These days, Italian-style cheese is part of everyday life. From gooey mozz melted atop classic pizza, to strip steaks drizzled with gorgonzola cream sauce, to the flourish of umami-rich parm crowning bowls of pasta from New York City to Tokyo, these cheesy ingredients are the culinary backbone of recipes enjoyed far beyond Europe’s boot-shaped country. And while Italy’s cheesemaking traditions have also traveled beyond its borders—inspiring farmers, makers, and affineurs around the world—there’s still nothing quite like the real thing.
Many Italian cheeses are infinitely versatile in the kitchen, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less revered than their cheese board brethren. Savory shards of Parmigiano-Reggiano (Italy’s “King of Cheeses”), for example, might be enjoyed with a glass of sparkling wine, while that same wheel’s rind, simmered in a brothy pot of white beans and escarole, is just as much a revelation. This is partly due to the fact that many well-known types of Italian-made cheeses are held to the strictest standards. The European Union has granted more than 500 Italian cheeses PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status, a legal designation that ensures recipients are produced in their established region, using the traditional methods and specific ingredients that make each unique. Here are some considerations that come into play:
Top-Quality Milk
Nearly every Italian region produces some sort of dairy—and along with it, some sort of cheese, from piquante Gorgonzola ripened in the northern Piedmont and Lombardy regions, to mild and milky Mozzarella di Bufala
