Italian cheeses are some of the best in the world. And while we're all familiar with the top few selections, from our pizza and sandwich consumption, it may surprise you to know there are around 400 different Italian cheeses to choose from. And when it comes to quality and good tasting cheese, the Italians have a great passion for delivering on it, and they do.
From Sicily to Tuscany the Italians make some of the best parmigiano and provolone in the world. Their Mozzarella is a household name. And again, these don't even scratch the surface of the number of cheeses they actually make. They use goat's milk, sheep's milk, buffalo milk, and cow in their processes. All their cheeses have great texture and fragrance, and are good for both shredding and cooking.
The quality of their cheese is taken very seriously by the Italians. One thing to watch for when you shop for cheese, is their quality assurance stamp on the label. This is known either as the PDO - 'protected designation of origin', or the IGT - 'protected geographic indication. If you see this you know it' a product of good quality. If you shop for wine, you'll find that wines use these same designations.
When learning about tasty Italian cheeses, you're sure to come across the famous 'Bel Paese' cheese. In Italian, this means 'Beautiful Country'. This cheese has become one of the favorites of all time and one of the best known by people all around the world. It was first made near Milan in a place named 'Melzo'. But it's mostly made in Lombardy, with pasteurized cow's milk. It's meant to be used as a table cheese, but works very well in cooking.
Yes, the Italians and their passion for cheese making is known worldwide. They would hike up into the Alpine mountains, where they'd refine their cheese production methods. Then when they came down, the world welcomed them with open arms. Up there in the old days, back on the mountains, they'd use caves for keeping their cheese cool. The concept of refrigeration was still fairly new.
They use the same types of tools today as they did back then. After all, if it works, then don't fix it. They use wooden shelves, salt, oil, water, cutting boards and small hammers. The three main ingredients that anyone needs in order to make a cheese, is salt, rennet, and milk. From here you can make all kinds of cheeses, and using different kinds of milk and processes, will produce different cheeses.
Milk is the beginning of all cheese making. Simply broken down, cheese is milk coagulated. Ricotta is a cheese that's made with milk whey and cream. The Italians have four basic types of milk that they use, and they are buffalo, cow, sheep, and goat. But other cheeses may be made up of the milk of yaks, reindeer, or camels.
Italian cheeses are known worldwide, yet many Americans go about their lives enjoying the fruits of Italian labor, without ever learning about the processes or history behind them. It's a very interesting subject for study. If you'd like to learn more about it, you're only a few mouse-clicks away. The internet is loaded with information about the Italians and their wonderful cheese. - 30211
From Sicily to Tuscany the Italians make some of the best parmigiano and provolone in the world. Their Mozzarella is a household name. And again, these don't even scratch the surface of the number of cheeses they actually make. They use goat's milk, sheep's milk, buffalo milk, and cow in their processes. All their cheeses have great texture and fragrance, and are good for both shredding and cooking.
The quality of their cheese is taken very seriously by the Italians. One thing to watch for when you shop for cheese, is their quality assurance stamp on the label. This is known either as the PDO - 'protected designation of origin', or the IGT - 'protected geographic indication. If you see this you know it' a product of good quality. If you shop for wine, you'll find that wines use these same designations.
When learning about tasty Italian cheeses, you're sure to come across the famous 'Bel Paese' cheese. In Italian, this means 'Beautiful Country'. This cheese has become one of the favorites of all time and one of the best known by people all around the world. It was first made near Milan in a place named 'Melzo'. But it's mostly made in Lombardy, with pasteurized cow's milk. It's meant to be used as a table cheese, but works very well in cooking.
Yes, the Italians and their passion for cheese making is known worldwide. They would hike up into the Alpine mountains, where they'd refine their cheese production methods. Then when they came down, the world welcomed them with open arms. Up there in the old days, back on the mountains, they'd use caves for keeping their cheese cool. The concept of refrigeration was still fairly new.
They use the same types of tools today as they did back then. After all, if it works, then don't fix it. They use wooden shelves, salt, oil, water, cutting boards and small hammers. The three main ingredients that anyone needs in order to make a cheese, is salt, rennet, and milk. From here you can make all kinds of cheeses, and using different kinds of milk and processes, will produce different cheeses.
Milk is the beginning of all cheese making. Simply broken down, cheese is milk coagulated. Ricotta is a cheese that's made with milk whey and cream. The Italians have four basic types of milk that they use, and they are buffalo, cow, sheep, and goat. But other cheeses may be made up of the milk of yaks, reindeer, or camels.
Italian cheeses are known worldwide, yet many Americans go about their lives enjoying the fruits of Italian labor, without ever learning about the processes or history behind them. It's a very interesting subject for study. If you'd like to learn more about it, you're only a few mouse-clicks away. The internet is loaded with information about the Italians and their wonderful cheese. - 30211
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