- Legend has it that an Arab traveler discovered the magic of cheese making after storing milk in a saddlebag made from an animal stomach during a desert journey. Rennin is an enzyme produced in an animal's stomach that causes milk to separate into curds and whey, allowing the curds to pressed into cheese. Evidence of cheese making has been found as far back as 6,000 BC in Mesopotamia in what is now Iraq.
- Romans were passionate cheese makers and eaters. Many Roman homes had a special kitchen set aside for cheese making called a caseale, where cheeses also were stored and aged. A favorite Roman cheese was smoked over applewood chips, echoing a popular modern favorite, smoked provolone. Pecorino Romano, a sharp sheep's milk cheese, may have originated in Roman times.
- Throughout the medieval age, monasteries were centers of wool making and also became famed for their cheeses, a natural byproduct from raising sheep. Later, cows' milk became a favorite ingredient as small farms began to flourish outside Italy's city-states. Mozzarella di bufala--the best is still made from water buffalo milk--is believed to have originated in the 12th century when farmers didn't want to dispose on any resource on the farm, even milk from the oxen that pulled their plows.
- Parmigiano Reggiano--called Parmesan in English--is touted as the king of Italy's cheeses. The poet Boccaccio wrote about dreaming of eating Parmigiano in his book The Decameron. English diarist Samuel Pepys is said to have saved his cherished wheel of Parmigiano from the Great Fire of London in 1666 by burying it in his garden. Anyone who has eaten Parmigiano, which bears a distinctive seal and stamp in its rind, knows that grated Parmesan in a box is no match for the real thing.
- The rich lands of Lombardy in northern Italy abound in cheese varieties, including Provolone, Taleggio and Grana Padano. Among the most famous is Gorgonzola which gets its distinctive flavor from blue mold veins that are allowed to develop on the cheese. Believed to have originated in the ninth or 10th century and named after a town in the region, the cheese comes in two varieties: a younger variety called "dolce" or sweet; and a drier and older variety.
- Asiago, originally a sheep's milk cheese but now usually made from cows' milk, has been a favorite among Venetians for 10 centuries. The cows are raised on the verdant plains outside Venice. Like many Italian cheeses, Asiago is eaten both young and aged, depending on the dish. As a young cheese, Asiago is used in dishes that call for creamy, melting cheese. Older Asiagos have a nutty quality and can be grated or eaten with dried fruits and wine.
- Italian cheeses are used in cooking to make rich sauces, or as fillings in baked dishes, and often grated over pasta. Italians are not big dessert eaters, but enjoy sweets as afternoon snacks with coffee. Combining cheese with fresh or dried fruit, nuts in season and a glass of wine is considered an ideal way to complete a meal.
