Italian in NH Lakes Region
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FORMAGGIO or CACIO
Cheese in Italian Cooking
The word for cheese in Italian is formaggio which means solidified milk.
Cheese was a staple food for ancient Greeks and Romans.
In the medieval times, around the 12th century records show that Parmigiano,
Gorgonzola, Mozzarella, and Pecorino were being made.
Over the centuries many traditional cheeses disappeared, but others were improved
and became more widespread as a result of scientific research and more efficient
production systems. Cheese makers had a greater understanding of the importance of
the temperature and humidity control, as well as the importance of hygiene.
At the end of the 1980s it was estimated that more than 400 different types of cheese
were being produced in Italy.
In Italy cheese is made from cow’s milk, as well as sheep, goats, and water buffalo.
The production of many cheeses is controlled by government regulations that guarantee
quality and protect regional varieties from poorer imitations.
Beginning 1955 some cheeses became D.O.C. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata).
In 1995 a new D.O.P (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) was introduced.
The fat content in cheese must be evaluated in comparison with its dry weight.
 A “high fat” cheese has more than 42% fat.
 A semi-fat cheese has between 20-42% fat
 A “low fat” cheese has 20% fat.
Cheese is divided in two categories:
 Soft cheeses – have more than 40% water.
 Hard cheeses – have less than 40% water.
A cheese board should contain different types of cheeses and flavors and served with
fruit, vegetables, preserves, and wine to enhance the cheeses’ different aromas, tastes,
and textures. Many cheeses go well with fresh or dried fruit.
Cheese has come to play an important role in Italian cuisine for a number of reasons. It
enhances the flavor of many dishes and makes creamy sauces for pasta. Furthermore,
good cheese enriches any first course with a healthy dose of protein, creating a
balanced one-course meal.
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Italian in NH Lakes Region
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The following cheeses are all D.O.P. and are used almost daily in Italian cooking.
Asiago - Vicenza and Trento (Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige) – 44% fat.
There are two distinct types of Asiago:
 Pressato is the bet known of the two types. It is a fresh cheese, semi-soft in texture
and very mild in flavor. It is sweet, buttery, slightly tangy and milky and works well for
a mild table or melting cheese or for use in sandwiches.
 d'Allevo is the aged hard cheese variety, taking anywhere from three months to 2
years to ripen. At 6 months is called Mezzano, at 1 year is called Vecchio, and at 2
years is called Stravecchio. It is a slightly fruity cheese that becomes sharper with
age. It has small holes and a slightly granular texture. Serve this cheese with grapes,
figs, bread, or crackers. Can also be grated over pasta, in omelets, or added to
pizzas. It melts well when grated.
Caciocavallo – Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise and Puglia. 44% fat
Easily is the most popular and widely used cheese in southern Italy. It means “Cheese
on horseback” was originally slung in pairs over the back of a horse during
transportation. It is similar in taste to aged provolone. Young Caciocavallo makes an
outstanding table cheese, while aged versions are used both for the table and for
grating.
Fontina – Val D’Aosta. 45% fat.
It has been made for at least 500 years is a firm, compact easy-to-melt cheese. Much
used in cooking because it melts so beautifully. Its slightly nutty taste adds a touch of
class to first and second courses alike.
Gorgonzola – Lombardia. 48% fat
This cheese has been made for centuries. Its creamy texture and distinctive taste make
it an ideal dressing for salads, fresh gnocchi, or dried gnocchi or veal. It's a distant
cousin of French Fromage Bleu, but sweeter to the taste, and easier to blend into
recipes. There is Gorgonzola dolce (with raw fruits and vegetables) and Gorgonzola
piccante pairs well with berries, pears, peaches, plums, walnuts and honey. Gorgonzola
is also excellent in risotto and polenta, mixed into vinaigrette, melted on pizza or used
as a dip.
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Grana Padano – Piemonte, Lombardia, Veneto, Emilia Romagna. 32% fat.
Its origin can be traced back around the year 1000 in the province of Milano. It has a
grainy texture and is easy to flake off the wedge. Noted for its lightness and nutritive
qualities, it is often used in pasta casseroles, vegetable dishes and delicious pies. It
serves beautifully as a stand-in for meat or fish as a second course.
Mascarpone – Lodi and Abbiategrasso (Milano) Lombardia. 60% fat
Mascarpone is a triple-creme cheese, made from a generally low-fat (25%) content
fresh cream. It's made from the milk of cows that have been fed special grasses filled
with fresh herbs and flowers – a special diet that creates a unique taste often described
as "fresh and delicious."
Mascarpone is used in cooking, especially in the preparation of deserts.
Mozzarella – Caserta, Salerno, Benevento, Napoli (Campania) Frosinone, Latina,
Roma (Lazio). 50% fat or higher
It is an Italian mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk in areas Campania and Lazio.
