Cheese Database

Quartirolo Lombardo vs Stracchino

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.

Stracchino, field guide plate
Stracchino, photographed

Stracchino

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Soft
Type
Fresh
Rind
No rind
Country
Italy

Stracchino is a soft Italian cheese made from cow's milk and sold very young. The paste is pale, moist, and creamy, and most pieces have no real rind. Crescenza is the freshest form of the same family, and shop labels often use the two names for one product. It is a spreading cheese rather than a long-aged wheel. The usual taste is mild, milky, and a little tangy.