Montasio cheese

Montasio is a traditional Italian hard cheese originally made from ewe milk but now made from unpasteurized cow milk in the Friuli region. Rich and creamy when young, with a fruity flavour, it develops a firm interior with small holes that becomes granular or brittle in mature cheese, while the yellow-brown rind is smooth and springy in young cheese but darker and harder with age. Ripening lasts from 3 to 18 months, and protected designation rules govern its production area and methods. As a long-aged hard cheese it is microbiologically stable, and its concentrated flavor makes it popular for grating over pasta and serving at the table.