As a nation, Italy has a wide and diverse food history. From top to bottom, the regional differences in something as specific as cheese can be striking.
Parmigiano-reggiano
Parma, Reggio Emilia, Bologna, Modena and southern Mantova
Everyone knows this cheese – the hard and nutty cheese made from raw cow’s milk is generally aged between two and three years. By law, only the cheese produced in the above regions can be given that name.
Burrata
Murgia, Southern Puglia
The name means ‘buttery’ in Italian, which sums up the cheese quite nicely. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains stracciatella and cream. It is traditionally made in Apulia, the ‘heel’ of Italy.
Caciocavallo
Southern Italy
Caciocavallo is a stretched-curd cheese made from sheep’s milk. The cheese in produced throughout Southern Italy, on the Gargano Peninsula and the Apennine Mountains, and gained Geographical Protection status in 1993.
Gorgonzola
Gorgonzola, Milan
EU law once again regulates where this cheese can be made, with only a handful of Italian provinces allowed to produce it. It is a blue vein cow’s cheese, with a strong flavour.
Formaggio di f’ossa
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna makes another appearance in this Italian foodie road-trip, this time for a classic cheese which is named after the pits that it is aged in. The pits are most commonly found between the Rubicon and Marecchia rivers in Northern Italy, and have been granted special protection under Italian law.
