I was talking to a customer today about Asiago, and this little rant came out of nowhere, so I'm popping it here. This is, after all, the journal for these kinds of things, so here it goes.

If you were to ask me two years ago what I thought about Asiago, I would have told you that I'd never met one that really blew me away and changed the subject to some more interesting cheese. If you were to ask me that question today, chances are that you'd probably get a similar answer. While I find Asiago to be fascinating in the sense that it completely changes it's texture and flavor depending on how old or young it is, and while it's nice when it's called for, I truly have never had one that really made me stop and go, "wow."
That being said, I have a tremendous call for Asiago in the store. We probably go through a wheel each of the Fresco and the grater-friendly, cheddar-y, domestic version, while cutting at least half a wheel a week of the older, more expensive, Stravecchio version. I always coughed it up to the same reason I run through Jarlsberg - name recognition. People know Asiago, they grew up with Asiago, and the stubborn older Italians who frequent my market want what they know. Fair enough, but by the standards of a quality cheese, I always felt that Asiago's reputation proceeded it.

Now, the north of Italy, particularly the Veneto, is dominated by cheese. To say that it's the regional food would be an understatement. These people incorporate cheese into their everyday diet, at every meal, and for every occasion. As you might guess, the cheese that reigns supreme north of Venice is Asiago, hailing from the city of Asiago in Monti-Trentini. Now, if you look into the cheeses of this region, you'll find a lot of Asiago, for sure, but more interesting, if you stop in every city in this region, you'll find a cheese that was modelled after Asiago. Some almost indistinguishable, but some so wonderful you'll wonder what went wrong (or right, as the case may be) in the translation.


Take Crucolo, for instance. This is a raw milk, semi-firm cow's milk cheese from Trenti-Alto Adige, less than an hour north of the village of Asiago. While it has the creamy, buttery, lactic mouth-feel of Asiago, the similarities stop there.
If Asiago were milk, Crucolo would be cottage cheese. It doesn't melt in your mouth the way Asiago does; it hold its shape and is slightly chewy, like a Gruyère or it's western cousin, Fontina. And while the flavor is similar on the attack, Crucolo balances sweet, buttery, creamy, salty, and sharp beautifully; changing flavors the longer it stays on your tongue. As one online source said, "mild enough for kids to enjoy, but interesting enough to keep adults interested."


Or, perhaps, let's take Tavoliere. Produced by the acclaimed Casearia affinatori Carpenedo in Treviso, just about an hour and a half from Asiago, this stands as somewhat of an anomaly for the Carpenedo family. Casearia Carpenedo produce some of the finest, most exotic cheeses you'll ever find, even by Italy's standards. From "barricata" cow and goat's milk cheeses aged in hay and flowers, to "sottocenere" truffle cheeses coated in clove and cinnamon, they're the epitome of "artisan cheeses" if the term's to be used to describe cheeses made into art.
So to make a cheese as seemingly mundane as Tavoliere seems a bit... tame, for these people. But I suppose that just shows the amount of loyalty the people of this region has to its local traditions. Either way, the word "tavoliere" literally means "from the table" (except in Puglia, where it means "table land" and refers to the local landscape.) According to La Casearia, the idea was to make a true table cheese; one you could have on your table at any time, for any reason, and enjoy with every meal. Sounds like Asiago, to me.
But don't let the appearance fool you. This cheese imparts a very delicate flavor, full of subtle undertones that all scream "sweet milk". If Asiago is milk and Crucolo is cottage cheese, then Tavoliere is a buttermilk pancake - maple syrup and all. It melts a little better than Crucolo, but doesn't lose its body. It's heavy on the tongue, thick and rich. Think of Delitia butter mixed with a small amount of caramel, and that about covers it. One of the newest additions to my cheese case, and a joy to come across.

Of course, there are others. In fact, there's probably dozens, if not hundreds. These two are my favorites, without a doubt.
But the two dots I connected in my head today were that if nothing else, cheese appreciation is just that - an appreciation. Do I think that Asiago is boring as hell? Absolutely. But part of the glory of some of the finest cheeses in the world, I think, isn't just their ability to stand on their own, but the ability to have such widespread influence and secure themselves a place in the cheese world through tradition and consistency. If no other cheese in the world has done that, Asiago sure has.

Tags: asiago, crucolo, la casearia affinatori carpenedo, tavoliere

( The cheese displays today, of which there were two. )

In other news, I learned today that the compulsive collecting of cheese labels is called "tyrosemiophilia".

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