’s PDO cheeses (i.e. cheeses that have a special status due to the area and conditions of their manufacture being closely controlled) it is probably made in the highest quantity.

A Cheese Substitute for Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

A Cheese Substitute for Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic There exist statistics that show that Grana Padano is made throughout the PO river valley in Northern Italy, a large area. Here there are aroud 150 factories that churn out (no pun intended!) 4.5 million cheeses a year, about 30% of which are exported. Taking into consideration that each of these cheeses is around 33-35 kg in weight, we can appreciate that we’re taking about a lot of cheese here! For this reason, Grana Padano is a readily available cheese and usually reasonably priced. One more factor that reduces costs is that it is generally made in a standardised process in factories thus making possible this aformentioned high yield of cheese. On the other hand, Parmigiano Reggiano is generally a more highly prized cheese and it’s production relies more on the expertise of the cheesemaker than an industrial process. This could obviously been seen as an advantage over Grana Padano, but when comparing the quality of the ﬁnal product, both cheeses are strictly controlled. So, for this reason, the lower price and easy availability mean that Grana Padano can be thought of as a good cheese substitute for Parmesan.

Final Remarks Grana in Italian refers to the grainy nature of the final cheese product. Both Parmesan and Grana Padano belong to this category of cheese. It is a result of the long ageing process which gradually causes crystals to form in the body of the cheese. The ripening of the cheese also produces a sweet, melt in the mouth flavour. In true Parmesan cheese the flavour is arguably more pronounced, but that of Grana Padano is not far off. Ultimately, Grana Padano proves itself to be a worthy substitute for Parmesan. It is cheaper, has a very similar texture, behaves in much the same way, and is nutritious. The long maturation period results in the nutrients in it becoming concentrated and a big plus is that much of the lactose is fermented away, so people who are mildly lactose intolerant can at least theoretically enjoy it in small quantities. In it’s softer, only moderately matured form, Grana Padano can be enjoyed in it’s own, dipped in honey or with fruit. In it’s harder, aged form, it is an excellent grating cheese with many uses in flavouring and complimenting all sorts of dishes.

A Cheese Substitute for Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

An Italian Cheese Gem – Italian Cheeseaholic

Asiago is an Italian Cheese originating from the Veneto region of North Eastern Italy, an area famous more than anything for the canal street lined city of Venice. The name Asiago is not necessarily one of the better-known names in Italian cheese, however amongst cheese connoisseurs it is certainly well thought oﬀ. It is a simple, lightly coloured and gently tasting cow’s milk cheese that comes in two diﬀerent types. This simplicity doesn’t however prevent Asiago from being an Italian Cheese gem.

A Very Italian Sounding Name Asiago is the name of a small town located on a plateau (area of ﬂat land) stretching out from the foot of the Italian Alps. This plateau is also called the Asiago Plateau.

An Italian Cheese Gem – Italian Cheeseaholic

An Italian Cheese Gem – Italian Cheeseaholic It is thought that many centuries ago, this Asiago Plateau provided good pasture for sheep. The sheep in turn produced a lot of milk, much of which was turned into cheese in order to preserve it. Over time, the practice of keeping sheep gradually morphed into the keeping of cattle. Thus, slowly the cheese produced on this Asiago Plateau became cow’s milk cheeses. It was of course logical to name the cheese made here Asiago after the name of the area where it is produced. In this way, the name of the cheese reﬂects something of its heritage. It is probably though, that this Asiago name has only been used more recently, with the original name of the cheese made in this area being Pegorin due to the fact that it was sheep’s milk cheese (Pecorino being the name for sheep in modern Italian).

The Guarantee of Quality The name Asiago then is representative of the modern-day Asiago cheese. In the past, there would have been much variation in the cheeses produced in this Asiago region; different techniques, different types of milk; differing pasture and production conditions, all resulting in slightly different cheeses. Standardisation is a more recent invention. In the last century or so, due to commercial pressures of producing large quantities of similar cheese, so that consumers knew what they were buying, the techniques and methods of Asiago production would have become more closely controlled. The culmination of this standardisation was on the 12th June 1996, when Asiago was awarded DOP status. This means that the area and ways of making Asiago were clearly defined and only cheese produced adhering to them can be considered true Asiago cheese. So, when buying Asiago cheese, it is important to look for cheese with an official DOP marking to confirm that the cheese being bought has been made according to the set Asiago procedures and isn’t a cheap imitation.

An Italian Cheese Gem – Italian Cheeseaholic

It also means that what we know as Asiago cheese has only been recognised in its current form in more recent times.

