Randy Chandler
Piave is a firm, pasteurized, cooked curd cow's milk cheese made in the Belluno region of northeastern Italy. It is produced from only four breeds of cows: Bruna Italiana, Pezzata Rossa, Frisona Italiana, and Grigio Alpina. The cows graze on mountain pastures in the Dolomites, the same area where cows that produce Gruyère, Emmenthaler, and Comté cheeses graze. Piave is available in five different varieties, depending on the aging process. The cheese is inoculated with specific enzymes from local raw milk and whey, which contribute to its unique flavor. With a complex, multi-layered flavor profile that includes salty, fruity, butterscotch, and nutty notes, Piave Vecchio is considered a healthy snack and a great cooking ingredient.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of Cheese | Firm, pasteurized, cooked curd, cow's milk cheese |
| Taste | Salty, fruity, butterscotch-y, nutty, sweet |
| Texture | Dense, chewy, creamy, smooth |
| Milk Source | Local breeds: Bruna Italiana, Pezzata Rossa, Frisona Italiana, Grigio Alpina |
| Aging | Piave Vecchio is aged for at least 12 months |
| Variants | Fresco, Mezzano, Vecchio, Vecchio Selezione Oro, Vecchio Riserva |
| Pairing | Pairs well with red or white wine, amber ale, and prosciutto |
| Production | Made by mechanical production with exacting criteria, based on local, handmade cheesemaking traditions |
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What You'll Learn
Piave Vecchio: a pasteurized cow's milk cheese
Piave is a firm, pasteurized, cooked curd, cow’s milk cheese made from only allowed local breeds: Bruna Italiana, Pezzata Rossa, Frisona Italiana, and Grigio Alpina. The cows spend the summers grazing on mountain pastures, shifting to a mixture of forage grass, hay, whole grains, and corn when the weather shifts. Piave is produced in northeastern Italy's Belluno region and is named after the Piave River.
Piave Vecchio, in particular, is a pasteurized cow's milk cheese from the Veneto region of Italy. It is aged for at least six months, with a dense, chewy, and creamy texture. Its flavour profile is complex and multi-layered, starting with a salty taste, followed by fruity and butterscotch notes, and ending with a nutty finish. The cheese's flavour can vary subtly between summer and winter, depending on the cows' diet.
Piave Vecchio is a versatile cheese that can be enjoyed in various ways. It is perfect for slicing, snacking, or presenting on a cheeseboard. Its melting properties make it suitable for cooking, and it can be grated over pasta or paired with Prosciutto di Parma and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to enhance its Italian heritage. Additionally, Piave Vecchio pairs well with both red and white wines, and for a unique combination, it can be enjoyed with a pina colada.
Piave Vecchio is comparable to Parmigiano Reggiano, but it offers a more tender and supple texture, making it a delightful eating experience. Its complexity ensures that the cheese tastes slightly different each time, adding to its intrigue. Moreover, the presence of delicate crystallized proteins in Piave Vecchio, a characteristic of the finest aged cheeses, provides a crunchy texture without contributing any flavour.
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A PDO cheese from Belluno, Italy
Piave is a firm, pasteurized, cooked curd cow's milk cheese made from only four local breeds of cows: Bruna Italiana, Pezzata Rossa, Frisona Italiana, and Grigio Alpina. The cows graze in the Dolomites mountain range in Belluno, northeastern Italy, where they enjoy the same privileges as the cattle that make such cheeses as Gruyère, Emmenthaler, and Comté. The cheese is produced by a single creamery, Lattebusche, and is one of Italy's youngest PDO cheeses, having achieved its protected designation of origin status in 2010.
The cheese is named after the Piave River in Northern Italy, and the milk used must come from herds that water on its namesake river. Piave is made by mechanical production with exacting criteria, though it is based on local, handmade cheesemaking traditions, with milk collected from a cooperative of local farmers. The cheese is inoculated with specific enzymes from local raw milk and whey, which contain a type of bacterial flora that represents the geographical area.
One recipe produces five variations of different ages: Fresco, Mezzano, Vecchio, Vecchio Selezione Oro, and Vecchio Riserva. Fresco is aged for 20 to 60 days, Mezzano for 61 to 180 days, Vecchio for more than 6 months, Vecchio Selezione Oro for more than a year, and Vecchio Riserva for more than 18 months. The colour of the pâte is white in Fresco, and it turns straw-coloured as the cheese matures. The rind is soft and clear when fresh and becomes hard and brownish with ageing.
Piave Vecchio is a dense, chewy, and creamy cheese, with a flavour that is multi-layered, shifting from salty to fruity to butterscotch-y to nutty. The cheese has a sweet crystalline paste with a tropical fruit sweetness and a slight almond bitterness. It is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano but with a smoother, more tender, and supple texture. Piave is an excellent melting cheese and can be served as a foam for a mushroom souffle with crispy prosciutto, or with oven-baked or fried polenta. It pairs well with red or white wine, and can also be enjoyed with an amber ale.
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A great melting cheese
Piave is a firm, pasteurized, cooked curd cow's milk cheese made in the Belluno region of northeastern Italy. It is named after the Piave River in Northern Italy, and the cows used in its production graze in the Dolomites mountain range, part of the broader Alps. This means that the cows enjoy the same grazing privileges as the cattle that make other Alpine cheeses such as Gruyère, Emmenthaler, and Comté.
