With its ancient origins, cheese is counted among the most valuable foods due to its high percentages of proteins, minerals, and vitamins. The history of cheese dates back to ancient times, and while initially the only dairy products were Parmigiano and Marzolino, over the years the choices have expanded, and the dairy products we find in the market today offer a truly vast selection. It is estimated that there are currently about 2,000 types of cheese in the world, differing in characteristics and processing methods but all rich in nutrients. Each region has its own excellences, and among the most relevant Italian areas is certainly Lazio, a flagship of national production.
Different dairy products are made from different types of milk, whole, partially skimmed, or skimmed, but also whey cream or buttermilk, used alone or in combination with each other.
The milk, raw or pasteurized, can be from goat, cow, sheep, or buffalo, or even a blend of some of these. Depending on the type of milk used, you can obtain pecorino, goat cheese, ricotta, provolone, stracchino, caciotta, and the exquisite buffalo mozzarella.
The various methods of curdling the curd, with acid, rennet, or enzymatic curdling, also contribute to producing different end products. Acid coagulation produces a looser and softer curd compared to that obtained with enzymes, and is used for the production of fresh and soft cheeses, with a slightly acidic taste, meant to be consumed within a few days. The resulting curd has a particular appearance and a gelatinous texture. An example of a cheese with acid coagulation is goat's stracchinato.
The curd prepared by adding rennet and left to "mature" under whey for at least 3 hours can also be melted in boiling water, then stretched into strings and shaped to form a stretched-curd cheese, like mozzarella, provolone, and scamorza.
Another characteristic that distinguishes cheese types is the aging time and aging methods. In this case, we can have fresh, unaged cheeses, short-aged (30 days), medium-aged (6 months), or long-aged cheeses (which may require several years). For some products, a special aging process is planned, which may involve specific placements or the addition of elements, and we thus have cave-aged pecorino, goat camosciato with charcoal or sage, pecorino aged in grape must, or matured in walnut leaves.
The different types of cheese available on the market also depend on the quality of the pastures. Alpine cheese is a seasonal product, produced only during a certain period of the year when pastures, mainly bovine, are brought to mountain areas. The result is a cheese rich in fat, totally opposite to the cheeses produced during the descent, i.e., stracchini, much leaner cheeses because they are made from the milk of tired pastures after transhumance.
The only allowed ingredients for cheese production are milk, rennet, salt, and starter cultures.
The freshly milked milk is refrigerated and then pasteurized. Subsequently, standardized microbial starters based on lactic acid bacteria, both flavoring and acidifying, are added. At this stage, natural colorings, such as saffron, or other microorganisms that promote the development of molds in the cheese can also be added, giving the characteristic green veins and a unique flavor to the most prized blue cheeses.
The milk is left to mature, allowing the acidifying bacteria time to multiply and act to achieve the desired pH of the dairy product. Then, coagulation is carried out. The preparation of the curd is certainly the most important part of the entire process, as it gives the milk a gelatinous consistency. To achieve this result, rennet or coagulant is added to the liquid. Subsequently, to transform the curd into the cheese, it is necessary to drain the whey, a process made possible by breaking the curd.
This is followed by the extraction of the curd, which is placed inside reed or plastic molds or wooden or Teflon baskets. Soft cheeses must then be left to rest, while hard or semi-hard cheeses are pressed with weights, mechanical or hydraulic presses, to compact them. Except for rare exceptions, the products are then salted in brine or dry before being subjected to any aging and maturation.
The aging of cheese is an art that is expressed through passion and experience, and it allows bringing the product to a higher quality, giving it an exclusive taste. The task of the cheese ager is to intervene when the cheese production cycle allows for evolutionary changes, thus obtaining a dairy product with its distinctive "character."
This brings us to the last phase, also known as maturation, which can have different timing. During maturation, the cheese undergoes physical, organoleptic, and microbiological changes, giving the dairy product the desired texture defined by the cheesemaker and transforming the "primitive" paste into a symphony of flavors and aromas ready to reach our tables.
Cheeses are extremely versatile, and we find them in many recipes, from appetizers to desserts. If aged pecorino is one of the undisputed protagonists of the most delicious cheese platters, cheeses like Parmigiano and Gorgonzola are widely used with first and second courses, giving them a particular taste and texture. For desserts, the most used dairy products are the fresh ones with a not too salty taste, such as ricotta, mascarpone, and goat cheeses. For a fancy menu, special combinations can be found, such as cheese and honey or cheese with certain types of jam or unique preserves. A classic example is a very savory and aged cheese paired with a compote of red Tropea onions or with a grape jam - two delicacies that no palate can resist.
But how important is the correct use of cheese? Dairy products are rich in proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Among the cheeses richest in proteins, we find Parmigiano, one of the most recommended dairy products when you want to get a good dose of minerals. Proper consumption of cheeses also allows for a good intake of vitamins A, B2, and B12, as well as essential fats for athletes.
Provola and provolone are two well-known Italian cheeses with stretched-curd, popular both in Italy and abroad. European and non-European countries have shown great appreciation for this "Made in Italy" product, the result of the skill of the best cheese-makers. Indeed, the ritual of stretching the curd is an art, an ancient and very spectacular ritual that involves anyone watching the skilled cheese-maker's manual work. From skillful stretching, cutting, and braiding, provole and provoloni are born, which, contrary to what might appear to a less attentive eye, are not at all synonymous but rather two different stretched-curd cheeses, not only in size but also in taste.
Stretched-curd cheeses, an ancient art born from the hands of the cheese-maker
When we talk about Italian cheeses, we describe a huge