Two Different Types One other important point to take note of, is that not all Asiago cheese is the same. There are two different types, one of which having some different sub categories, which reflect different areas and variations in methods of production and length of ageing. One type of Asiago is actually called Asiago d’Allevo. This name derives from the Italian word ‘allevato’ meaning raised in other words it is brought up, or matured, just like we might raise our children. As the name suggests, this is a mature, hard sort of cheese. It is made from raw milk. There are three different sub categories depending in how long it has been matured for: Asiago ‘Mezzano’: matured for between 3 to 8 months.

An Italian Cheese Gem – Italian Cheeseaholic

An Italian Cheese Gem – Italian Cheeseaholic Asiago ‘Vecchio’: from between 9 to 18 months old. Asiago ‘Stravecchio’: more than 18 months old. As time goes by the texture of the cheese becomes harder and crumblier, the colour darkens, and the taste becomes increasingly strong and ﬂavoursome. The other type is called Asiago Pressato. The Pressato refers to the fact that an important part of the production process for this cheese is hydraulically pressing it in order to remove moisture before leaving it to mature. The maturation period is generally short, somewhere between 20 and 40 days. Other diﬀerences to Asiago d’Allevo are that pasteurised milk is used, and the salting process begins straight after the solid cheese curd is extracted from the liquid milk whey, by having salt rubbed into it. Traditionally, Asiago Pressato was made in the more low-lying areas whereas Asiago d’Allevo was made in the mountains. The resulting cheese is medium-soft, light, almost white, in colour, has some air holes and a mild, milky taste.

Asiago Pressato

What To Do With Asiago Asiago is a diverse cheese with many different uses. Well matured Asiago d’Allevo becomes a good cheese for grating and so can be added as a flavouring and nutritious addition to many different pasta dishes, or as a cheesy topping on certain pies, flans, moussaka or lasagne.

An Italian Cheese Gem – Italian Cheeseaholic

An Italian Cheese Gem – Italian Cheeseaholic Less well matured Asiago d’Allevo is slightly softer and not quite as strongly flavoured, so can be eaten only on its own, added to salads or used as an accompaniment for honey or fruit. Asiago Pressato is a softer, more standard sort of cheese, with a milder flavour, so is a good option for use as basic cheese, wherever cheese is needed. It can be eaten in sandwiches for example, added to potato dishes to give a cheesiness, or even diced and mixed into pasta dishes to give a similar effect. It melts well, and relatively evenly, so could just be used in cheese on toast!

The Final Word The possibilities with Asiago cheese are great, particularly due to the diﬀerent types on oﬀer and personal preference. The main thing to take into consideration is to make sure that the cheese you buy has a red DOP label on the packet, and that the cheese itself has the name Asiago moulded into the rind. These are the signs that indicate the cheese is true Asiago, produced in the Asiago Plateau region using traditional, strictly controlled methods and ingredients. Some even consider Asiago to be a rival to Parmesan and Grana Padano, which is high praise indeed and goes to show why Asiago could be seen as one of the gems of Italian cheese!

An Italian Cheese Gem – Italian Cheeseaholic

A cheese like no other! – Italian Cheeseaholic

To be or not to be is a famous question once posed by Hamlet in the annuals of English literature (I can deﬁnitely recommened being!). A cheeselover could somewhat rephrase the question and ask themselves to cheese or not to cheese. A slightly odd sounding sentence in English, but we could put it another way and ask, when is a cheese not actually cheese. The answer to these conundrums is in any case, Tofu. Tofu is a product very like cheese, but it is actually made from soya milk, which in turn is obtained from soya beans. Tofu is thus bean cheese if you will!

A Vegetable Beginning A cheese like no other! – Italian Cheeseaholic

A cheese like no other! – Italian Cheeseaholic Soya beans (or soybeans if you prefer!) are a crop that originated in East Asia. Interestingly, the beans themselves are not edible in their natural form, but can be processed in a number of ways to produce a plethora of diﬀerent food products. One such product is Soymilk. This is made by soaking and then grinding soybeans in water. The mixture is then heated and the pulp residue from the beans is ﬁltered out leaving a milk like liquid hence Soymilk! This Soymilk can then be treated and used just like animals’ milk thus ‚cheese’ can be produced.

