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Italian Cheese Guide

Asiago d'Allevo Oro del Tempo

Brinata (Sheep's Milk Brie)

Bel Paese

This semi-soft cheese has a mild, buttery flavor, similar to mozzarella but with more body and tang. It is suitable for snacks, as a dessert cheese, or for melting on casseroles or pizza.

This slow-ripened Asiago is aged for a full year. Made in small batches from partially skimmed raw cow's milk, this cheese has a distinctive sharpness with hints of butterscotch.
Its texture is firm enough to grate but it is also a wonderful table cheese.

Brinata means "early morning frost" in Italian. It has an edible, delicate white rind and a soft, smooth texture. Brinata tastes like an exquisite brie, but with a slight sheepy tang and a bit more moisture. It is flown in straight from Tuscany.

Crescenza is a rich, creamy, fresh cheese that is also known as Stracchino. Crescenza's texture and flavor are similar to Gorgonzola without the blue veins and it becomes very soft and speadable at room temperature. It is made from cow's milk in the northern provinces of Italy.

From Calabria in Southern Italy, Crotonese is a pure sheep's milk cheese. It has a pecorino flavor and is both sweet and salty. Formed in woven molds, its surface is a bit oily due to the natural oils in the ewe's milk.

The cows that produce this cheese graze on high altitude alpine pastures dotted with wildflowers and native herbs. Fontina is a great cooking cheese, as it melts evenly. It is also a savory table cheese.

From Italy's Lombardy region comes the most imitated blue cheese in the world. Authentic Italian gorgonzola comes in 2 varieties - Dolce meaning sweet and Mountain which is sharper. Gorgonzola Dolce is luxurious with a tangy creaminess.

Pecorino romano is Italy's oldest cheese dating back to ancient Rome. This hard sheep's cheese is typically aged for 1 year. It is used as a grating cheese over pasta, soups, and salads, and not recommended as a table cheese. It has a bit sharper taste than Parmesan.

The best known use of this ultra-rich cheese is in tiramisu but it is also delicious topped with fresh berries or in a savory spread. It is made from the cream of cow's milk but no cheese starter or rennet is used. Mascarpone is made by draining the moisture from the cream through a finely woven cloth.

Provolone is a northern Italian cheese that can be thought of as Mozzarella's aged brother. This piccante version is sharper than the mild Provolone found in most Italian stores. Great for sandwiches, in omelets, and salads.

A variation of ricotta, this pure white, firm rindless cheese originated in Sicily. It is made from lightly salted sheep's milk curd that is pressed, dried, and aged for a minimum of 3 months. Ricotta salata has a nutty, sweet flavor that is great in salads and pasta dishes.

Scamorza is a spun cow's milk cheese from Italy. Pear-shaped, it is made like mozzarella and aged for a couple of days. It is available smoked (affumicate)
or plain (bianca). Both types are used in cooking, especially pasta dishes.

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More information about cheese on our website:
To learn about Parmesan cheese, click here
To learn about Burrata cheese, click here

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