Fontina cheese equivalents

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No need to go to a specialty deli or scour the Italian Alps. It comes from the Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps. People love it for its earthy and robust flavor. It goes by several other names, including fontal , fontella , and fontinella. Fontina is available year-round, but experts will tell you summer and autumn are when Fontina shines.

Fontina cheese equivalents

At the feet of the Alps, in the Italian Aosta valley, lie the lush meadows upon which red-pied Valdostana cows provide the milk needed to produce Fontina. Incredibly rich and creamy, the flavors of this cheese are sweet and pungent, unveiling tones of butter and roasted nuts as it lingers on your palate. Traditionally made from unpasteurized milk, the texture is semi-hard, smooth and adorned with small holes in the body. Surrounding the grasslands of the Aosta valley, caves and crevices in the mountains provide the perfect low temperatures for aging, giving Fontina its dense and open interior. The cheese absorbs the naturally filtered moisture from the caverns, providing the distinct aromas and nuances unique to Fontina. Not just limited to Italy, Danish and Swedish versions of Fontina are characterized by their waxed rinds and sweet savory flavor. To produce a perfect wheel of Fontina, artisans rely on their expertise and skill to work in symbioses with the mountains of Valle d'Aosta. Milk is delivered directly from the pasture to the creamery, where large copper cauldrons are filled and heated. Enzymes and calf rennet are added to promote coagulation of the milk, resulting in the formation of curd. When firm, it is then separated and drained through a cheesecloth, before being placed in wheel-shaped molds. After it has brined for two months, the wheel is ready for aging in the caverns of Valle d'Aosta. A process of pure artisanship, workers tend to the cheeses by turning, brushing and salting them every other day. After three months maturing in the humid grottos, the cheese is officially labelled Fontina. In most cases, no artificial preservatives of any kind go into producing Fontina, and it is gluten free.

But it can still harmoniously blend into pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and baked dishes.

Do you want to replace it with a vegan version? Would you like to use another type of cheese instead? Here are some great fontina substitutes to try! While fontina cheese can be made in various other regions, the original fontina is recognized as the one in the Valley of Aosta. This type of cheese is made from raw milk. With a semi-soft texture, fontina has been produced since the 12th century.

Fontina cheese is a cow's milk cheese that originated in Italy and is traditionally made from unpasteurized milk from cows in the Aosta Valley, an Alpine region in northwest Italy. Fontina cheese is made from whole cow's milk and has a fat content of around 45 percent. It has a creamy light yellow color with numerous small holes, known as "eyes. Younger Fontina is used as a table cheese while older Fontina is used for grating. In the U. Traditional Fontina has a thin, pale orange rind, while so-called Swedish-style Fontinas are packaged in a coating of red wax. Fontina made in the E. These authentic Fontinas are identified by a consortium label featuring an image of the Matterhorn, along with the word "Fontina. Fontina cheese is made by heating cow's milk to 97 F in stainless steel or copper vats, and then adding live cultures and calf's rennet to form curds. After resting, the mixture is cooked to a higher temperature about to F.

Fontina cheese equivalents

Learn more. The best substitutes for fontina are other mild cheeses that melt well like Havarti, Gouda, Provolone, or Emmental. All these cheeses are creamy with fruity or nutty notes. Only the closest cheese made it onto this list. Fontina cheese originates from the Aosta Valley in Italy. Fontina is also renowned for its excellent melting properties. Here are the substitutes I tested and my verdicts:. Havarti, a Danish cheese, is renowned for its buttery aroma and slightly tangy taste. I found it was a bit sweeter than Fontina, but nothing drastic. Havarti melts just as well as Fontina too.

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You might even find you like it at room temperature with a cheese board and crackers. Just know that the flavor will be rather different since Mozzarella lacks the distinct nutty flavor of Fontina. I guess you could use the advice you posted, but I don't know that I'd go to all the trouble myself. Edam can work well with select hot dishes, too, such as pasta and even crepes. It can also be sourced from several countries. Just note that it will become quite fluid when melted, so be careful when serving it. Now, it has a bolder taste than Fontina. Another Italian cheese, taleggio, can work just fine as a fontina replacement. While fontina cheese is versatile, it can also be easily substituted with plenty of other cheeses you might have on hand that are similar in taste and texture. After it has brined for two months, the wheel is ready for aging in the caverns of Valle d'Aosta. While Fontina has a nutty and earthy aftertaste, Mozzarella offers a cleaner, subtle tart finish. Though it melts well, Gruyere is not the best alternative for something like fondue — even though it can be used to make cheese sauce.

With origins that can be traced back to 12th century Italy, Fontina is a special type of cheese. For this reason, derivatives of Fontina or other versions now also exist in the following forms:. These are variations of cheeses from the original authentic Fontina cheese.

That's because Fontina is made like most cheeses. Most versions of Fontina are made without additives, making them suitable for those who are gluten intolerant. Another substitute for young Fontina is Edam, which is a very mild, semi-hard cheese from the Netherlands. Can I substitute mozzarella for fontina cheese? Mozzarella cheese often comes in perfectly smooth round balls of varying sizes, as well as in pre-sliced logs, or shredded. One of the best alternatives for fontina — Emmental — is nutty, and pungent. Made from raw, unpasteurized milk, this cheese is rich, dense in terms of flavor, and has a nutty, buttery, earthy aroma, just like fontina. Provolone Shutterstock. Its taste is rather mild, just like fontina. Bel Paese; Phtoo credit: Pinterest. Just as Emmental cheese has a distinct odor, Gouda has a distinct flavor — especially if it has been smoked. Parm is a fantastic topping for pasta dishes, salads, and baked goods. To produce a perfect wheel of Fontina, artisans rely on their expertise and skill to work in symbioses with the mountains of Valle d'Aosta. Incredibly rich and creamy, the flavors of this cheese are sweet and pungent, unveiling tones of butter and roasted nuts as it lingers on your palate.