Montasio

Where does Montasio cheese come from?

Montasio cheese comes from one of the smaller regions of Italy, Friuli Venezia Giulia. The production area is located in Northeastern Italy, the regions of Friuli Venezia borders the countries of Austria and Slovenia. This masterpiece comes from the Italian mountains in this area; in fact, it is named after the Montasio mountain plateau. This grainy and crumbly cow's milk cheese was originally made by monks in the 13th century.

What does Montasio pdo cheese taste like?

This formaggio from the Italian mountains is a semi-hard cheese that has both fruity and nutty flavors. When it becomes mature, it often develops a slightly spicy taste. When it is well aged, it is often grated over meals. However, this semi matured product made from cow's milk can also be used as an ingredient in other recipes such as Frico, Friuli Venezia Giulia’s signature dish. Frico almost resembles a potato pancake, only the main ingredient is Montasio pdo is cooked on a skillet. You can also make a sweet version with fruit.

What makes Montasio Italian cheese special?

Other than its taste and its uses in cooking, made in the provinces of Belluno, Padua and Venice, it is actually a lactose free cheese. Many people who are lactose intolerant think that they can’t eat table cheese at all, but that’s not true! During the process of making Montasio, bacteria interact a certain way that rids it of lactose, making it lactose free cheese that is easy for those who are lactose intolerant to digest.