Bel Paese vs Port Salut
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.
Port Salut
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Semi-soft
- Type
- Washed rind
- Rind
- Washed rind
- Country
- France
Port Salut is a semi-soft cow's milk cheese from France, sold in small wheels with a smooth orange rind. The paste is pale, supple, and mild, with a light sweetness and a gentle tang. It slices cleanly, and it also softens when it is warmed. The smell can be stronger than the taste, especially after the wheel has been kept, but the flavor stays approachable. French cooking treats it as an everyday cheese, not as a fierce washed-rind challenge for specialists.