🧀 Asiago

Asiago is an Italian semi-cooked cow's milk cheese from the Asiago plateau and nearby parts of Veneto and Trentino. One name covers two very different cheeses: the young, delicate Fresco and the aged, more pronounced Stagionato. The name has been protected in the EU as a PDO since 1996. ¹³

The plateau and the war. According to the single document, cheese has been made on the Asiago plateau since the year 1000. The area grew for a grim reason: during the First World War farmers were forced off the plateau and found suitable land within about 80 km. That is why Asiago today is made in the mountains, the foothills and the plain. ³

Two types, two methods. Fresco uses whole milk, raw, thermised or pasteurised, while Stagionato uses milk partly skimmed by surface skimming, raw or thermised only. Skimming explains the difference in fat: at least 34 % in dry matter against 44 % for Fresco. A Fresco wheel weighs 11–15 kg and a Stagionato 8–12 kg. ³

How long it ripens. Stagionato ages at least 90 days. The label may say mezzano (4–10 months), vecchio (10–15) or stravecchio (over 15), and the taste moves from mild and slightly savoury to more and more fragrant. Fresco ripens far less, and after more than 40 days it may be called riserva. The old names Allevo and Pressato remain allowed beside the new ones, which were meant to be clearer to shoppers. ³⁶

Mountain and plain give different milk. Despite the single name, studies can tell production systems apart by feed: pasture cheese has more conjugated linoleic acid and vitamin A than lowland cheese from maize silage. A survey of 517 farms found that small traditional mountain farms, with local breeds and their own forage, also help preserve the landscape. ⁴⁵

Prodotto della montagna. This extra mention marks mountain cheeses under separate rules: their milk is collected within 48 hours of the first milking rather than 36, and may be kept at natural temperatures. So this line on the label says more than the name Asiago alone. ³

Asiago or Asiago? The real question is which one. Fresco and Stagionato share a PDO name but differ in method: Fresco uses whole milk, raw, thermised or pasteurised, while Stagionato uses milk partly skimmed by surface skimming, raw or thermised only, and ages at least 90 days. Mountain and lowland versions also differ, since pasture cheese has more conjugated linoleic acid and vitamin A than cheese from maize silage. So “asiago” on a pack tells you little until you read the type, the age word and any “prodotto della montagna” line.

Look for the name Asiago with the EU PDO symbol (protected designation of origin) and the type: Fresco or Stagionato, with the older names Pressato and Allevo still allowed. On the side are stamped Asiago marks, and aged cheese carries a letter for the production month. Age words are mezzano, vecchio and stravecchio; mountain cheese adds “prodotto della montagna”. You will meet it as wedges or slices at a supermarket cheese counter or a delicatessen.

Why it matters to you. Choose the type first: Fresco for a delicate cheese, Stagionato for more flavour. Look on the side for the stamped Asiago marks, and on aged cheese for the letter of the production month, which tells you its age. Want mountain cheese? Look for “prodotto della montagna”. ³