ITALIAN CHEASES

From the looks of it, you'd think Italians invented cheese. Actually, the origins of cheese are lost in the mists of ancient history. It's just always been around. Anyway, regardless of who came up with it, the Italians picked it up and ran with it - really, really far. There are so many different kinds of Italian cheese it'll make your head spin just thinking about it. Mozzarella is coming out of everyone's ears, it seems. And it's a good thing. Italian mozzarella is significantly better than some Americans versions of it. Buy the round ball type. The king of all cheese, however, is parmigiano reggiano. The basis for our more common and diluted "parmesan" cheese, the taste is similar but so much better. Parmigiano reggiano is a hard cheese and usually grated onto things like salads and such. Did I mention it's been around for about 700 years? I think that's the mark of a good cheese. If you haven't tried parmigiano reggiano, try it. You can find it at almost all grocery stores. Other cheeses you might recognize include asiago, gorgonzola, provolone, and ricotta, to name just a few.

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