Piave is produced by only one manufacturer, Agriform Sca Cheese, and the milk used must come from herds that water on its namesake river. It is made from only four allowed local cow breeds: Bruna Italiana, Pezzata Rossa, Frisona Italiana, and Grigio Alpina. The cows spend the summers grazing on mountain pastures, shifting to a mixture of forage grass, hay, whole grains, and corn in the winter.
The cheese comes in five different varieties, depending on the aging process: Piave Fresco (aged for 20 to 60 days), Piave Mezzano (aged for 61 to 180 days), Piave Vecchio (aged for more than 6 months), Piave Vecchio Selezione Oro (aged for more than 1 year), and Piave Vecchio Riserva (aged for more than 18 months). The color of the pate is white in Fresco, and it turns straw-colored as the cheese matures. A sweet taste intensifies with ageing, and the cheese develops a crystalline paste with a tropical fruit sweetness and slight almond bitterness.
Piave is an excellent melting cheese, making it a worthy component in the kitchen. Its flavor holds up to heat, and it can be eaten straight, grated on pasta, or cooked with. Its texture is dense, chewy, and creamy, and it has a multi-layered flavor that is at first salty, then fruity, then butterscotch-y, and finally nutty. It pairs well with red or white wine, and can also be enjoyed with an amber ale.
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Fruity and nutty flavour profile
Piave is a firm, pasteurized cow's milk cheese made from only four local breeds of cows: Bruna Italiana, Pezzata Rossa, Frisona Italiana, and Grigio Alpina. The cows graze in the Dolomites mountain range in northeastern Italy, the same area where the cows that produce milk for Gruyère, Emmenthaler, and Comté cheeses graze. The milk used to make Piave is collected from a cooperative of local farmers.
Piave is available in five different varieties based on age: Fresco (aged 20-60 days), Mezzano (aged 61-180 days), Vecchio (aged 6 months or more), Vecchio Selezione Oro (aged 1 year or more), and Vecchio Riserva (aged 18 months or more). The colour of the cheese pate is white in Fresco, turning straw-coloured as it matures. The flavour of Piave intensifies with age, starting with salty, then fruity, then butterscotch, and finally nutty. The texture also changes with age, from dense and chewy to creamy, making it perfect for both eating and grating.
The unique flavour of Piave Vecchio has been likened to a combination of Parmigiano Reggiano and white cheddar, with a tropical fruit sweetness and slight almond bitterness. The cheese is excellent for snacking, slicing, or grating over pasta. It pairs well with red or white wine, amber ale, and prosciutto.
The production of Piave involves inoculating the cheese with specific enzymes from local raw milk and whey, contributing to its distinctiveness. The cheese is mechanically produced with exacting criteria, based on traditional, local, handmade cheesemaking techniques.
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Pairs well with red or white wine
Piave is a firm, pasteurized, cooked curd cow's milk cheese made in the Belluno region of northeastern Italy. It is named after the Piave River in Northern Italy, and the cows used in its production graze in the Dolomite mountains, part of the broader Alps range. The milk used in its production comes from specific local breeds: Bruna Italiana, Pezzata Rossa, Frisona Italiana, and Grigio Alpina. These cows enjoy the same grazing privileges as the cattle that produce cheeses like Gruyère, Emmenthaler, and Comté.
Piave is produced in five different varieties, depending on the aging process: Fresco (aged 20-60 days), Mezzano (aged 61-180 days), Vecchio (aged 6 months or more), Vecchio Selezione Oro (aged more than 1 year), and Vecchio Riserva (aged more than 18 months). The colour of the pâte is white in Fresco, turning straw-coloured as it matures, and the flavour intensifies with ageing, becoming sweeter and more fruity.
Piave Vecchio, in particular, is a favourite among cheese connoisseurs for its dense, chewy, yet creamy texture, and its multi-layered flavour profile, starting with salty, then fruity, butterscotch, and nutty. The cheese's flavour holds up to heat, making it an excellent cooking ingredient, and it also pairs beautifully with red or white wine.
The versatility of Piave Vecchio is highlighted by its ability to be enjoyed in various ways: eaten straight, grated on pasta, cooked with, or even dipped in honey for a quick dessert. Its texture and flavour make it a delightful table cheese, perfect for slicing, snacking, or grating, and it can be paired with Prosciutto di Parma and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to lean into its Italian heritage.
The unique production process of Piave, inoculating the cheese with specific enzymes from local raw milk and whey, contributes to its distinctiveness. The cheese is produced by mechanical means, based on local, handmade cheesemaking traditions, with milk sourced from a cooperative of local farmers. The sole producer of Piave, Agriform Sca Cheese, ensures the milk used comes from herds that water on its namesake river.
Piave's under-the-radar status is intriguing, given its recent prominence among cheese enthusiasts. Its excellent value, complex flavour profile, and versatility in cooking and pairing make it a cheese worth discovering and savouring, especially when accompanied by a glass of red or white wine.
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Frequently asked questions
Piave is a firm, pasteurized, cooked curd, cow’s milk cheese made from only allowed local breeds: Bruna Italiana, Pezzata Rossa, Frisona Italiana, and Grigio Alpina.
Piave cheese is a healthy option as it is a good source of protein and calcium. However, it is also high in fat and sodium, so it should be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
The taste of Piave cheese depends on its age. Younger varieties such as Piave Fresco have a sweeter taste, while older varieties such as Piave Vecchio have a more savory, fruity, and nutty flavor.
