Do Buy Italian Cheeses And Take A Regional Journey

For those who have a taste for quality cheese, if you buy Italian cheese on offer you will discover a world of flavor. Italy has over four hundred cheeses with different regional cheeses having a distinctive flair. Artisanally made cheeses add to the distinction. You can now find an increasing array of Italian cheeses on line and in specialty retail stores.

Regional flavor

Piedmont is known to have the most extensive selection of cheeses. The uncommon cheeses of the region include the Castelmagno which is a blue cheese; the Bra which has both mild and strong versions; the Tomme cheese made from a mixture of cow and sheep and goat milk; the intense Raschera; the Robiole des langhe which also has a dark truffle variety; and Tomini fresh or cooked. More available cheeses include one of the oldest Italian cheeses the Fontina and the Fontal the soft cheeses that melt well and the Seiras ricotta.

The northern regional cheeses have Austrian and Swiss variations. They range from the mild Dobbiaco, the warm buttery Mandriano di Zambla, the spice of the Valpadana Provolones, the curd like Mascarpone, the blue cheese Gorgonzola. The Ubriaco from Vaneto is a wine washed cheese. The Monte Veronese, the Swiss Cheese like Asiago, the Piave with a taste like Parmigiano Reggiano but more intense are outstanding regional examples. The Friuli regional cheeses made by farmers by hand and the similar to Asiago when young Montasio cheese that gets bolder with age. The Carnica smoked ricotta, the Emilia Romagna region and its Parmigiano Reggiano and then there are the cheeses from Tuscany and the central region that are made commonly from sheep milk. The Pecorino cheeses are what they are known for, although they are not exclusive to this part of Italy.

The southern regions favor sheep and buffalo milk cheeses such as Mozzarella, the stringy Caciocavallo Silano, ricottas of varying age. In Basilicata and Calabria the goat and sheep milk produce pecorino which is the term for cheeses made from the milk of sheep generally, and other cheeses like the rare and costly Caciocavallo Podolico made from cows milk that comes from cows only from this region.

Wines paired with cheese means delicious options

With the number of grape varieties exceeding cheese, wines can be paired creatively with cheese. Mauro Cirilli who has a San Francisco restaurant and is a Sommelier recommends regional matches. Such as a pairing of Sardinian products pecorino sardo and the robust white Vermentino di Gallura.

The Emilia Romagna region where Bologna and Parma are situated is renowned for the Parmigiano Reggiano and then there are the Tuscany and central regional cheeses made mostly from sheep milk. The Pecorino cheeses are also made here.

Learn more about buy Italian cheese. Stop by Luigi DeMarco’s site where you can find out all about imported cheese and what it can do for you.