Italian cheeses & cured meats
From Parmigiano-Reggiano to 'nduja: what each Italian cheese and salume is, where it's made and how to use it.
Hard cheeseParmigiano-ReggianoParmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, granular DOP cheese aged at least 12 months, made only in a defined zone around Parma and Reggio Emilia.Hard cheeseGrana PadanoGrana Padano is a hard DOP cheese from the Po Valley, similar to Parmigiano but milder and aged from 9 months.Hard cheesePecorino RomanoPecorino Romano is a salty, sharp sheep's-milk DOP cheese essential to carbonara, cacio e pepe and amatriciana.Semi-hard cheesePecorino ToscanoPecorino Toscano is a milder, sweeter Tuscan sheep's cheese sold fresh or aged.Fresh cheeseMozzarella di Bufala CampanaMozzarella di bufala Campana is a soft, milky stretched-curd DOP cheese made from water-buffalo milk.Fresh cheeseFior di LatteFior di latte is fresh cow's-milk mozzarella, the usual cheese on Neapolitan pizza.Fresh cheeseBurrataBurrata is a pouch of fresh mozzarella filled with stracciatella — shreds of curd soaked in cream.Fresh cheeseRicottaRicotta is a soft, fresh cheese made by reheating whey; the name means 'recooked'.Fresh cheeseMascarponeMascarpone is a rich, spreadable fresh cream cheese from Lombardy, the base of tiramisù.Blue cheeseGorgonzolaGorgonzola is an Italian blue cheese sold as soft 'dolce' or firmer, sharper 'piccante'.Washed-rind cheeseTaleggioTaleggio is a soft, square washed-rind cheese with a pungent rind and mild, buttery interior.Semi-soft cheeseFontina ValdostanaFontina is a semi-soft Alpine cheese from the Aosta Valley, prized for melting.Semi-hard cheeseAsiagoAsiago is a cow's-milk cheese from the Asiago plateau, sold young (pressato) or aged (d'allevo).Stretched-curd cheeseProvoloneProvolone is a stretched-curd cheese sold mild (dolce) or sharp (piccante), often shaped into large salamis.Stretched-curd cheeseCaciocavalloCaciocavallo is a teardrop-shaped southern stretched-curd cheese hung in pairs over a pole to age.Stretched-curd cheeseScamorzaScamorza is a pear-shaped stretched-curd cheese, often smoked (affumicata).Cured meatProsciutto di ParmaProsciutto di Parma is a DOP dry-cured ham made only with pork leg and sea salt, aged at least 12 months.Cured meatProsciutto di San DanieleProsciutto di San Daniele is a DOP ham from Friuli, recognizable by its guitar shape with the trotter left on.Cured meatGuancialeGuanciale is cured pork jowl (cheek), seasoned with salt and pepper, essential to carbonara and amatriciana.Cured meatPancettaPancetta is salt-cured pork belly, sold flat (tesa) or rolled (arrotolata), usually unsmoked.Cured meatMortadella di BolognaMortadella is a large cooked pork sausage from Bologna studded with fat and sometimes pistachios.Cured meatBresaola della ValtellinaBresaola is air-dried, salted beef from the Valtellina, lean and deep red.Cured meatSpeck Alto AdigeSpeck is a lightly smoked, juniper-seasoned ham from South Tyrol.Cured meat'Nduja'Nduja is a soft, spicy, spreadable pork salume from Spilinga in Calabria.Cured meatSoppressataSoppressata is a pressed, dry-cured salami from southern Italy, often spicy in Calabria.Cured meatFinocchionaFinocchiona is a Tuscan salami flavored with fennel seeds.Cured meatSalame MilanoSalame Milano is a finely ground salami with a 'rice grain' texture.Cured meatCulatello di ZibelloCulatello di Zibello is a prized ham made from the heart of the pork leg, aged in foggy cellars along the Po.Cured meatLardo di ColonnataLardo di Colonnata is pork back fat cured with herbs in marble basins near Carrara.Fresh sausageSalsiccia (Italian Sausage)Salsiccia is fresh Italian pork sausage, sweet or spicy, commonly seasoned with fennel, garlic and pepper.