Cheese from the Italian alpine meadows (Fontina)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Fontina
Date:	20/08/07 (801 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Really nice makes a great fondu.

Disadvantages: Mine is all gone {

Fontina cheese

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I had some Fontina while on holiday this year .I was holidaying in the Aosta valley of the Italian Alps. This cheese is a regional speciality being made in this area since the 12th century and possibly before.
There are several similar cheeses but the real Fontina has a picture of the Matterhorn Mountain stamped on the rind which is a golden brown.

Fontina is now not just made in the Aosta valley in Italy, so the fontina you buy in your local supermarket may not actually come from this area .

Having stayed in the Aosta valley I saw the mountain pastures with flowers growing on them butterflies and insects flying and watched the herds of cows gaily munching the fresh grasses and flowers. The mountain pastures are not near agricultural fields so there is generally an absence of pesticiodes. The cow turns this into creamy milk. This milk full of the goodness from the pastures then made into cheese.

Fontina is made with full fat milk that has not being pasteurised. The cheese is matured in grottoes in the rocks for about 3 months.

Fontina is technically a hard cheese that has a soft texture. There is a rind that can be a light yellow through to a red colour. Fontina has small holes throughout it. The colour is a light yellow straw coloured. The cheese is slightly elastic. It melts well makes a really great fondue. I melted some on toast the other day... We also ate some with a crust of bread while we were out exploring the Aosta mountainside. This cheese would make a good cheese to top a pizza with.
The flavour is mild, slightly nutty. I think I get a herby hint slightly fruity and a hint of mushroom too. Guess that’s due to that gorgeous mix of flora they eat in the mountain valley pastures.
Goes down well at the end of the day, sat outside the tent with some bread and a glass of wine.

I am sorry I can not remember how much this cost in Italy. I have bought this cheese in Tesco’s England you can buy fontina on line Fontina on line at http://www.nifeislife.com/default.php?cPath=21_61 costs £3.90 for 300g,
Or £5.65 for .25 kg from http://www.machiavellifood.co.uk/home.php?%20cat=2 51.
Thank you for reading about one of the delights of the Aosta region of Italy. I think I fancy some fontina some crusty bread and a glass of red wine for my lunch now .

Summary: cows cheese