Cheese Database

Bel Paese vs Quartirolo Lombardo

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.

Quartirolo Lombardo

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Soft
Type
Fresh
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Italy
Place
Lombardy
Status
PDO

Quartirolo Lombardo is a soft cow's milk cheese from Italy, and the name points to Lombardy. The name is protected. Makers use whole milk, or milk that has been partly skimmed, and they sell it as a table cheese rather than a hard wheel for grating. A young piece is pale, mild, and slightly sour. With more ripening the paste turns more aromatic, a little tighter, and more ready to melt when it is warmed.