How to Serve Asiago Cheese: ​​What Is Asiago Cheese?

Asiago cheese is an Italian cheese that ranges from semi-soft to hard. Its color, texture, and flavor profile are largely dependent on the production and aging processes. Much like Parmigiano Reggiano, asiago made in the Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige regions of Italy receives DOP certification to ensure the highest quality standards are being met. Asiago DOP receives a designation of origin by the Consorzio Tutela Formaggio Asiago, based in Vicenza. There are two main types of asiago: asiago pressato and asiago d'allevo. Depending on how long asiago ages, it has a flavor profile ranging from mild and sweet, to nutty, sharp, and tangy.

Cheesemakers in the provinces of Vicenza and Trento have been producing asiago cheese for more than a thousand years. At the end of the fifteenth century, farmers began to replace their sheep with cattle on the Asiago Plateau. As cow's milk began to become more popular than sheep's milk in the region, cheesemakers began making the savory cheese we’re familiar with today.

Aged asiago and Parmigiano Reggiano are both hard Italian cheeses made from cow's milk. Asiago tends to have a sharper, nuttier flavor compared to the subtle complexities of Parmigiano Reggiano. Though both kinds of cheese are made in Italy, asiago comes from the Veneto and Trentino regions, whereas Parmigiano Reggiano comes from the regions of Modena, Bologna, Reggio Emilia, and Parma. Aged asiago can be grated just like Parmigiano Reggiano and added to soups, salads, and pasta recipes. However, fresh asiago is creamier and more akin to a low-moisture mozzarella than Parmigiano Reggiano.

There are two main types of asiago cheese. The main difference between them lies in the aging process, but those differences extend to the final texture and flavor profile of asiago.

• Asiago pressato: Asiago pressato is also known as asiago fresco, or fresh asiago. Fresh asiago is a cow's milk cheese made from whole milk. A key factor in the overall taste of asiago pressato is that it's made from the milk of cows that graze on the lower grassy plains of the Asiago Plateau. The cow's milk is heated, and enzymes (lipase and rennet) are added to create curds. The curds are then pressed into a mold, wrapped in a wax rind, and left to age for twenty to forty days. Asiago pressato is a semi-soft cheese with a smooth, creamy texture perforated with large holes. It has a mild, sweet flavor.
• Asiago d'allevo: Asiago d'allevo is aged asiago. It is made from a combination of whole milk and skim milk from cows that graze on grasses higher in the Alpine mountains. The milk is heated to create curds, then pressed into round molds, salted, and left to age. There are three different kinds of asiago d'allevo, each specifying a different stage of the aging process. Asiago mezzano is aged for four to six months, asiago vecchio is aged for ten to sixteen months, and asiago stravecchio is aged for fifteen months or more. All asiago d'allevo varieties are considered hard cheeses and have a sweet, nutty flavor. The longer they age, the harder and nuttier they become. Asiago mezzano is the sweetest in this category, while asiago vecchio and asiago stravecchio are progressively more tangy.

Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Gordon Ramsay, Gabriela Cámara, Chef Thomas Keller, Dominique Ansel, Yotam Ottolenghi, Alice Waters, and more.