L’amore for Italian Cheese and Condiments

Part of our professional sommelier studies in Italy was the study of food. For millennia wine itself has been considered a basic element of the Mediterranean diet—“liquid food”, so to speak—describable in terms of nutritive quality, flavor characteristics, regional diversity, and intrinsic balance. The next step was simply to study other foods, starting with cheese, a natural companion to wine.

What a delightful step it was. In exploring the world of cheese we learned that not only is it one of humankind’s most important foods, but its worldwide inventory is also is testament to how humans have converted environmental adaptation into an edible art. Italy itself boasts about 400 different, known cheeses, each cheese communicating distinct senses of place, culture, and pairing with other foods.

As Italian regional food researchers as well as cheese lovers in general, we became interested in cheese condiments. Condiments are the complimentary elements of a dish or meal that bring its primary flavors into harmony and balance. Especially in the case of aged cheeses, condiments are fundamental to extolling the cheese’s particular characteristics. We first studied Italian cheeses and condiments in Rome, nearly fifteen years ago, during a Slow Food course on wine-condiment-cheese combinations.

Burrata: gentle yet unforgettable

We began the evening with our first slice of Burrata (for more information on Burrata see previous posting), part of an unforgettable wine-condiment-cheese combination. By nature Burrata is rich yet inititially-subtle, and its patrimony of flavors and aromas could have been easily overpowered; however, it was paired with a moderately-chilled glass of Locorotondo, itself of medium body and acidity. The “condimental bridge” for this pairing was a drizzling of mildly-peppery, mid-early harvest extra virgin olive oil from the Castel del Monte zone near Bari. The effect: extraordinary! With a last, palate-freshening sip of Locorotondo, the students at our table simply exchanged silent, smiling nods as we shared this treasure from Italy’s mezzogiorno.

Puzzone di Moena: strong aromas, generous flavors

Later in the evening the course made a strong step forward. We tasted “the big stink”, translation for the term Puzzone. Puzzone too, is derived from cow’s milk, though its powerful aromas owe to high altitude grazing in Dolomite mountain range malghe (pastures) or grazing stations, these particulary malghe located in the regions of Trentino and Alto-Adige. We tasted (and smelled) Puzzone, noting that it would need a stronger counterbalancing act. Its strong aromas and herbaceousness were complimented by a lovely Trentino Lagrein and a northern Italian chestnut honey.

Bruss: not for the faint-of-palate

Moving up a few notches in strength and piquancy we tasted Bruss, one of Italy’s rarest and strongest cheeses (which we later imported). Though Piemonte is known both for its aged wines and cheeses, bruss is truly unique, Bruss is historically formed from a conglomeration of odds and ends of other Piemontese cheeses, accented by the mixing-in of left-over grappa then left to age several months in small, terra cotta pots. Nearly 15 years (and as many washings) later, the empty Bruss pot that we had taken home still retains some of its sharp, liquory aromas. A seemingly difficult combination was achieved through a robust pairing with a fine Barbera, after we had dipped the Bruss on typical grissini breadsticks (much like the ones we now import from Tenuta Castello). A cugna, red wine chutney just like the Il Mongetto mostarda d’uva that we import today, cleansed our fragrant palates.

Chef Balin and his aged cheese-and-condiment cart

Not long after our introduction to the study and appreciation of Italian cheeses and condiments we went with one of our Piedmontese producers to Da Balin, a restaurant in the village of Vercelli in the Po river delta which is both the largest rice-agriculture zone in Europe and neighbor to the wine production zone of Monferrato.

Chef Balin a consultant risotto chef for for Tenuta Castello, our award-winning, organic and hand-weeded risotto rice producer, had just served an incredible meal for his incredibly-late American guests. We settled back, stuffed-to-capacity with course-after-course of an expertly-prepared meal.

Not another bite. Nope.

And yet…

We heard the screeching echo of little wheels on their rolling approach through Chef Balin’s Kitchen.

Then we saw it: Chef Balin returned, wheeling out a gurney-sized, dessert-style cart laden with layer cake-like slices of aged, pungent favorites such as Gorgonzola, Castelmagno, Taleggio… by the time the cart arrived at our table the cavernous dining room around us had already been re-populated—this time crowded with the aromas of seasoned cheeses.

Flanking the cheeses were two more files. Lined-up were cheese condiment containers of various colors and sizes: an array of fruit-based vinegars including a tiny, bulbous bottle of 100 year-aged Balsamic; variations on Mostarda d’Uva, the region’s slow-cooked, tar-like equivalent of Piedmontese chutney with a base of Barbera red wine; honeys of different colors and consistencies.

Suddenly, our appetites returned.

Ci ritroviamo (we’ll get together again).

Ilyse and Ron

RITROVO