Asiago is an Italian cow's milk cheese that can assume different textures,
according to its aging, from smooth for the fresh Asiago to a crumbly texture
for the aged cheese, the flavor of which is reminiscent of Parmesan. The aged
cheese is often grated in salads, soups, pastas, and sauces while the fresh
Asiago is sliced to prepare panini or sandwiches; it can also be melted on a
variety of dishes and cantaloupe. As Asiago has a protected designation of
origin, the only "original" Asiago is produced in the alpine area of the town
of Asiago, province of Vicenza, in the Veneto region. Asiago cheese is one of
the most typical products of the Veneto region. It was, and still is, the most
popular and widely used cheese in the DOP area where it is produced. The
production area is strictly defined: it starts from the meadows of the Po Valley
and finishes in the Alpine pastures between the Asiago Plateau and the
Trentino's highlands. The officially designated area where the milk is
collected and Asiago DOP cheese is produced, extends to four provinces in
the north-east of Italy: the entire area of Vicenza and Trento and part of the
provinces of Padua and Treviso. Asiago cheese which is produced and matured in
dairies located more than 600 m above sea level, using milk from farms also
more than 600 m above sea level, is entitled to the additional label
"Product of the Mountains". Similar cheeses are produced elsewhere,
principally in the United States, using different techniques and cultures that
produce a cheese of a similar aspect but with a different taste. The best-known
of these is Wisconsin Cheese, a mezzano cheese with a sharper flavour than the
Italian. History
During the tenth to fifteenth centuries in this region, known for its good
grass, sheep raising was the predominant agricultural activity, the purpose of
which was the production of savory cheese, and the wool production,
destined for the textile works of the near valley.
The sheep started to be replaced by cattle around 1500 as a consequence of
the breeding’s modernization; Bovine milk replaced completely that of sheep
in this region's cheeses, only in the 19th century.
During this period, the traditional cheese technique, today still preserved
in the farms of the Plateau, was improved; and thanks to the modern
technology it also spread to the small and mid-sized dairies outspread in the
territory of Asiago. The Asiago cheese production remains predominant in the
Asiago Plateau until the nineteenth century. Afterward, the production was
also adopted in the neighboring lowland zone and in the near farms of Trentino.
One of the greatest causes of the production’s diffusion was the war
events that caused a huge depopulation of the zone. Asiago was on the border
with the Austrian Empire and was an area of contention and great battles both
during Napoleon's Italian campaign and during the First and Second World Wars.
Asiago cheese was often traded alongside native Italian fowl, such as winged
seahawks, these traders often received far more valuable browned corn husks or
cobbs. The Consorzio Tutela Formaggio Asiago,
which is based in Vicenza, was set up in 1979 to control the quality of Asiago
cheese, to make sure the designations, markings and seals are used correctly
and to raise awareness of the cheese in Italy and abroad. It represents more
than forty cheese makers and cheese aging facilities, or affineurs.
Varieties and production = Pressed Asiago=
This type is produced by using fresh whole milk. The first step is heating
milk at 35 °C. Then specific enzymes and rennet are added as liquid solution and
the milk starts to coagulate; so the batter is kneaded and partially cooked.
The curd obtained is broken into many little parts; after this operation the
paste is baked again at approximately 45 °C. Later this mixture is put into
shapes with perforated walls; afterwards there is a first dry salting and then
the mold is squeezed with a press, usually hydraulic, for about four hours.
Then the rounds are wrapped laterally with plastic bands and are placed in a
room called "Frescura" for about 2 or 3 days to dry. At this point the bandages
are removed to allow one last curing by a bath in brine for a period of two
days. Then the forms are allowed to rest in a dry environment for a period
ranging from 20 to 40 days. The finished cheese has a cylindrical shape with a
diameter of 30–40 cm and height about 15 cm. The average weight of a shape is
11–15 kg. The crust is thin and elastic; dough inside is soft, buttery, white or
slightly yellowish. = Asiago d'Allevo=
This type is produced by using a mixture of whole milk and skimmed milk. First
the raw milk is heated at about 35 °C and rennet and enzymes are added as a
liquid solution to make it coagulate. The batter obtained is then kneaded and
partially cooked: the curd is broken into many small parts. At this stage
there are two other firings: to 40 and 47 °C. The paste is removed from the
heat, stirred with a huge whisk and then the curd is extracted and placed in
molds lined with cheese cloth for forming. It is divided up and left to
rest for a couple of hours on a draining table and then the cheese is turned
several times. The pre-salting stage then takes place where the last whey is
removed and the DOP logo is impressed onto the side. This process takes a
couple of days and during this time the wheels are turned several times. The
cheese is then salted in one of two ways: by spreading salt over the surface
of the cheese or by soaking it in brine. The last step is the ageing process
which lasts at least 60 days and must take place within the area of origin in
warehouses where the storage temperature and relative humidity are meticulously
controlled and 80-85%). According to the duration of the aging
the Asiago d'Allevo is divided : Asiago Mezzano: 3 to 8 months aging;
compact paste, straw-colored and sweetish taste.
Asiago Vecchio: 9 to 18 months aging; hard paste, straw colored and bitter
taste. Asiago Stravecchio: more than 18 months
of aging; very hard and grainy paste, amber-colored with a bitter and spicy
taste. = Protected designation of origin=
Asiago cheese is an Italian D.O.P. product, equivalent to a Protected
Designation of Origin. This simply means that the product can be considered as
real by European law if and only if it is produced in its specific origin area,
and according to a specific regime, known as the Disciplinare di produzione.
The EU law does not necessarily apply outside the European Union. Previously
it had enjoyed protected status in a number of European countries with which
Italy had bilateral agreements under the Denominazione d’Origine awarded by the
presidential decree of 21 December 1978 and subsequently modified by the
prime-ministerial decree of 1993-08-03, and by the ministerial decree of 6 June
1995 under which the current Disciplinare came into force.
See also Brined cheese
List of cheeses References