What is Fontal cheese
Gabriel Cooper
Updated on April 13, 2026
Fontal Cheese is an Italian semi-hard cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk. It comes from the Aosta Valley and is made exclusively with milk from alpine cows. Its dough is pale yellow, elastic, soft and has a few small holes. … Fontal Cheese is similar to Fontina, but it is made from raw cow’s milk.
What kind of cheese is Fontal?
Made from pasteurized cow’s milk, Fontal started as a take on the Fontina cheese, but developed a character of it’s own in the process. Pale and semi-firm, with a rich pate and a nutty taste with sweet notes and a tangy aftertaste. This Italian Fontal cheese is great for melting – which also brings out new flavors.
What do you use Fontal cheese for?
Fontina is a wonderful cheese to use in addition to mozzarella on a pizza. It’s smooth texture and tangy flavor make a delicious topping for any gratin, and this creamy cheese also melts nicely into soups, chowders, pasta or sauces.
Is Fontal cheese strong?
Fontina is a cheese that is semisoft to hard in texture and mild to medium-sharp in flavor. It has a milk fat content around 45%. The characteristic flavor of Fontina is mild but distinctively nutty and savoury.What can I substitute for Fontina cheese?
It’s a cheese well worth exploring if you haven’t already, but if you don’t have any on hand or have difficulty finding it, Gruyère, provolone, Gouda, or Emmental are all perfectly fine substitutes in most any recipe calling for fontina.
Can you eat the rind of Fontal cheese?
So long as the cheese coating in question was not made by man alone (like the red wax on Gouda) the rind is safe to eat. Depending on your palate, you may find that a little rind complements the cheese and enhances its flavor. You may also find it too strong, bitter, moldy or textually unpleasant.
Is Fontal cheese soft?
Soft, mild & creamy, Fontal belongs to the Fontina-style family but is set apart by its versatility making it a great cheese to keep stocked in your fridge. The flavor is fuller than a Dutch Fontina with a smoother texture.
What cheeses are like pecorino?
- Parmesan.
- OR – Asiago cheese.
- OR – Spanish Manchego.
What cheeses are like Asiago?
- Parmesan cheese has a nice strong flavor but less salt than Asiago. It’s easy to find in your local store so it makes it our first choice substitute.
- OR – Pecorino Romano would work very well too. …
- OR – Dry Jack has a similar texture but the flavor is more subtle.
The unmistakable creaminess, the melting elasticity, the aroma of grass and a bitter aftertaste are the strengths of one of the most beloved and copied Italian cheeses: Fontina Valdostana DOP.
Article first time published onHow long does Fontal cheese last?
When properly stored, opened Fontina can be kept for up to 10 days. To freeze Fontina, make sure it is well sealed in a plastic bag or plastic wrap. Keep the cheese in the refrigerator overnight to defrost.
What's similar to Gruyere cheese?
You can substitute Emmental, Jarlsberg, or Raclette cheese for Gruyère in quiche. Any of these Swiss cheeses will be ideal, as they give off very similar flavor profiles to Gruyère. It will also depend on the quiche recipe that you’re trying to follow.
What is the difference between Fontina and Gruyere cheese?
Flavor. Both gruyere and fontina have a buttery, nutty taste with earthy undertones. The main difference between the two is that gruyere has a more pungent flavor compared to fontina; a distinction particularly evident in aged gruyere.
Can you substitute fontina for mozzarella?
While mozzarella may not be the first choice for replacing fontina, it can certainly do in a pinch. There are also mozzarella variants that are made from cow’s milk and sheep’s milk. These have a much more crumbly texture and do not stretch as well as traditional buffalo milk mozzarella.
Can I substitute fontina for Gruyere?
While you can substitute Gruyere with other types of own cheeses, you can opt for the combination of Fontina and Parmesan. The Parmesan has the zip and consistency, while the Fontina has the rich flavor that makes it a creamy substitute. It’s best to use equal parts of it.
What is a good substitute for Montasio cheese?
