Cheeses from West Lombardy

 

Cheeses from West Lombardy

Lombardy, as we seen in the first part of our journey, is the most populous and richest region in Italy and one of the richest in the whole of Europe. Its fertile, well irrigated soil has made breeding cattle possible since Roman times. The region soon became renowned for its dairy products and quality meats. In the local cuisine butter is still often used for cooking rather than olive oil. The ready availability of milk makes Lombardy the most prominent cheese-producing region in Italy, with some of the country’s finest cheeses made here. Let’s have a look together at four of them.

Gorgonzola

As for many staple foods in Italy, Gorgonzola has a funny story connected to its origins. Legend says that it was invented by a lovesick cheese maker who, in his haste to meet his lover, forgot the curd in a cauldron overnight only to mix it up the following morning. The resulting cheese, given that the more acidic paste from the previous evening would not mix perfectly with the morning’s paste, encouraged the growth of moulds inside the cheese as it ripened. I’m not too convinced by this ‘lovestory’ but I can tell you that this lovely cheese, named after a small town near Milan, was first made in 879 A.D. Interestingly, it only became marbled with greenish-blue mould in the eleventh century. Gorgonzola can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a ‘bite’ from its blue veining. The Piccante version should be distinguished from the better known sweet Gorgonzola – Dolcelatte – which is soft and creamy, as the former, traditional, version has a firmer paste with less serum content due to a longer ‘baking’ period.

Grana Padano

Grana Padano – or grana as Italians usually call it – was created by the monks of Chiaravalle’s Abbey, just a few miles south of Milan, in 1134 A.D. as a way of preserving surplus milk. Its name comes from the Latin noun grana – trad. grain – which refers to the distinctively grainy texture of the cheese, and the adjective Padano, which refers to the Pianura Padana valley where it’s still produced. Grana Padano is a semi-fat, hard cheese which is cooked and matured slowly, generally for up to 18 months. It’s produced by curdling the milk of grass-fed cows, milked twice a day; the milk is left to stand, and then partially creamed. Grana is produced year-round all across Northern Italy and its quality can vary seasonally as well as by year. Generally similar to Parmigiano, it’s less crumbly, milder and less sharp-tasting than its famous relative from the Emilia region.

Provolone Valpadana

Provolone is a stringy cheese – you can think of it as an ‘aged-mozzarella‘ – typical of Southern Italy. Introduced to Lombardy in the first half of the eighteenth century by Neapolitan cheese makers, nowadays it’s considered a traditional product of Lombardy under the name of Provolone Valpadana. It’s an interesting cheese because it is produced in a great variety of formats. The largest ones, most suitable for a long ripening period are called mandarone – trad. big tangerine – due to their similarity of form to the fruit, and pancettone – big belly. We can also find very big ones that can weigh in excess of 100 kilos – the largest existing cheese both in Italy and, possibly, the rest of the world. Provolone can also be eaten fresh but its most interesting features develop after a long – more than one year – ripening that gives it a distinctive piquant taste. This is called Provolone piccante, our absolute favourite!

Taleggio

Taleggio takes its name from Val Taleggio, an Alpine valley – with a spectacular 3 km gorge! – that lies between the cities of Bergamo and Lecco, where it has been produced since Roman times. Similarly to Gorgonzola – until a few decades ago there were both generically called stracchino – it used to be made only during the autumn and winter months, when the cows were tired – stracche in the local dialect – after they returned from the summer pastures. Taleggio is now produced all year round but ripening still takes place in natural caves. Taleggio has a strong aroma, but its flavour is comparatively mild with an unusual fruity tang. Its crust is thin and studded with salt crystals. Perfect with pear, someone could say!

If you’d like to know more about these great cheeses, other products available on our menu or their pairings, just leave a comment below and I’ll be more than happy to answer your questions!

Buon appetito!

Giordano