Bushra Griffith
Fontina cheese is a semi-hard, Italian-style cow's milk cheese with a rich and creamy texture and a nutty, buttery flavour. It has a fat content of around 45%, which means it melts very well and is perfect for fondue, cheese dips, and sauces. If you're looking for a similar cheese to Fontina, there are several substitutes you can choose from. You can opt for other washed-rind Alpine cheeses like Challerhocker or Taleggio, or an unwashed Alpine cheese like Gruyere or Raclette. Gouda and Provolone are also good alternatives. For a lower-calorie option, Havarti cheese, a Danish cow's milk cheese, is a suitable substitute.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Origin | Italy |
| Milk | Cow's milk |
| Texture | Semi-hard |
| Rind | Pale orange |
| Flavor | Mild, nutty, buttery, pungent, earthy |
| Fat content | 45% |
| Substitutes | Challerhocker, Taleggio, Gruyere, Raclette, Gouda, Provolone, Montasio, Vacherin, Havarti |
| Storage | Wrap tightly in paper and place in a plastic container with holes |
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What You'll Learn
Washed-rind Alpine cheeses: Challerhocker or Taleggio
Challerhocker is a Swiss Alpine cheese with a complex yet approachable flavour profile. It is made from raw cow's milk, salt, starter culture, and rennet, and is aged for a minimum of 10 months in the Swiss Alps. The cheese is washed in wine and spices, which, along with its ageing process, gives it distinct notes of butterscotch, roasted nuts, toasted almonds, sour cream, and onion. Challerhocker is a smooth and meltable cheese that often develops a delicate crystalline crunch. It is a great addition to fondue, grilled cheese, or hamburgers.
Taleggio, on the other hand, is a semisoft, washed-rind, smear-ripened Italian cheese named after Val Taleggio. It is made from pasteurized or raw cow's milk and has a creamy, pale yellow interior with a pinkish-brown, thin crust. The production of Taleggio takes place every autumn and winter, and the cheese is matured for six to ten weeks. During this time, it is washed with brine to create a sticky orange rind. Taleggio has a strong aroma and a mildly pungent, fruity, and meaty flavour. It is excellent for melting over vegetables, roasted potatoes, or a toasted baguette.
Both Challerhocker and Taleggio are suitable substitutes for Fontina, a washed-rind Alpine cheese. Fontina is made from cow's milk and has a creamy light yellow colour with small holes, known as "eyes." It has a mild and nutty flavour that intensifies with age. Young Fontina is ideal for melting and is commonly used in fondue, cheese dips, casseroles, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Older Fontina can be grated over soups, pasta dishes, rice, and salads.
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Unwashed Alpine cheeses: Gruyere or raclette
Fontina cheese is a cow's milk cheese that originated in Italy. It is traditionally made from unpasteurized milk from cows in the Aosta Valley, an Alpine region in northwest Italy. It is also made in Denmark, Sweden, the United States, Canada, and Argentina. It is a mild and nutty semi-soft cheese with a fat content of around 45 percent. Its flavor depends on how long it has been aged. Younger Fontina is used as a table cheese, while older Fontina is used for grating.
If you are looking for an alternative to Fontina, you can substitute it with any washed-rind Alpine cheese like Challerhocker or Taleggio, or an unwashed Alpine cheese like Gruyere or raclette.
Gruyere is a firm, delicate, nutty, and semi-hard Swiss cheese named after the town of Gruyeres in Switzerland. It is made from raw cow's milk and is generally aged for six months or longer. Gruyere is a good melting cheese and is considered a good cheese for baking because of its distinctive but not overpowering taste. It is a popular choice for French onion soup, quiche, and croque-monsieur, a classic French toasted ham and cheese sandwich. It is also used in chicken and veal cordon bleu. Gruyere is a good choice for a cheese board, as its salty-nutty flavor is universally appealing. When grated, it can be used with salads and pastas. Gruyere has a high water-to-oil ratio, which makes it melt evenly. Gruyere pairs well with a medium-bodied white or a fruity red wine, such as Chardonnay, Riesling, or a fruit-forward Pinot Noir.
Raclette, on the other hand, is a Swiss cheese that is also popular in other Alpine countries like France, Italy, Germany, and Austria. Raclette is also the name of a dish where the cheese round is heated and then scraped onto the diner's plate, traditionally with boiled potatoes, cornichons, pickled onions, and black tea or warm beverages. Raclette is a Swiss-type cheese marketed specifically for this dish. Raclette is also served as street food, often with bread instead of potatoes. Raclette is a good substitute for Gruyere and can be used in a 1:1 ratio.
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Gouda
Fontina is a creamy, semi-firm cheese that was first made in Italy in the 15th century. It is traditionally made from unpasteurized milk from cows in the Aosta Valley, a region in northwest Italy. It has a creamy, light yellow colour with a thin, pale orange rind and small holes, known as "eyes". Fontina has a mild and nutty flavour, although its intensity depends on how long it has been aged.
Younger Fontina is often used as a table cheese, while the older variety is used for grating. Fontina is a good melting cheese and is often used in cooking. It is used in dishes such as fondue, cheese dip, cheese sauces, casseroles, pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, frittatas and baked stratas.
Both Fontina and Gouda are perfect for melting and cooking, and both have a nutty taste. Gouda is a good substitute for Fontina as it is versatile and can be used in many of the same dishes as Fontina.
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Provolone
In terms of shape, provolone is typically produced in pear, sausage, or cone forms that are 10 to 15 cm long. The smaller-sized variant is called provola and comes in plain and smoked varieties. The term provolone, meaning "large provola," came into use around the end of the 19th century when the cheese assumed its current larger size.
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Montasio
Only farms with an 'organic' certification can produce milk to make organic Montasio. This certification guarantees respect for the land, the animals, and humans, excluding the use of synthetic chemicals and genetically modified organisms. When the entire production chain (cattle feeding, milking, and the processing and maturing phases) takes place in mountainous territory, Montasio PDO can bear the designation "Mountain Product".
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Frequently asked questions
Cheeses that are similar to Fontina include Challerhocker, Taleggio, Gruyere, Raclette, Gouda, Provolone, Montasio, Vacherin Fribourgeois, and Havarti.
Fontina cheese can be found in some larger supermarkets, delicatessens, or in Italy.
Fontina cheese should be wrapped tightly in parchment, waxed paper, butcher paper, or cheese paper. Then, place the wrapped cheese in a plastic container with holes poked in it and store it in the cheese drawer of your refrigerator. Stored this way, young Fontina will keep for 2 weeks, and up to 6 weeks if it's aged.
Fontina cheese is traditionally made from unpasteurized cow's milk from cows in the Aosta Valley in Italy.