Montasio can be hard to find in stores, although you can order it online. Otherwise, you can substitute another mildly flavored semi-hard Alpine cheese like Emmenthal or gruyère or a young Asiago, or perhaps a Fontal. Any meltable cheese that you like, really, will produce something delicious.
Is Fontina a good melting cheese?
Fontina, an Italian Alpine cheese, is sweet, supple, and mild, making it not only the perfect table cheese and pantry staple, but an ideal cheese to melt down for any recipe.
What happens if you eat the wax on Babybel cheese?
The wax we use to coat our products is made of a blend of paraffin and microcrystalline waxes and colouring, which specifically contains no Bisphenol A. It’s “food safe” and meets very strict regulatory standards. It poses no health risk if accidentally ingested.
Why do washed rind cheeses smell?
The smell is caused by the bacterium producing sulphur-compounds as it grows. flavours as soon as the cheese is in the mouth. The edible rind is a key contributor to the flavour of washed-rind cheeses, and often contributes powerfully, so it’s important to taste the rind to make your own judgement.
How do you eat aged Gouda cheese?
They’re best on sandwiches or crackers. The older Gouda cheeses become harder, stronger, and darker, taking on a buttery and nutty flavor. The deep flavor of the older Gouda makes it great for cooking (like in some Gouda mac n’ cheese), with crusty bread, or with wine.
Is Asiago similar to Romano?
Summary Asiago has a sharper, nuttier flavor than that of Romano but is less tangy. While it grates well, it’s slightly softer and can be enjoyed on foods or by itself. In recipes, grated Asiago can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio.
What's the difference between Asiago and Romano cheese?
Romano cheese is actually made from unpasteurized sheep’s milk rather than cow’s milk which gives it a sharper flavor than Asiago or Parmesan cheeses. … Romano cheese is often blended with Parmesan and or Asiago cheeses to create a more mellow taste.
Are Parmesan and Asiago similar?
The nutty flavor of asiago gives it a similar texture to parmesan, so asiago cheese can preferably be used as a substitute for parmesan cheese. Both parmesan and asiago are made up of cow’s milk so that the fat content significantly remains the same as that of parmesan.
Can I substitute Parmesan for pecorino cheese?
THE BOTTOM LINE: You can substitute Pecorino Romano for Parmesan, but use one-third less than the recipe calls for to keep the salt level and flavor in line.
What is the difference between pecorino and Parmesan cheese?
Parmesan is made from cow’s milk. It has a hard, brittle rind and grates easily. … Pecorino is made from sheep’s milk (pecora means “ewe” in Italian). It’s younger than Parmesan, aging only five to eight months, and the shorter process yields a strong, tangy flavor.
Does pecorino cheese taste like parmesan?
Pecorino cheese is typically white and has a brown or black rind. And of course, the sheep’s milk makes it taste very different from parmesan: while the latter is fruity and nutty, pecorino cheese has a spicier, stronger flavor.
What is Fontina cheese taste like?
What does Fontina cheese taste like? Fontina cheese has a nutty, mild, milky flavor as well as having a rich fruity and herbacious aroma. It is a hard type of cheese but with smooth texture. Thou hard, the cheese easily melts when heated to the right temperature.
Is Fontina cheese good on pizza?
Ranging from semisoft to semihard, this smooth cheese has a mild, buttery and slightly nutty flavor. Fontina is an excellent choice for pasta dishes and pizza.
Is Fontina cheese like Parmesan?
As you might have guessed, fontina cheese also has PDO status just like Parmesan. It also has a Consorzio stamp with the scripture Fontina, proving the quality the cheese. Originally, fontina cheese comes from Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps.
Can you get food poisoning from expired cheese?
“If you do eat a food past the expiration date [and the food] is spoiled, you could develop symptoms of food poisoning,” said registered dietitian nutritionist Summer Yule, MS. The symptoms of foodborne illness can include fever, chills, stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
Can you cut mold off fontina cheese?
So you can cut away the moldy part and eat the rest of the cheese. Cut off at least 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) around and below the moldy spot. Be sure to keep the knife out of the mold, so it doesn’t contaminate other parts of the cheese. Of course, not all molds pose a risk.