Stracchino is a soft, fresh Italian cow’s milk cheese, typical of Lombardy, with no rind and a mild, slightly tangy flavor.

• Milk: cow’s, usually pasteurized
• Region: Lombardy, also made in Piedmont, Veneto and Liguria
• Also called: Crescenza
• Style: fresh, no rind, eaten young
• Shape: usually square

Where the name comes from

Stracchino comes from stracca, the Lombard word for “tired.” The story goes that cows driven up and down the Alps between seasonal pastures came home tired, and that their milk was richer and more acidic, which gave the cheese its character. It’s a traditional tale, not documented history, but it’s a good one. (It’s also the story behind Gorgonzola, which was originally called stracchino di Gorgonzola.)

How to eat it

It’s soft and spreadable, so it’s lovely simply on good bread. In Italy it’s also used as a filling: in a piadina flatbread in Romagna, and in the cheese-filled focaccia of Recco on the Ligurian coast. It’s also good on pizza or stirred into risotto.

Wrapping up

Stracchino is one of the gentlest, creamiest fresh cheeses there is. If you like it, you may also be interested in how it compares to its cousins, in the difference between ricotta, mascarpone, cottage cheese and cream cheese.