Bean Cheese Cheese is formed when milk is treated in such a way as to extract the solid protein from the liquid part of the milk. In much the same way, Soymilk can also be processed in order to extract the solid protein from the liquid part thus producing something analogous to cheese. There are three ways to get the solid protein to come out of the Soymilk solution. One is by adding certain enzymes. Secondly, some edible acids will do the trick and thirdly, salts can be used (we’re talking magnseium or calcium chloride or calcium sulphate here, not your standard table salt, sodium chloride!). Traditionally at least, salt is used (in particularly calcium sulphate) and it’s not hard to imagine that an accidental or experimental mix of Soymilk and one such salt was what gave rise to the discovery of bean cheese in the first place! Acids are less popular as they tend to leave an aftertaste and the discovery of different enzymes that can coagulate Soymilk is a much more recent thing. Once one of the above mentioned coagulates has been added to the Soymilk a gel is formed which consists of solidified protein from the Soymilk suspended in the liquid part of the Soymilk. This gel is then drain and pressed in order to extract moisture and leave the remaining solid. In cheesemaking, this solid that results from extracting protein from milk is called ‚curd’ so that’s why the product here is often known as Bean Curd.

Otherwise Known as Tofu This Bean Curd is better known as Tofu.

A cheese like no other! – Italian Cheeseaholic

A cheese like no other! – Italian Cheeseaholic The English name Tofu comes from the equivalent Japanese name for this Bean delight, which in turn comes from the original Chinese name ‚Doufu’, literally meaning curdled bean (a spot on name then!). Soybeans are a very popular crop, especially in Asia as they are highly nutritious. In particularly, they are full of protein which makes them an ideal food for a vegetarian diet, which comes in handy as many of the Eastern religions promote such a thing! Much of this nutrititive value is passed on to Tofu. This makes Tofu a good cheese substitute as it contains plenty of protein. It is also low in calories (fat) and in salt (compared to many cheeses which are full of salt as this is an important preservative which stops them going oﬀ) not to mention containing other nutrients such as calcium or magnesium depending on how it has been made.

A Cheese of Many Uses So the most basic questions is what can Tofu be used for? Well, you’d be surprised! Obviously, the most simple answer is that it can just be enjoyed as it is! There are many different types of Tofu. Ranging from super fresh, which can be simply the curded Soy milk without even having the whey seperated out, to soft, firm and very firm versions. It can be flavoured by adding different ingredients (I can recommened Avocado powder!) There even exist dried, frozen, dried- frozen versions, not to mention the fact that the skin formed when heating Soy milk (Tofu skin or Yuba) can also be extracted, and in and of itself has many uses! In the west, Tofu is often seen as a meat substitute because of its high protein content. It is indeed true that firmer Tofu’s can be used as an alternative to meat in, for example, Kebabs. However, this is a classic example of Westerner’s giving their own spin to something foreign. In Asia, Tofu is rarely seen as a meat substitute. That being said, Tofu can be fried, boiled, stewed, added to soup or different sauces or even served stuffed. In this respect, it certainly is a great meat substitute and should be the delight of most vegetarians. Indeed, it is understandable why it was so popular amonst Buddhist monks! In Asia, where Tofu is a big deal, there are endless ways that it is used, often depending on the country. It can be flavoured in many different ways. Boiled peanuts or almond syrup are two that I would like to give ago! It can also be combined with Tuna in Tahu Tuna, an Indonesian dish that also features fried Tofu. Again, one that I would like to give a try. As you might realise with the Almond syrup, it can also be used both in savoury and sweet dishes.

A cheese like no other! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Tofu Total We could in conclusion say that Tofu is a total food. It is realtively easy to produce; It is healthy as foods go, with a high protein content, but low salt and fat; and has very many diﬀerent uses. It’s no wonder that it has been popular for so long in Asia, and is well worth being given ago by those of us in other parts of the world!

A cheese like no other! – Italian Cheeseaholic

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

Parmesan cheese, more correctly called Parmigano Reggiano, is considered by many to be the king of cheeses. This could well be to with the fact that it has many qualities. In particularly, it comes in diﬀerent forms depending on how long it has been aged and so has many diﬀerent uses.

It’s no surprise than that many attempts have been made to copy this cheese to capitalise on it’s success. Indeed, so much so, that Parmesan has become a generic name for all these counterfeit cheeses and real Parmesan is actually the aforementioned Parmigano Reggiano. This all being said there are other types of Italian cheese that can be used as an alternative to Parmesan. One of these is Pecorino Toscano.

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

Cow’s Cheese vs Sheep’s Cheese Parmigano Reggiano is traditionally made out of milk from cows. However, by definition Pecorino Toscano is made from sheep’s milk (Pecora being the Italian word for sheep). Obviously, the type of milk that a cheese is made from influences greatly the taste of the final product (especially seeing as cheese is in essence a one ingredient product!). Certainly, a difference in taste can be detected between Parmigano Reggiano and Pecorino Toscano. This difference is most pronounced in less well matured versions, where, as is often the case for sheep’s milk cheeses, the Pecorino cheese has a stronger, more tangy flavour compared to it’s cow’s milk counterpart. This difference (in my opinion at least!) doesn’t disqualify Pecorino Toscano though as an able substitute for Parmigano Reggiano. It has many qualities to endear itself, and in the mature version at least, a certain similarity to Parmigano Reggiano. Indeed, by the time the two cheeses have matured the taste, not to mention the consistency of the cheeses have become similar.