The Italian city of Aversa in the province of Caserta is recognized as the origin of this
cheese. It is a basic ingredient in a wide variety of typical Italian dishes, such as pizza,
pasta, tomato and mozzarella salad (mozzarella alla caprese).
Parmigiano Reggiano – Parma, Reggio, Modena, Mantova, Bologna (Emilia
Romagna). 32% fat
This is the prince of cheeses. Its nutritional content makes it a wholesome food, highly
digestible and versatile. A sprinkling of Parmigiano is good on anything. It's used on all
kinds of pasta, such as Spaghetti alla Carbonara, Pasta Bolognese, inside tortellini
stuffing, to flavor omelets. Shaved Parmigiano is used to garnish paper-thin slices of
beef called carpaccio ( kar pàt cho ) or to lend body and protein to tossed salad.
Pecorino – Lazio, Toscana, Sicilia and Sardegna. 48% fat
Pecorino is the Italian name given to any fresh, medium aged or matured cheeses
made from sheep's milk.
Pecorino Romano is the most popular of the aged pecorino, which has a hard
yellow rind with a yellowish white interior. This cheese is typically aged for 8
months to a year before being eaten. Sharp in flavor, it is a cheese that is thinly
sliced or served grated.
Pecorino Toscano is a variety that is often eaten young and is an excellent table
cheese.
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Pecorino Sardo It is the name for the Pecorino cheeses produced in Sardinia. It
is made in two different versions: mild and mature.
Pecorino Siciliano is the name for the Pecorino cheeses produced in Sicily. The
most well known of their cheeses is the Pepato. The Sicilian Pepato is a variety
of Pecorino that has black peppercorns added to the meat of the cheese to
enhance the flavor.
Piave – Veneto. 45% fat
Piave cheese, created in 1960, is named after the Piave River valley region of Belluno.
It is made from cow milk and, once fully aged, has an intense, full-bodied flavor,
reminiscent of Parmigiano Reggiano. The aged cheese is referred to as Piave Vecchio
or Stravecchio. Piave cheese can be a snacking cheese if matured to 6 months or less.
When matured, it goes well grated over salads and pasta or as it is commonly used, as
a garnish to oven-baked polenta.
Provolone – Lombardia, Emilia Romagna. 45% fat.
It was originally a southern cheese, but today it is now produced mostly in north Italy.
There are two type of Provolone:
Dolce, which is only aged for 2 months, is made with 100 percent cow milk.
Piccante, aged for about 12 months made with a mixture of cow’s, goat’s, and
sheep milk.
Ricotta Fresca (Fresh) – Piemonte, Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Puglia, Calabria,
Sicilia and Sardegna. 10% fat.
Ricotta means “recooked” and is made throughout Italy. It is made mostly from cow’s
milk or mixed cow’s and sheep’s milk. Ricotta tastes and smells like the milk it is made
from, so use the best and freshest dairy you can find. Fresh ricotta can be served on its
own as a table cheese, as a dessert by adding sugar, vanilla extract, grated chocolate,
or fruit. Ricotta is used a filling in ravioli, but also in a number of desserts, such as
cannoli, and ricotta pie.
Ricotta Salata (Salted) - Sicilia and other southern regions. 38% fat.
Sicily, because of its abundance of sheep, is justifiably famous for its sheep's milk
cheeses. Use ricotta salata to dice into salads of all kinds, such as spinach salads, or
serve with fresh or grilled vegetables, beans, and fruit. Grate it over pasta, such as the
well known Pasta all Norma with fresh tomato sauce and fried eggplant or Pugliese
orecchiette pasta with sautéed garlic covered with grated Ricotta is really something
special.
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Ricotta Infornata (Baked - also called ricotta al forno) – Sardegna and Sicilia.
Produced by placing soft ricotta in the oven until it develops a brown crust form on top.
It is a great table cheese.
Scamorza – Abruzzi, Molise, and Basilicata. 38% fat
It is a cow’s milk cheese and is a close relative of mozzarella and provolone. It has a
soft consistency, but is firm to the cut, white and buttery. Scamorza is eaten fresh. It is
reputed to melt better in baking than mozzarella. It can be substituted for mozzarella in
most dishes. If using the smoked variety (scamorza affumicata), it adds a nice
background flavor in replacement of mozzarella.
Taleggio – Lombardia (Val Taleggio) and Veneto. 48% fat.
It might be one of the oldest soft cheeses. The production takes place every autumn
and winter when the cows were tired, hence the old name Stracchino renamed in 1918
to Taleggio. Taleggio is a table cheese with a firm, creamy consistency and a light
aromatic flavor. The cheese can be used with some salads such as radicchio and rucola
and with spices from bruschetta with zucchini and sage. It melts well with risotto or on
polenta.
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