It’s a little known fact that over 350 types of bread, originate from across Italy. Bread is a staple of the Italian lifestyle, with most restaurants featuring their own take, using breads like Focaccia and Ciabatta. From thick loaves, and pizza bases, to flatbreads and the humble breadstick. Tuck into five of the best as chosen by Bella Cosa.

1. Focaccia

Out of all the famous breads of Italy, the Focaccia is one of the most loved. Often packed the flavour and seasoning, the Focaccia takes its name from the Latin word for ‘hearth’. The bread is mottled with dips when properly baked, with the original Roman process ensuring it was cooked in the embers of a hearth.

There isn’t much that goes into this popular bread, with strong flour, olive oil and yeast, the keys to achieving the recognisable surface and texture. If you bake this at home, ensure you roll out the bread fairly thickly, then dent the surface to prevent any bubbles during the bake. Finally, focaccia is coated in olive oil, as well as a variety of versatile toppings, such as herbs, garlic and onion.

It’s fairly common for individual regions to put their own stamp on Focaccia. In the town of Recco, they combine the dough with Stracchino cheese before the bread is baked. If you have a sweet tooth, the ultimate combination of sweet and savoury is the focaccia dolce, made with honey, sugar or fruit.

2. Ciabatta

The Ciabatta, is another common type of Italian bread, easy to find on the shelves of your nearest supermarket. The name Ciabatta literally translates into English as ‘slipper’ with the fairly flat shape, looking similar to the cosy type of footwear.

Although its origins are unclear, the unique porous centre and crispy crust, make the perfect partner to Italian classics and dishes with a lot of sauce. and this flat white bread with a porous centre is so named because of its slightly slipper-like shape. Unlike the Roman Focaccia, some stories suggest this bread was created in the 1980s!

3. Coppia Ferrarese

This Italian sourdough, originated with a royal background. In the 16th century, the twisted bread, partially resembling a croissant, was presented to the Duke of Ferrara. It takes a steady hand and patience to ensure the dough is moulded into the correct shape. In 2004, the bread was even given protected status, ensuring that only bread made in the correct region, could be classed as Coppia Ferrarese. As we’ve come learn with Italy, bakers like to experiment. There are a number of variations of Coppia Ferrarese across Ferrara, from changes baking practice to the naming of different parts of the bread.

4. Piadina Romagnola

With over 350 bread types, we had to include a famous flatbread! The Piadina is a very thin type of flatbread, making it ideal for filling or as a wrap. Traditionally, the Piadina was made using a heated terracotta plate but is now more commonly made on metal hot plates.  Originally hailing from Romagna, the bread was held as a valuable staple for the poorest in the area. Now, you can find piadinas in special piadina kiosks, where it’s is filled with meat or cheese.

5. Grissino

The Grissino breadstick, comes with a very interesting backstory. Originally, this type of crispy bread, was first baked in the city of Turin during the 17th century, for a duke who had been made ill from eating germ-ridden bread.

From then on, the success of this small but mighty type of Italian bread was always on the up. Among the many admirers of the breadstick from Turin, was the great French figure of Napoleon Bonaparte. The French general created a courier service from Turin to Paris, to satisfy his love for what he called, ‘les petits bâtons de Turin’

Due to its shape and length, the Grissino can easily be seasoned with oregano or cumin plus can be used to mop up leftover sauce from a meal!

We’re a huge fan of classic Italian dishes and creations at Bella Cosa. Our new Spring menu takes the freshest of ingredients to create well-known dishes and introduces new creations for you to enjoy. Book a table to experience true Italian cuisine.

Italy is a country known for its great variety of cheeses, from the familiar soft cheeses such as mozzarella and harder varieties like Parmesan, as well as some types that you might be less familiar with.

These cheeses all vary quite a lot, both in texture and hardness, as well as in the type of milk used, but most can usually either be eaten on their own or used in cooking.

Here’s a guide to just some of Italy’s most loved cheeses!

