# Fontina > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fontina > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fontina.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontina > Source revision: 1355762650 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Italian cheese}} {{Infobox cheese | name = Fontina | image = Fontina DOP.jpg | othernames = | country = [Italy](/source/Italy) | regiontown = | region = [Aosta Valley](/source/Aosta_Valley) | town = | source = [Cows](/source/Cattle) | pasteurized = No | texture = [Semi-soft](/source/Semi-soft_cheese) | fat = 45% | protein = | dimensions = | weight = | aging = | certification = [EU](/source/European_Union): [PDO](/source/protected_designation_of_origin) 1996 }} '''Fontina''' ([French](/source/French_language): ''fontine'')[http://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/fontine/34529 Dictionnaire Larousse] is a cow's milk [cheese](/source/cheese), first produced in [Italy](/source/Italy). Over time, production of fontina has spread worldwide, including to the [United States](/source/United_States), [Denmark](/source/Denmark), [Sweden](/source/Sweden), [Canada](/source/Canada), [France](/source/France), and [Argentina](/source/Argentina).{{Cite web|title=Fontina|url=https://www.belgioioso.com/Products/Fontina|access-date=2020-12-28|website=www.belgioioso.com}}{{Cite book|last=Heimowitz|first=Colette|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pD7Ef21-TSIC&pg=PA180|title=The New Atkins for a New You Breakfast and Brunch Dishes|date=2012-03-13|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-4516-8972-3|language=en}} ==Description== Fontina is a cheese that is semisoft to hard in texture and mild to medium-sharp in flavor. It has a [milk fat](/source/Butterfat) content around 45%. The characteristic flavor of fontina is creamy and mild but distinctively savoury and nutty, the nuttiness increasing with aging. Fontinas from [Sweden](/source/Sweden), [Denmark](/source/Denmark), and the [United States](/source/United_States) have milder flavor, softer texture, and more holes than those of Italy. Fontina cheese has been made in the [Aosta Valley](/source/Aosta_Valley), in the [Alps](/source/Alps), since the 12th century. Fontina produced in the EU can be identified by a consortium stamp of the [Matterhorn](/source/Matterhorn) including the script "FONTINA".{{Cite web|title=Definition of Fontina|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fontina|access-date=2020-12-28|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Fontina {{!}} cheese|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fontina|access-date=2020-12-28|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}} As with many other varieties, the name "fontina" has derivatives such as "fontinella", "fontal", and "fontella".{{cite book|last1=Ehlers|first1=Steve|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1WuifJuVavEC&pg=PA66|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cheeses of the World|last2=Hurt|first2=Jeanette|date=1 April 2008|publisher=DK Publishing|isbn=978-1-4406-3618-9|page=66}} Although the version from the Aosta Valley is the original and the most famous,[http://www.cheese.com/fontina-val-daosta/ Cheese.com] a derivative production occurs in other parts of [Italy](/source/Italy), as well as in Denmark, Sweden, [Quebec](/source/Quebec), [France](/source/France), [Argentina](/source/Argentina), and the United States.{{cite book|last=Heimowitz|first=Colette|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pD7Ef21-TSIC&pg=PA180|title=The New Atkins for a New You Breakfast and Brunch Dishes|date=13 March 2012|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-4516-8972-3|page=180}} Fontina produced in the Aosta Valley has a [protected designation of origin](/source/protected_designation_of_origin), with regulations that it must be made from unpasteurized milk from a single milking, with two batches being made per day.Rubino, R.; Sardo, P.; Surrusca, A. (eds.). ''Italian Cheese: 293 Traditional Types''. {{ISBN|88-8499-111-0}}. [[File:Fifteenth-century food vendor (fresco from Castello di Issogne).jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|A 1480 fresco from the [Issogne Castle](/source/Issogne_Castle): the forms of cheese on the right are thought to be the earliest depiction of fontina.]] Aostan fontina has a natural rind due to aging, which is usually tan to orange-brown.[http://www.fontinacoop.it/eng/storia.asp 'The history'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725163819/http://www.fontinacoop.it/eng/storia.asp |date=2014-07-25 }}, Cooperativa Produttori Latte e Fontina (2006).[http://www.cheese.com/fontina-val-daosta/ Fontina] on Cheese.com The interior of the cheese is pale cream in color and riddled with holes known as "[eyes](/source/Eyes_(cheese))".{{cite web|url=http://www.cheese.com/fontina-val-daosta/ |title=Fontina Val d'Aosta |publisher=Cheese.com |access-date=11 April 2016}} It is noted for its earthy, mushroomy, and woody taste, and pairs exceptionally well with roast meats and truffles.{{Cite web |url=http://www.artisanalcheese.com/prodinfo.asp?number=10226 |title=Artisanal Premium Cheese |access-date=2010-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808061040/http://www.artisanalcheese.com/prodinfo.asp?number=10226 |archive-date=2010-08-08 |url-status=dead }} ==Recipes== Young fontina has a softer texture and can be suitable for [fondue](/source/fondue). ''Fonduta alla valdostana'' (in Italian) or ''Fondue à la valdôtaine''See [http://travelwithfranco.blogspot.it/2012/12/gressoney-la-trinite-val-daosta-italy.html 1] and [http://www.theflintstones.it/public/phpbb3/upload_doc/saveur_en_musique.pdf 2]. (in French) is a traditional dish of fontina whipped with milk, [eggs](/source/Eggs_as_food), and [truffle](/source/truffle)s. Mature fontina is a [hard cheese](/source/hard_cheese), and still melts well. A good pairing is [Nebbiolo](/source/Nebbiolo), a red wine with flavors of wild cherry and truffles. ==Generic nature of fontina== In 1986, the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled that "fontina" was the [generic name](/source/generic_product) of a type of cheese "rather than a certification mark indicating regional origin, in view of the fact that non-certified producers outside that region use the term to identify non-certified cheeses". Today, fontina is produced in countries around the world, including the United States, Denmark, Sweden, Quebec, France, and Argentina.{{Cite book|last=Heimowitz|first=Colette|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pD7Ef21-TSIC&pg=PA180|title=The New Atkins for a New You Breakfast and Brunch Dishes|date=2012-03-13|publisher=[Simon & Schuster](/source/Simon_%26_Schuster)|isbn=978-1-4516-8972-3|language=en}} ==See also== {{Portal|Italy|Food}} * [List of Italian cheeses](/source/List_of_Italian_cheeses) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150402030537/http://www.consorzioproduttorifontina.it/en/ The Milk and Fontina Producers Co-Operative] {{in lang|it|fr|en}} {{Italian cheeses}} Category:Italian cheeses Category:Cow's-milk cheeses Category:Italian products with protected designation of origin Category:Cuisine of Aosta Valley Category:Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union Category:Washed-rind cheeses Category:Cheese with eyes Category:Arpitan cheeses --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fontina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontina) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontina?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.