Cheese

Italy is the country with the highest variety of cheeses in the world, with over 2500 traditional varieties, among which are about 500 commercially recognised cheeses and more than 300 kinds of cheese with protected designation of origin (PDO, PGI and PAT).

Fifty-two of them are protected at a European level. In terms of raw production volume, Italy is the third largest cheese producer in the European Union. Lombardy is the first Italian region for number of protected cheeses, with 77 varieties including Granone Lodigiano, ancestor of all Italian granular cheeses such as Grana Padano and Parmigiano-Reggiano, Mascarpone, and the well-known Gorgonzola blue cheese.

Italian cheeses Mozzarella and Ricotta are some of the most popular cheeses worldwide.

See List of Italian DOP cheeses for a list of those Italian cheeses which have Protected Designation of Origin under EU law, together with their areas of origin.