Grasso d'Alpe

Produced in the alpine regions of Piedmont and Lombardy, this traditional, straw-coloured cheese made from exclusively from a single milking of cows grazed over 1500m, before being aged for at least 60 days. Now designated PAT, it was first documented in the year 999 and is considered the ancestor of the better known Bettelmatt DOP. Buttery, herby and delicate, it's often used in a mixed cheese fonduta d'Alpeggio ('mountain meadow fondue').

It's become something of a niche cheese, and often bears the name of its origin: two of the best are Grasso d'Alpe Veglia or Grasso d'Alpe Buscagna.