The Makings of Pecorino Toscano The process for making Pecorino Toscano is not dissimilar to that for making Parmigano Reggiano, although that is not surprising as in essence the process for making most medum to hard cheeses is similar and indeed it is usually just the differences in nuances that give rise to the wide variety of cheeses available. As a rule pasteurised milk is used for safety reasons as it kills off potentially harmful bacteria. (Some smallscale cheesemakers prefer to use raw milk as the extra bacteria can add to the taste of the final product, but it is hard to find such raw milk cheeses on sale in the common market). Liquid calf’s rennet is added to the milk, which has been heated to between 35 and 38 degrees celsius. This causes the milk to coagulate in around 25 minutes. The next stage has two variations depending on the final product desired. The solid curd produced by coagulation can be broken up into hzel-nut sized lumps if a softer final cheese is intended. (The bigger lumps allow more moisture to be retained). Alternatively, if a semi-hard cheese is wanted, the curd can be broken into smaller pieces, and maybe reheated. This is to expel more moisture from the curd, aiding the drying and maturing process. With Parmigano Reggiano usually only long term matured cheeses are produced, so the curd at this stage is normally broken up into small rice granule sized pieces. For Pecorino Toscano, the curd is then put into cheese hoops and then pressed manually, or by steam treatment, for between 30 minutes and three and a half hours. This expels even more moisture.

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

A little look at another type of Pecorino Cheese! The curd is then immersed in a salt solution for 8 hours for soft Pecorino and 12 to 14 hours for the harder version. The ﬁnal stage of the manufacturing process is to leave the cheese in a cellar at 8-10 degrees celsius and humidity of 80-90%. For softer cheeses, twenty days is enough to mature it. Harder cheeses require at least four months. For the making of Parmigiano Reggiano see here.

A side on slice of Pecorino Toscano

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

The Naming of Pecorino Toscano Pecorino Toscano has only actually been called this since after the Second World War. Over the years it has had something of an identity crisis. In ancient times it seems to have been called Lunense, or at least the version of it made in the area of Lunigiana described by an ancient author, Pliny the Elder. Later on in history, it would appear that the cheese took on the name of Marzolino, which reflected the fact that production used to begin in the month of March. Interestingly, Bartolomeo Platina in 1475 compared Marzolino cheese to Maggnego, another name for Parmesan cheese, this one refelecting the fact some Parmesan was made in May, and saying that these two cheeses compete for sumpremacy amongst Italian cheeses. Finally, up until fairly recently, throughout Tuscany different cheeses were produced, but using variations on the aforementioed technique for making Pecorino Toscano, and each one going by a name contianing Cacio and a reference to the area where it was made. Eventually though, standardisation came, something attested to by the DOP label which is officially carried by all authentic Pecorino Toscano and means that the cheese has been made in a certain area, using verified techniques.

The Using of Pecorino Toscano

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

Pecorino Toscano has many uses, depending on it’s hardness. The softer versions go well in salads, while slightly more mature cheese can be eaten with something sweet such as honey, jam or fruit.

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic The real rivalry with Parmesan appears though when we talk about grating. Once Pecorino Toscano is well aged it forms a hard structure and strong ﬂavour which is well suited to grating over all sorts of pasta dishes. This is obviously the strong point of Parmigiano Reggiano too. Parmigiano Reggiano maybe has a slight edge on Pecorino Toscano as it can be aged for longer and develop an even more exquiste crystaline structure, which is great for grating (excuse the pun!) but this all adds to the cost.

The Final Verdict Overall, as we have seen, Pecorino Toscano and Parmigian Reggiano (i.e. Parmesan) are very similar cheeses, certainly at least in terms of production and the final product when it comes to well matured versions. There are perhaps slight variations in flavour and structure, which arguably give Parmigano the edge, but because of it’s reputation, Parmigian Reggiano is often more expensive than Pecorino Toscano, so Pecorino Toscano can be thought of as great, slightly cheaper cheese alternative to Parmesan. At the end of the day, it’s ultimately upto personal preference and, as mentioned earlier, for at least five hundred years people have been debating which is best, Pecorino Toscano or Parmesan, so it’s obviously a close call!

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

Italian Cheeseaholic, Volume One, 1st Edition

Articles inside

Mozzarella!