Bel Paese vs Saint-Paulin
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.
Saint-Paulin
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Semi-soft
- Type
- Washed rind
- Rind
- Washed rind
- Country
- France
Saint-Paulin is a mild semi-soft cheese from France, made from cow's milk and sold in small rounds. The paste is pale, smooth, and supple enough to slice, with a buttery taste and little sharpness. The rind is thin and orange to yellow, and it is edible, though some people trim it. The cheese is pressed, then salted, and it is ready without a long age. It is a table cheese more than a grating cheese, and Port-Salut is the close cousin most shoppers already know.