Taleggio cheese
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Taleggio ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}) (Talegg in Lombard language) is a semisoft washed-rind smear-ripened Italian cheese named after Val Taleggio, Italy. The cheese has a thin, edible crust and a strong aroma, but its flavour is comparatively mild with an unusual fruity tang. The rind is a pinkish-brown, and the interior is creamy and pale yellow.<ref name="BBC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It has a protected designation of origin so that only such cheese produced in the Lombardy or Piedmont regions of Italy may be designated as Taleggio.<ref name="BBC" />
History
Taleggio and similar cheeses have been around since Roman times, with Cicero, Cato the Elder, and Pliny the Elder all mentioning it in their writings. The cheese was solely produced in the Val Taleggio until the late 1800s, when some production moved to the Lombardy plain to the south.<ref name=McCalman>Template:Cite book</ref> After 1992, cheesemakers in Val Taleggio attempted to rename the cheese they produced as Taleggio del Val Taleggio ("Taleggio of Val Taleggio") to distinguish it from the more widely produced versions from nearby areas, but abandoned the attempt when they received legal caution against it, as the cheese already had a protected designation of origin.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp
Production
The production takes place every autumn and winter. First, acidified milk is mixed with rennet taken from milk calves. The cheese is formed into square blocks<ref name="BBC" /> and set on wood shelves in chambers, sometimes in caves as per tradition, and matures within six to ten weeks. It is washed once a week with a seawater sponge to prevent mould growth and to form an orange or rose crust. This smear-washing makes the cheese susceptible to contamination.<ref name="Ryser">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp Listeria developing on Taleggio is typically considered to be a post-manufacturing contamination, as the surface microflora are inhibitory to its development.<ref name="Ryser" />Template:Rp The ripening cheese has been traditionally stored in caves near Valsassina, in which gentle breezes within spread the moulds growing in its rind.<ref name="Harbutt">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp
Each square block is imprinted with a four-leaf brand representing the Consorzio Tutela Taleggio.<ref name="Harbutt" />Template:Rp
Nutritional information
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| Fat content | 48% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nutritional values (per Template:Convert) |
energy | Template:Convert<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| protein | 19 g | ||
| fat | 26 g | ||
| calcium | 460 mg | ||
| phosphorus | 360 mg | ||
| magnesium | 22 mg | ||
| vitamin A | 450 mg | ||
| vitamin B2 | 280 mg | ||
| vitamin B6 | 131 mg | ||
| vitamin E | 4450 mg | ||
| Dimensions | Template:Convert square, height: Template:Convert | ||
| Weight | Template:Convert | ||