14 Essential Italian Cheeses

Italy’s marquis cheeses hardly need an introduction. Thanks to our national love of pizza, mozzarella is one of the most consumed cheeses in the U.S. And Parmigiano-Reggiano is so beloved that we had to invent a new word for the fake stuff. (Don’t get me wrong — as a cheese educator, I’m passionate about American cheesemakers, but domestic Parmesan cheese is simply no competition for the real deal.)

These household names aren’t all that Italy brings to the cheese board, however. You might believe that all oozy, bloomy-rind cheeses are French, or that sturdy, savory wheels destined for fondue must come from Switzerland, but Robiola Bosina and Fontina would like to have a word with those assumptions.

Many Italian cheeses available in the U.S. are DOP products, meaning that they have protected designation of origin status. Their provenance and production are carefully governed, ensuring consistency and quality. Beyond DOP favorites like Parm and Pecorino Romano, more ubiquitous cheeses like ricotta and provolone also deserve a spot in your kitchen.

Here are 14 essential Italian cheeses to know, from well-known classics to hidden gems.

Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP

Among exceptional Italian cheeses, Parmigiano-Reggiano is the hardest to imitate. (France doesn’t even try, which is saying something.) Hailing from the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy in northern Italy near the town of Parma, Parmigiano-Reggiano is considered a grana (“grain”) cheese due to the miniscule size of its curds after coagulation and cutting. Once wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano are ripened, those granular bits create Parm’s distinctive crumbly texture. 

A number of important elements contribute to its flavor: raw milk, sourced only from grass-fed cows in the region; a lengthy brining stage after wheels are formed; and an even lengthier aging period. Few, if any other cheeses, mandate the full year spent in a cave that Parmigiano-Reggiano requires.

As a result of all that time, Parmigiano-Reggiano is the very definition of umami, with nutty, savory tones at the forefront. A natural-born supporting actor, it lifts everything it touches — even dessert. It’s also the most likely to be found in cheese drawers among culinary professionals. But if you’ve only ever cooked with Parm and haven’t tried it as a snacking cheese, it’s time to change that. Beneath its salty exterior lies a complex tangle of tropical fruit and spice that makes it a star on a cheese board. 

Grana Padano DOP

In wine terms, Grana Padano would be considered the second label to Parmigiano-Reggiano’s grand cru — a budget-friendlier but nonetheless excellent alternative. Grana Padano also hails from northern Italy (though a much larger geographical swath), is made with raw cow milk in a grana style, and is aged for an extended period of time. The key differences between Grana Padano and Parmigiano-Reggiano: Cattle for Grana are allowed to feed on silage (fermented feed) in addition to grass and hay, and wheels of Grana must only age for a minimum of nine months to Parmigiano’s 12. The resulting cheese is a touch sweeter and ever so slightly creamier than Parm, though still crumbly. Grana Padano is also produced in a larger volume than Parmigiano-Reggiano, making it Italy’s best-selling DOP cheese.

You can grate Grana Padano like Parmigiano-Reggiano, or use it wherever Parm is called for, in recipes ranging from pesto to meatballs to white lasagna. It contributes a lightly buttery characteristic in addition to its nutty and savory notes.

Pecorino Romano DOP

Any cheese made in Italy from sheep milk is called pecorino, which is simply the diminutive for “sheep” in Italian. The most recognizable pecorino in the U.S. is Pecorino Romano, but other pecorinos with DOP status include Pecorino Sardo, Pecorino Siciliano, and Pecorino Toscano, which all nod to their respective region of origin. 

Compared to cow milk, sheep milk contributes earthier and grassier characteristics to cheese, both of which qualities are present here, and Pecorino Romano is also dry-salted before it’s brined. Combined, these elements give Pecorino Romano a punchier quality than the nuttiness and undercurrent of fruitiness that can be found in both Parm and Grana. It’s this unique flavor that, combined with freshly cracked black pepper, gives cacio e pepe its distinctively Roman attitude.

Does Parmigiano-Reggiano also make a delicious slurry for noodles? Of course it does, but without Pecorino Romano it isn’t truly Roman, and therefore isn’t truly cacio e pepe.

Mozzarella

Mozzarella transforms humble milk into something decadent in a matter of hours. Fresh curds are stretched in a steaming-hot salt water brine, then eventually worked into fresh mozzarella’s signature ball. It’s this heating and stretching process — the defining characteristic for a category of cheese known as pasta filata — that creates a melting muscle memory, allowing mozzarella to ooze and stretch again when heat is applied in the future. It might sound complicated, but it’s easy enough to do at home.

