page_title: Asiago cheese
section_title: Asiago d'Allevo
hierarchical_section_title: Asiago cheese / Varieties and production / Asiago d'Allevo
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Fromage asagio allevo au lait de vache, originaire du nord-est de l'Italie.
context_page_description: Asiago is an Italian cow's milk cheese that can assume different textures, according to its aging, from smooth for the fresh Asiago to a crumbly texture for the aged cheese. The aged cheese is often grated in salads, soups, pastas, and sauces while the fresh Asiago is sliced to prepare panini or sandwiches; it can also be melted on a variety of dishes.
  As Asiago has a protected designation of origin, the only "authentic" Asiago is produced around the alpine area of the Asiago Plateau, in the regions of Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige. Asiago cheese is one of the most typical products of the Veneto region. It was, and still is, the most popular and widely used cheese in the DOP area where it is produced. The production area is strictly defined: It starts from the meadows of the Po Valley and finishes in the Alpine pastures between the Asiago Plateau and the Trentino's highlands. The officially designated area where the milk is collected and Asiago DOP cheese is produced extends to four provinces in the north-east of Italy: the entire area of Vicenza and Trento and part of the provinces of Padua and Treviso.
context_section_description: This type is produced by using a mixture of whole milk and skimmed milk. First the raw milk is heated at about 35 °C (95 °F) and rennet and enzymes are added as a liquid solution to make it coagulate. The batter obtained is then kneaded and partially cooked: the curd is broken into many small parts (of the size of a grain of rice). At this stage there are two other firings: to 40 and 47 °C (104 and 117 °F). The paste is removed from the heat, stirred with a large whisk and then the curd is extracted and placed in molds lined with cheese cloth for forming. It is divided up and left to rest for a couple of hours on a draining table and then the cheese is turned several times. The pre-salting stage then takes place where the last whey is removed and the DOP logo is impressed onto the side. This process takes a couple of days (at least 48 hours) and during this time the wheels are turned several times. The cheese is then salted in one of two ways: by spreading salt over the surface of the cheese or by soaking it in brine. The last step is the ageing process which lasts at least 60 days and must take place within the area of origin in warehouses where the storage temperature and relative humidity are meticulously controlled (optimal values are 10–15 °C (50–59 °F) and 80-85%).
  According to the duration of the ageing the Asiago d'Allevo is divided :
  Asiago Mezzano (middle Asiago): 3 to 8 months aging; compact paste, straw-colored and sweetish taste.
  Asiago Vecchio (old Asiago): 9 to 18 months aging; hard paste, straw colored and bitter taste.
  Asiago Stravecchio (very-old Asiago): more than 18 months of aging; very hard and grainy paste, amber-colored with a bitter and spicy taste.
caption: Asiago d'Allevo.
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