 

Mozzarella

One of the better-known types of Italian cheese, mozzarella actually refers to a couple of different types of cheese, but it specifically refers to cheese which has usually been made from Italian buffalo milk and made using a spinning and cutting technique known as ‘pasta filata’.

This white, semi-soft cheese has a high moisture content and is most often used for pizza, lasagna or in a Caprese salad with tomato and basil.

Gorgonzola

This veined, blue cheese comes from unskimmed cow’s milk and is generally split into two varieties: Dolce (which is sweet) and the sharper Piccante (also known as Naturale, Montagna or Mountain).

Gorgonzola is often melted into risotto in the final stages of cooking but it is also popular with short pasta like penne or rigatoni, as opposed to long varieties of pasta such as spaghetti and linguine.

Parmigiano-Reggiano

You may know this cheese better as ‘Parmesan’, which is the name given to the same cheese which has been made outside of a defined area in Northern Italy.

Parmigiano-Reggiano is the real deal, produced in Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and parts of Bologna and Mantua and is known for its flaky texture and rich flavour and it’s also been referred to as the ‘King of Cheeses’!

Pecorino

Pecorino actually refers to a whole family of cheeses, which are all made from sheep’s milk. The best known is pecorino romano, which is a hard, salty cheese, and one of the country’s oldest too.

It is most commonly used grated over pasta, soup and salad as a slightly sharper tasting alternative to Parmesan.

If it’s a table cheese you’re after, pecorino toscano and pecorino sardo are more suitable options.

Mascarpone

You probably know this very rich-tasting cream cheese as one of the key ingredients in tiramisu, which is made by draining the moisture from the cream of cow’s milk through a finely woven cloth.

It’s a milky-white creamy cheese which is easy to spread and as well as being used in tiramisu, is sometimes used in cheesecake, or as a substitute for butter or Parmesan cheese to help thicken and enrich risotto dishes.

Ricotta

Ricotta is a whey cheese which is made from the whey left over from production of various other cheeses (ricotta literally translates to ‘recooked’).

The finished product is creamy white in appearance with a slightly sweet taste, although the exact texture depends on the type of milk used. Ricotta is also highly perishable, but there are ages varieties which last a lot longer.

Taleggio

This cheese is named after the Alpine valley of Val Taleggio in Lombardy where it is produced.

It’s definitely one of the smellier of the Italian cheeses, although it has a surprisingly mild flavour with a fruity tang that you might not be expecting.

Taleggio can be eaten with radicchio or rucola salads, with spices and tomato on bruschetta, or melted into risotto or on polenta.

Stracchino

Also known as crescenza, this rich and creamy cheese and is most comparable to Gorgonzola, although at room temperature it is much softer and more spreadable.

Produced from cow’s milk in the northern parts of Italy, it is usually eaten on its own but is also used as a filling in some breads.

Asiago

The texture of this cow’s milk cheese varies, depending on how long it has been aged, starting out very smooth before ending up with a crumbly texture once it has fully aged.

Crumbly Asiago is often grated into a variety of meals such as salads, soups, pasta and sauces, while the creamy variety is used on paninis and sandwiches.

There are many similar varieties produced around the world in the US, but as a protected product, only that which is produced around the Asiago Plateau can truly be considered Asiago.

Bel Paese

This semi-soft cow’s milk cheese has a mild and buttery taste and is most comparable to mozzarella, although it has come tang and body.

With a pale and creamy yellow colour, Bel Paese is mainly used as a snack or dessert cheese, although it is also melted for use with pizzas and in casseroles too.

Burrata

Burrata refers to sacks of mozzarella which are filled with cream, giving it a unique texture. It’s usually eaten with 24 hours and often served with salad, prosciutto, bread and pasta.

At Bella Cosa, we make sure our menus feature the finest Italian ingredients from across Italy. Our new Spring menu features some of the freshest classics, along with some dishes you may not have tried before! Book a table online or give our friendly team a call!