A Look At Some Rare Italian Cheeses

Most of us are familiar with Italian cheeses. At almost every grocery store you can find popular varieties like Mozzarella, Provolone, Ricotta, Parmesan and often Asiago. But there are hundreds of Italian cheeses out there. Below you will find out more about some little know varieties. Hopefully you can add them to your pantry or discover them in a meal at a fine restaurant.

Ubriaco. In Italian, Ubriaco means drunken! It's aptly named, because it matures in wine. First the cheese is encased in the grape rinds left over from the pressing. Then it is soaked in wine for up to six months before it's ready for sale. It's a hard, mild cheese of cow's milk and it takes on the flavor of the type of wine in which it is soaked. The result is a fine cheese with a fruity taste and dark purple rind.

Castelmagno. This one is made mostly from cow's milk, with either sheep or goat milk added into the mix. They make it by letting the milk sit overnight and then adding fresh morning milk into the batch. Then it is left to age in damp cellars, which give it it characteristic fine blue veining. It tends to be pungent with a somewhat spicy flavor.

Ragusano. This is a Sicilian cheese. It is made in Ragusa, Sicily (an island off the main coast of Italy). It is made from the milk of a special breed of cow called a Modicana. Because of this, they make it in small batches only. While it's aging, it is repeatedly rubbed down with oil and vinegar. The result is a savory, slightly tangy flavor.

Montasio. Montasio was originally made by the Maggio monastery back in the thirteenth century. At that time it was made of sheep's milk, but now it is made with cow's milk. It is made exclusively in northeastern Italy. It's a hard cheese, and becomes harder as it ages. It has a fruity taste, sometimes with a hint of pineapple flavor.

Pannerone. Pannerone is a soft and creamy cow's milk cheese that melts in your mouth. It is subjected to many different processes, from curdling to storing at high temperatures for a week, then a week of cooler temperatures. After these two weeks it is ready to eat. The limited curing time means that it can be hard to find as it cannot be easily shipped in that short period. Many people confuse it with Gorgonzola, but Pannerone does not have any veining. It's a smooth cheese with a bitter after taste.

Fiore Sardo. This cheese is only made in Sardinia. Here they use raw sheep's milk. Because Sardinia is dry and hot, the cheese cures in very different conditions to those common in northern Italy and has a unique flavor. It is cured in smoke, and is rubbed in sheep fat or olive oil during the curing process. It is smoky, sweet, and can be semi-hard to hard.

As you can see, these Italian cheeses are very special and will be hard to find. If there is an Italian market near you, you can check there. If not, try your local special foods market to see if they can get it for you. The expense will be eased by the fact that you are getting to sample some of the finest authentic cheeses in the world.

Looking to find the best deal on Italian cheeses, then visit www.italianfoodimports.com to find the best advice on cheese for you.