1. There is a free tasting session for Italian chesses at work today:
Taleggio DOP:
Taleggio is a washed rind and smear-ripened Italian cheese that is named after Val Taleggio. The cheese has a strong aroma, but its flavour is comparatively mild with an unusual fruity tang. Its crust is thin and studded with salt crystels.
Testun:
Testun is a semi-firm mixed milk cheese from the Piedmont region of Italy. The cheese has a beautiful complex flavor thanks the sweet and grassy milk from alpine pastures and its aging process. It ages for a minimum period of four months in small oak barrel under the residues of the Nebbiolo grapes, the grape to make Barolo wine. The fruity wine flavors seep into the crumbly paste. This adds a little bit more of complexity to its flavor.
Provolone dolce:
The term Provolone (meaning large Provola) appeared around the end of the 19th century, when it started to be manufactured in the Southern regions of Italy, and this cheese assumed its current large size. The smaller sized variant is called Provola and comes in plain and smoked (“affumicata”) varieties.
Gorgonzola Erborinato:
Gorgonzola is a veined Italian blue cheese, made from unskimmed cow’s and/or goat’s milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a ‘bite’ from its blue veining.
Fontna Aosta:
Fontina is a cow’s milk Italian cheese. Fontina cheese has been made in the Aosta Valley, in the Alps since the 12th century. It has a milk fat content of around 45%. As with many original varieties, the name “Fontina” has been imposed upon by such derivatives as “Fontinella”, “Fontal”, and “Fontella”. Italian Fontina can be identified by a Consorzio (Consortium) stamp of the Matterhorn including the script “FONTINA”.
What are your reasons to be cheerful today ?