CHEESY ITALIAN

Roberto Gastaldi, a chef and manager of Food Lover’s Market in Woodlands, Pretoria, describes the types of Italian cheese commonly imported to South Africa or locally produced using traditional methods

SOFT ITALIAN CHEESES

Mascarpone: made from cream, and unripened. It is used in dessert, especially tiramisu, and to add richness to risotto or pasta sauces.

Gorgonzola: commonly known as blue cheese. Made of cow’s milk, it is a very strong, mature, ripe cheese with big, bold flavours. It is used in salads, bakes, even on pizza toppings, but always minimally.

Mozzarella: pizza mozzarella is a harder, commercial cheese but proper Italian mozzarella balls are the small, freshly made bocconcini and the larger buffalo mozzarella. They are unripened, soft, stretchy and break apart easily. It can be spread on salads or pizza. Traditionally made from water buffalo milk, it is mild flavoured but very smooth and creamy. It is often marinated in fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, then eaten as antipasti.

Ricotta: is a versatile Italian cheese made from whey. It is crumbly, white and also limited in flavour. It is used for stuffing pasta, mixed with fresh herbs and seasoning and spread on toasted ciabatta. Ricotta made locally is made with cow’s milk, but in Italy it would be made from buffalo milk.

SEMI-SOFT

Fontina: a full-flavoured semi-soft cheese, made of cow’s milk. It has a rich, magnificent flavour. It is an “eating cheese” you would serve on a platter with a piece of pear. Some people grate it into burger patties for more flavour.

HARD CHEESES

Parmigiano reggiano: is made in a specific region, Parma, and is the best of the best of Italian cheese, as champagne is to wine. Commonly known by its English name, parmesan, it can be matured from 15 to 36 months to give it a deep, full-bodied taste. It is a grainy, coarse, salty, flavoursome cheese which is grated over pasta, pizza, risotto and many other Italian dishes.

Pecorino: is very popular, for eating as is or for grating. It is made from sheep’s milk. Some pasta dishes ask for it because it is a little sharper than parmesan. Producers in Italy are more adventurous with pecorino, adding chilli for instance. Pecorino is made differently from region to region but it is sharp, with a little bit of sweetness.

Grana padano: is a hard cheese made all over Italy, often confused with parmesan. It is not as sharp and is matured for shorter periods, therefore it’s cheaper.