Kamil Perry
Italy boasts the largest variety of cheeses of any nation in the world, with over 2,500 traditional varieties, of which about 500 are commercially recognised. The Italian cheeses mozzarella, ricotta, mascarpone, gorgonzola, and parmesan are some of the most popular worldwide. Many different animals are used to make Italian cheeses, including cows, sheep, goats, and water buffalo. For example, mozzarella is made from water buffalo milk, while gorgonzola is made from cow's milk.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of traditional Italian cheese varieties | Over 2,500 |
| Commercial varieties | About 500 |
| Number of varieties with protected designation of origin status (PDO, PGI and PAT) | Over 300 |
| Number of varieties protected at a European level | 52 |
| Region with the most varieties | Lombardy |
| Number of varieties in Lombardy | 77 |
| Examples of Italian cheeses made from cow's milk | Mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Provolone, Mascarpone, Gorgonzola, Toma del Maccagno, Toma of Gressoney, Toma di Valgrisenche, Toma piemontese, Ragusano, Calcagno, Pecorino, Asagio, Fontina, Taleggio, Stracciatella, Robiola, Stracchino, Belicino, Ainuzzi, Algunder Bauernkäse Halbfett, Algunder Butterkäse, Bastardo del Grappa |
| Examples of Italian cheeses made from buffalo milk | Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, Burrata di bufala |
| Examples of Italian cheeses made from goat's milk | Caprino, Algunder Ziegenkäse, Canestrato di Moliterno |
| Examples of Italian cheeses made from sheep's milk | Brebiblu, Calcagno, Pecorino, Belicino |
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What You'll Learn
Cow's milk cheese
Italy boasts the largest variety of cheeses of any nation in the world, with over 2,500 traditional varieties, of which about 500 are commercially recognised. Many Italian cheeses are beloved worldwide, and some have been recognised as Denominazione di Origine Protetta or DOP ("Protected Designation of Origin") products for their high quality, local production, and traditional recipes.
Parmigiano Reggiano, commonly referred to as "parmesan" in English, is one of the most famous Italian cheeses made from cow's milk. It belongs to the Grana (hard cheese) family, along with Grana Padano. Parmigiano Reggiano is often grated over pasta or eaten alone. According to strict rules, only cheesemakers from Parma, Reggio Emilia, parts of Bologna, Modena, and Mantua can qualify to make Parmigiano Reggiano. Interestingly, about 80% of the cows used for Grana Padano are denied pasture access, with approximately 40% confined indoors.
Gorgonzola, another famous Italian cheese, is a pungent cow's milk cheese recognised by its blue-green veins and creamy texture. Gorgonzola dolce ("sweet gorgonzola") has a milder taste, while gorgonzola piccante ("spicy gorgonzola") has a sharper flavour. The cheese is produced in Lombardy and Piedmont, including Milan and Turin.
Asiago cheese, made from cow's milk, can be found fresh (called Asiago Pressato) for a smooth and sweet taste, or aged (Asiago d'allevo) for a bolder flavour. For the most intense taste, stravecchio is aged for up to two years.
Mozzarella is one of the most popular Italian cheeses worldwide. While buffalo mozzarella is made from water buffalo's milk, fior di latte is made from fresh cow's milk. Mozzarella affumicata is known for its savoury and smoked flavour, and burrata is a pouch made from mozzarella, filled with cream.
Other Italian cheeses made from cow's milk include:
- Mascarpone, a key ingredient in tiramisu
- Fontina, one of the main ingredients in fonduta (fondue)
- Bella Badia, a soft cow's milk cheese made in South Tyrol
- Italico, a cow's milk cheese made in the provinces of Lodi and Pavia
- Madonie Provola, a stretched curd cow's milk cheese made in the mountains of Madonie in the province of Palermo
- Beddo, a soft, compact, white-bodied cheese made from cow's milk in the lower Cervo Valley
- Bebé di Sorrento, a cow's milk cheese produced in a similar manner to caciocavallo sorrentino in the Sorrentine Peninsula, in the province of Naples
- Abbamar, a semi-soft cheese made from a mixture of cows' and sheep's milk in Sardinia
- Accasciato, a cow's milk cheese usually mixed with sheep's milk in Tuscany
- Acceglio, a fresh cow's milk cheese made in the area of Acceglio in the province of Cuneo
- Ainuzzi, a cow's milk cheese made in Cammarata and San Giovanni Gemini in the province of Agrigento, Sicily
- Bella Lodi, a typical Italian hard cheese from Lombardy
- Hoch Pustertaler, a cow's milk cheese made in the communes of Toblach and Niederdorf in South Tyrol
- Casale de Elva, a cheese made in the upper Maira Valley in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont
- Castel Ariund, a strongly flavoured cow's milk cheese from Entracque in the Maritime Alps of the province of Cuneo, Piedmont
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Sheep's milk cheese
One of the most well-known sheep's milk cheeses from Italy is Pecorino Toscano, which is a rindless, white, and moist cheese with a tangy, walnutty flavour. It is commonly sold as "young" Pecorino Toscano, but it also has "aged" or "stagionato" versions. This cheese has a long history dating back to the Etruscan times and today it can be made anywhere in Tuscany, as well as in parts of Umbria and Lazio. It is typically matured for a minimum of 20 days, but most of the exported cheese is aged for two to three months.
