Taleggio cheese

Taleggio is an Italian semi-soft cow-milk cheese, also known as Stracchino. Its flavour is buttery and fruity, mild when young and more pungent with age; the rind is pinkish-grey from smear-ripening bacteria and the interior is white and supple. Ripening lasts 25 to 50 days in humid caves or cellars. A cooked-curd version also exists, firmer and similar to mozzarella. Taleggio is an excellent dessert and table cheese, best enjoyed at room temperature when its aroma fully develops. It holds EU protected designation of origin status, tying its name to traditional production areas.