Where Parmigiano-Reggiano may be the king of aged cheeses, mozzarella is the standard-bearer for fresh cheeses, the truest expression of milk in solid form. Tasting notes for mozzarella rarely go beyond “milky,” but if you’re lucky enough to have access to farm-fresh mozzarella, you may pick up traces of the grasses and herbs the animals are eating. Due to its ephemeral nature and widespread production, there is no DOP applied to mozzarella, but keep a lookout for mozzarella di bufala, which is made from the richer, fattier milk of water buffalo.

Burrata

This soft cow-milk cheese, historically made in the Puglia region, consists of a rich, creamy center encased in a ball of mozzarella. Historically made in the Puglia region, burrata utilizes the leftovers from mozzarella-making — a motley assortment of scraps called stracciatella, or “little rags” — combining them with heavy cream before stuffing them back inside balls of mozzarella. The result is a luscious soft cheese that oozes as you slice your knife and fork into it. It is perfectly appropriate wherever mozzarella is normally called for, and it works wonderfully as a luxurious garnish for salads or pasta. 

If you can make mozzarella at home, does this mean that — wait — you can also make burrata at home? Yes, yes you can.

Ricotta

Fluffy, tangy, and versatile, ricotta is truly a chameleon. It’s not a showstopper unto itself, but rather an ingredient that can enrich or enlighten, depending on how it’s used. Consider the decadence it adds to pancakes or the lightness it gives meatballs. 

Modern ricotta may be made with actual milk, but at its essence, ricotta cheese is a by-product of other cheeses. Meaning “recooked” in Italian, ricotta was historically made with whey, the liquid remaining after the formation of cheese curds. Heat was again applied, causing whatever particles of protein and fat remained in the liquid whey to curdle.

Not only can ricotta be made from scratch, you can probably make it from ingredients you have on hand this minute. All it takes is milk and time, really, or a little coagulant such as lemon juice or vinegar to get things going.

Mascarpone

The not-so-secret ingredient in tiramisu, this creamy, tangy cow-milk cheese is what happens when acid and heat are applied to cream, causing the mixture to thicken and coagulate rather than curdle. The result is a spread with the richness of butter but the improbable lightness of whipped meringue. 

Traditionally made in northern Italy, mascarpone is delicious in a range of sweet and savory dishes that go beyond tiramisu, from cheesecake and parfait to scrambled eggs and ravioli. You can also whip it with sugar for a slightly tangy alternative to whipped cream. 

Robiola

Robiola refers to a family of Italian cheeses from Lombardy that range from fresh, rindless rounds (fresca) to squishy, bloomy-rind numbers with a little bit of age (stagionata). Both are made with goat-milk, sometimes combined with sheep-milk, and are an answer to the call for Italian cheeses that resemble the French styles of fresh chèvre or Brie.

Robiola di Roccaverano is a fresh robiola with DOP status that you likely won’t find in the U.S. — raw milk cheese either imported here or made here must be aged for at least 60 days. (On that score, we’ve never legally had genuine Brie or Camembert on these shores, either.)

Robiola Bosina is a mixed-milk, bloomy-rind version of robiola that’s available in the U.S., and it’s a favorite among cheese pros: The bloomy-rind market is dominated by cow-milk cheeses, and goat- and sheep-milk varieties bring an added depth of both tang and earth to the gooey category. Robiola Bosina is luscious as an instant pasta sauce and a great melter for an unexpected grilled cheese or Italian tuna melt.

Asiago DOP

Asiago may have become a familiar name thanks to bagels and breadsticks, but it has a lot more to offer. The DOP for Asiago allows for nine different varieties, four fresh and five aged distinctions, with specifics about where the cow milk was collected, how it was processed, and whether animal or vegetarian rennet was used to coagulate the curds.

Asiago is always a mountain cheese, coming from a plateau in the Dolomite mountains of Italy’s Veneto region. (There are domestic versions of Asiago, but for my money I’d seek out the Italian DOP versions.) At any age, you’ll notice the holes or “eyes” that are characteristic of many mountain cheeses. Asiago is sweet and buttery in its youth, progressing through grassy and sweet hay flavors in its middle age, giving rise to butterscotch and hazelnuts in advanced age.

You’ll notice a common theme between Asiago and the other mountain cheeses yet to come on this list: They’re great for snacking, great for cooking, a terrific companion to potatoes and vegetables, and an easy option for any dish where cheese is melted, such as lasagna.