Another variety of Italian sheep's milk cheese is Calcagno, which is a type of pecorino cheese prepared using raw sheep's milk and peppercorns. It originates from Sardinia. Casu martzu, or formaggio marcio, is another traditional sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia, known for containing live insect larvae.
Brebiblu is a modern, soft, and blue sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia. It is inoculated with Penicillium roqueforti and made by Argiolas Formaggi in Dolianova (Province of Cagliari). Belicino is a fresh sheep's milk cheese from the Belice valley in Sicily, containing stoned olives of the type Oliva da Tavola Nocellara del Belice.
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Goat's milk cheese
Italy boasts the largest variety of cheeses of any country in the world, with over 2,500 traditional varieties. Italian cheeses are renowned for their quality, local production, and traditional recipes.
Another variety of goat's milk cheese from Italy is Algunder Ziegenkäse, or formaggio di capra di Lagundo, which originates from South Tyrol. This cheese is named after the region where it is produced, Burggrafenamt, or Burgraviato in Italian.
In addition, Canestrato di Moliterno is a hard mixed sheep's and goat's milk cheese from Apulia. It is matured for at least 60 days and can be consumed as a table cheese or grated. Ircano is another goat's milk cheese produced in the communes of San Nicolò Gerrei, Tertenia, and Guspini in Sardinia.
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Buffalo milk cheese
Italy has the largest variety of cheeses of any nation in the world, with over 2,500 traditional varieties. Some of the most famous Italian cheeses are made from buffalo milk, including mozzarella di bufala and burrata di bufala.
Mozzarella di bufala is a fresh, soft cheese made from Italian buffalo milk. It is moister, richer, and more tender than the dense, chewier cow's milk version, which is often sold in the United States as "fiore di latte". Buffalo milk mozzarella is highly perishable, even compared to other unaged cheeses, and loses its freshness rapidly, so it is usually sold and consumed within a day or two of being made.
Stracciatella di bufala is another Italian buffalo milk cheese produced in the Province of Foggia, located in the southern Italian region of Apulia. It is prepared using a stretching (pasta filata) and shredding technique.
Burrata di bufala is a fresh Italian buffalo milk cheese also prepared using the pasta filata method.
Other buffalo milk cheeses include:
- Casatica—a sweet, rinded, log-shaped cheese produced in Northern Italy.
- Provatura—a traditional Lazian dairy product made from Italian buffalo milk by the pasta filata method.
- Ricotta di bufala—a milky, sweet, gamey cheese made from pasteurized buffalo milk.
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Donkey cheese
Italy boasts the largest variety of cheeses of any nation in the world, with over 2,500 traditional varieties, of which about 500 are commercially recognised. However, donkey cheese is not one of them. Donkey cheese, or Pule cheese, is a Serbian delicacy, produced in the Zasavica Nature Reserve. It is reportedly the world's most expensive cheese, fetching US$1300 per kilogram. This high price is due to the difficulty of producing it and its rarity; there are only about 100 jennies (female donkeys) in the Balkan donkey landrace that are milked for Pule cheese, and it takes 25 litres of milk to create one kilogram of cheese.
Donkey milk has long been revered in the Balkans for its health benefits, believed to boost the immune system and improve the skin. It has been used throughout history, with Cleopatra famously bathing in donkey milk and Hippocrates allegedly drinking it to ease his arthritis. Simić also notes the similarity between donkey milk and human milk, stating that doctors recommend feeding donkey milk to infants when mothers have difficulty producing breast milk.
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Frequently asked questions
Some popular Italian cheeses include Mozzarella, Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Mascarpone, and Ricotta. These cheeses are typically made from the milk of cows, sheep, goats, or buffalo.
Apart from the aforementioned Mozzarella, Parmesan, Mascarpone, and Ricotta, other Italian cheeses made from cow's milk include Provolone, Fontina, and Toma.
Calcagno, a type of pecorino cheese, is made from sheep milk and peppercorns. Brebiblu is another sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia.
