Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Italian Cheeses: Good Choices For A Global Market

By Jim Antonio

Although hundreds of Italian cheeses are produced in the tiny country, not all are readily available in other parts of the world. You can find plenty of delicious and distinctive cheese examples to please the most exacting cheese connoisseur. Indigenous people around the world, as in Italy have produced and used cheeses throughout recorded history. Cheeses from Italy are produced from sheep, cows or goat's milk. The texture of this country's cheeses are creamy, pliable or hard.

Cheese made of Ewe Milk

These cheese options include Pecorino Romano, a protected dairy product. Only cheese from the Sardinia and Lazio regions of Italy can carry this name. Romano cheese generally is good for table use and for grating. Its taste is intense and tangy. The minimum aging for this type of cheese lasts five months.

A sheep cheese from Rome is named Cacio de Roma. This cheese is mild flavored, and combines tastes that are both salty and sweet. The salty taste is due to the processing that bathes the fresh cheeses in sea water. Cacio de Roma is not a hard cheese, but it is firmer than butter and might be described as pliable.

Goat's Milk Cheese Options

A low potassium level makes goat cheese popular with those who suffer from kidney problems. Lactose intolerant people can use goat milk cheese. Caprino cheese is one example of a popular goat cheese. Fresh Caprino is aged for less than one week. The texture is very soft. The cheese is shaped into a round disc or a cylinder. Immersion in oil, such as olive oil makes a way to ship the cheese while protecting it. Caprino cheese can be seasoned with garlic, parsley or pepper. The aged process requires up three to six years and it has a thin rind of yellow or red.

All goat cheese have a distinctive tart flavor. One popular cheese is produced in the Sardegna region of Italy. This cheese is one that is heated. The result is a cheese with a smooth light brown rind that has only a minimum number of eyes that are generally small. Sardegna cheese can be grated or sometimes is sliced for a post meal snack.

Italian Cows Milk Cheeses

The Alta Badia cheese from Italy's mountains have an unusual flavor and texture. The wheels of cheese are soaked in wine and contain seasonings such as garlic and black pepper. Wheels of 4 to 5 pounds are typical. The texture is somewhat soft and the flavor reminds you of garlic flavored sausage. This is a popular snack cheese.

Italian villages are the home of many fine cheeses. Formaggio di Bra is just one example of a simple table cheese from the village of the same name. Formaggio di Bra can be enjoyed as a snack with light wines, particularly red wines. This cheese comes in several different seasoned versions. It can be treated with wine. The cheese aging process can vary, giving alternative tastes and textures.

The range of Italian cheeses goes well beyond these typical examples. You can use the cheese with any meal course or it can be eaten as a snack. Whether you enjoy paste or dry cheeses; whether you prefer grated or sliced cheese, you will find the range of flavor and textures to be very exciting.

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