Fontina DOP

Fontina comes from the Aosta Valley near the Alps in Italy’s northwesternmost lobe, and as such you expect similarities to its Swiss cheese neighbors such as Gruyère and Appenzeller. Fontina’s characterized by a firm yet supple cow-milk interior that takes well to melting. A washed rind renders the cheese not quite stinky but just a little funky. 

Slightly sweet and nutty, Fontina is a great snacker, and it plays nicely with mushrooms for an umami-forward toast. If you love Swiss fondue, consider Italian Fontina Fonduta, a perfect cold-weather appetizer — Italian Alps not required.

Piave DOP

If there’s any Italian cheese that’s a woefully unsung hero in the U.S., it’s this one. Piave is a mountain cheese, fruitier than Swiss mountain cheeses, that takes on characteristics of Parmigiano-Reggiano as it ages. Think caramel and tropical fruit notes, supported by a sturdy, savory backbone. It’s brilliant to cook with or snack on, alongside a glass of Amarone della Valpolicella.

Coming from the Veneto region in the province of Belluno, Piave is made from an ancient recipe that includes pasteurized milk and cooked curd, but it’s a relative newcomer to the DOP category. It’s available in five age expressions in Italy, from creamy Fresca to crystallized Vecchia Reserva. In the U.S., you’re most likely to see Vecchia, or, if you’re extremely lucky, Vecchia Seleziona Ora, which frequently earns the International Taste Institute’s Diamond Taste Award.

Piave is an excellent melter, and is also a great unexpected addition to a salad when grated. For those looking for spectacle, a hollowed-out wheel of Piave can do for risotto what Pecorino Romano can do for spaghetti.

Taleggio DOP

Taleggio is a bit of an outlier in the Italian cheese pantheon. Among the squeaky-clean flavors of mozzarella and ricotta and the savory butterscotch goodness of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano, this washed-rind, small-format cheese tastes complicated, meaty, and even stinky.

A cow-milk cheese that originates in Lombardy, Taleggio may be either raw or pasteurized (those found in the U.S. are likely pasteurized) but its defining characteristic is the sticky orange rind that forms due to the cheese being washed with a salt water solution during its ripening process.

It’s a good place to start if you’re just getting into stinky cheeses: While Taleggio’s exterior is yeasty, its interior is sweet and supple, with just a hint of pancetta umami. A buffalo-milk version of Taleggio called Quadrello is also a treat. 

Taleggio is excellent for melting: Use it in baked shells with cauliflower, a warm potato salad, or in a gooey knife-and-fork grilled cheese.

Provolone

Provolone is perhaps familiar in the U.S. as a deli-style cheese, excellent on sandwiches and likely the original cheese atop a Philly cheesesteak before Cheese Whiz was an option. But, just as “Swiss” cheese wasn’t born as a deli slice, provolone is more than just the hero of an Italian hero.

True Italian provolone, called Provolone Valpadana DOP, is produced from raw cow milk across northern Italy. Even as a firm cheese, it has a key similarity to mozzarella in that its curds are brined and stretched — pasta filata–style — before they are either shaped by hand or pressed into molds. Buttery and tangy when young, provolone becomes distinctively spicy as it ages, giving it equal weight in sandwiches with spicy salami.

As established, provolone is great on sandwiches, from classic Italian subs or meatball subs to roast pork sandwiches with broccoli rabe. Try it wherever salami is found, such as in an Italian Grinder Pasta Salad. It also melts wonderfully in a baked pasta or cheesy chickpea pancake. 

Gorgonzola DOP

Italy has more than one blue cheese to its name, but Gorgonzola is the most widespread — and  a not-too-strong introduction to the category for the blue cheese–dubious. Not just any Gorgonzola, though, but Gorgonzola Dolce, sometimes labeled as Gorgonzola Cremificato, whose fudgy sweetness is its primary attribute, more so than its peppery blue veins. (An even gentler version, sometimes labelled Mughetto, layers Gorgonzola Dolce with sweet, sweet mascarpone.)

Gorgonzola in its many forms is a pasteurized cow-milk cheese that splits its provenance between Lombardy and Piedmont. The distinction between Dolce and Piccante versions is a matter of age. As wheels remain in the aging facility, moisture evaporates and more blue veins arrive, transforming sweeter wheels into firmer, more herbaceous, spicier expressions.

Choose your own adventure with Gorgonzola, whose culinary applications know no bounds: A wedge salad with candied bacon, pasta with sausage and butternut squash, and rib eye steak, among many other companions, are all transformed by Italy’s dairy version of Forza Azzurri!