Cheese Database

Bel Paese vs Galbanino

Bel Paese

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-soft
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Italy
Place
Lombardy

Bel Paese is a semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Lombardy, in northern Italy. The name is Italian for beautiful country, a phrase long used for Italy itself. The paste is pale cream to light yellow, smooth, and mild, with a thin rind under a close wrap. Makers aim for a wheel that slices cleanly and melts without a fight. It belongs with gentle table cheeses, not with sharp aged wheels from the mountains.

Galbanino

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Soft
Type
Stretched curd
Rind
Waxed or sealed
Country
Italy

Galbanino is a mild cow's milk cheese from Italy, sold under the Galbani brand. It is a pasta filata cheese, which means the curd is stretched until it becomes smooth and elastic. The taste is sweet and gentle, and the paste is soft enough to slice yet firm enough to hold a shape. A wax coat covers the outside, and that coat is not eaten. The cheese is an everyday kitchen cheese in Italy, not a long-aged wheel from one valley.