Taleggio

In the mountains north of Milan, near the Swiss border, highland cows graze the pastures of the Valtellina. The sweet Alpine grass they eat leads to the raw milk in Taleggio.

The style is hugely popular in northern Italy, but somewhat underappreciated in the United States. It’s an elegant, semisoft variety. Usually, it has a distinct salty taste to it, a quality that’s balanced by a nuanced assortment of buttery texture and the mild aromas of nuts, beef, even raisins.

The cheese softens a bit as it ripens. Often, it is sold on the young side, which you can discern by the firmness of its texture and the whiteness of its paste. It should be neither overly hard nor bright.

It’s not especially known as a cooking cheese, but a number of northern dishes do employ it. Since it mixes well, it blends nicely into risotto. Polenta, a staple of the cuisine in the North, is great with a few slices of Taleggio dabbed over it. Still another method of preparation is to slice, dip in eggs, bread it and fry in olive oil. It’s a marvelous antipasto, and not as decadent as it sounds.

Generally, though, Taleggio is best on its own. Like the best Italian cheeses, it is complex without being showy or cloying. There are many layers of flavor within it, and it boasts a beautiful long finish.

PAIRINGS: Barolo and other full-bodied red wines complement Taleggio, as does hard fruits and crusty bread (French baguettes are generally better than the northern Italian breads, by the way).