Formaggi (Cheeses)

“La bocca non è straca
Finché non la sa da vaca.”

Now before you start correcting my Italian typos in the quote above, that’s not Italian. It’s dialect. The exact translation? “The mouth isn’t tired until it tastes of cow.”

What it really means? “A meal is not complete until it is finished with cheese.”

Oh cheese. So many forms and ways to enjoy it. I’ve always been a cheese-lover (shout-out to my fellow cheese-lovers and friends-at-stomach out there), but Italy has me falling in love with cheese on unprecedented levels.

You know the cheeses I’m talking about. The ones on display in classy local grocery-stores like Harmon’s, behind glass or on a cooled low shelf, reserved for special occasions because they cost a fortune. I don’t get to try cheese like that very often, and when I do I melt. But in Trentino, fresh cheeses are a part of daily life.

The first time Maria pulled out a block of parmigiano on a wooden board after lunch, I thought that she was just letting me have a taste of something special because I was a guest. But then the pattern continued. After lunch or dinner (almost always), the palate is finished with a couple of slices of cheese. And there are so many different kinds of cheese. I had no clue formaggio could come in so many forms. Francesco explained to me that cheeses taste different based on the region they are made in, the kind of cows, what the cows eat, how long the cheese ages…. There is an art to cheese. The roots in each area of Italy are deep, and so is the pride in their food particular to the region.

I am certain that this will not be my last entry about cheese, but here are a few of the legendary Italian cheeses I have been introduced to so far. These cheeses are the crowning ingredient of many dishes, but are also all enjoyed completely on their own. Simply cut off a slice and savor the moment!

Parmigiano: well-known and well-loved, hard, white, aged cheese with distinct flavor and stinky odor. Could age for a year or even over 25 months. Grated on most any pasta.

Stracchino: a white spreading cheese with a mild salty flavor. Spread on a warmed piadina with prosciutto or speck.

Scamorza: a soft, white, smoked cheese. Topped on a savory zucchini torta.

Ricotta: fresh, white, milky and vaguely sweet cheese. Made and enjoyed daily. Lovely on bread, in soup, stuffed pastas. Personally, it is a bit too sweet for my taste.

Caciotta: creamy and savory cheese that comes in a round form with a rind. A favorite of the Faccioli kids and me. Especially good flavor from the little cheese shop in Cappella, a remote mountain village.

Lavarone Dolce: sweet, creamy cheese specific to the area of Lavarone. Paired with a piece of fresh bread.

{Insert cheesy pun here.}