formaggio

Although it doesn't brag as much as France, Italy with its superb array of cheese or formaggi can be as torturous for the lactose intolerant as its pasta culture can be for coeliacs. Just because the idea of a cheese course isn't as engrained as it is in France doesn't mean the country doesn't produce exquisite table cheeses; it's just that you're more like to find them at an enoteca (wine bar) than in a trattoria.

No one knows exactly how many varieties of cheese Italy produces, but it's over 400. Several are DOP; 115 are listed in the Slow Food Presidium.

One feature of Italian cheesemaking is the method called pasta filata, in which the cheese is soaked in hot whey and then kneaded to give it a fibery texture. This is how such famous cheeses as mozzarella, fiordilatte, provolone, caciocavallo and scamorza are made. Another Italian speciality is hard, granular (grana) cheese, including the grana padano and parmigiano reggiano sold all over the world.