What Is Taleggio cheese?

Author : Efrain Silva

This cheese is but one of a few special kinds that come from Italy — Val Taleggio is actually the place this cheese was both inspired by and named after, but that is a whole, long other story for another time. Anyways, this cheese ages in about 40 days and is often pasteurized ; you can find it in America, these days, as well, thanks to modern import. It tends to be produced in greater quantities around the months from October through February, so Fall and Winter, mainly.

It tends to have a 48 % fat content, so something to consider. Probably avoid it, if you’re on a diet or seek to lose weight. First off, milk calves tend to have rennet taken right out of them, from the cows, and then, it gets blended in with certain acidified milk content ; then, farmers tend to place the cheese upon wooden shelves. These get put in chambers for about 6 - 10 full weeks. Using something similar to a seawater sponge, or an actual one, they then make sure to wash the cheese once per week.

This last part I mentioned is extremely important — and why might that be, you may want to know? That would be for the reason that doing so not only stops mold for being formed or growing on or around the cheese, but it also helps that beautiful rose - orange crust to properly form and be what we see in the final, elegant product. Note that, on the other hand, when this cheese is mass produced in labs or factories, it is produced from either raw or pasteurized, homogenized milk, respectively. Just keep that in mind, in case you prefer your process or source differently (considering that when purchasing your next pound of Taleggio cheese by order or in - store).

Also, the flavor is a bit more moderate, when this cheese is factory or lab produced. It’s interesting to note. Not only that, but the cheese looks brighter in color and appearance (but almost as if synthetically so). I personally prefer my cheese made the old - fashioned way, but to each his own. One of the most common uses for this cheese, these days in America, is grating — countless people grate it and put it on some of their favorite salads, alongside some delicious dressing and toppings.

This cheese is known to melt quite well on almost anything and blends in nicely with whatever it’s been added to. Rucola salads are one of the most popular salads that tend to have some form of this cheese on it, as well as Radicchio salads, in turn, which feature grated or sliced chops of Taleggio cheese as well. And by the way, did you know this cheese is also quite rich in numerous forms of daily nutritional values, such as protein, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and vitamins A, E, B2 and B6? Add this great cheese to your shopping list, and let a new experience unfold.