Asiago

The first, asiago d’allevo, is a half-fat hard cheese with a smooth crust made from cows’ milk. Quite a compact cheese with holes in the paste, it has a light straw colour and a sweet flavour. The milk for this cheese comes from the cows that graze on the Altopiano di Asiago, the Alpine pastures of Veneto. Formed into rounds with a diameter of about 30-36 cm (12-14 inch), 9-12 cm (4-5 inch) in height and weighing 8-12 kg (18-27 lb), it is one of the region’s most interesting cheeses. It is aged for varying amounts of time: for six months, when it is known as mezzo anello, 12 months, when it is known as vecchio; 18 months, when it is called stravecchio, and finally for 2 years, when it is known as vecchio di montagna. Only mezzo anello is eaten at the table, otherwise the cheese is used for cooking and grating, especially with polenta, pasticciata, raviolini and sopa acquada, amongst other dishes.