From Tyrol to Puglia, passing through the Lombardy territories, the Piedmontese mountains and the Sardinian tradition: the best high quality Italian cheeses will be present in Cremona from 12 to 14 April for "Formaggi & Sorrisi, Cheese & Friends Festival", the event, dedicated to the best of dairy products from all over Italy, which offers visitors a journey along the entire peninsula in the name of the excellence of Made in Italy.
According to the data of TasteAtlas, the authoritative online food atlas, our country surpasses France in the variety of cheeses: 487, almost double those from beyond the Alps. Not only that: according to the same magazine, at the top of its 2023 ranking out of the top ten cheeses, the top eight are Italian.
In the ATLAS ranking of the top ten cheeses, the top eight are Italian. And in terms of variety, Italy far beats France
The intent of the Festival is precisely to collect the widest possible selection of Italian cheeses representative of disparate places of origin, telling their history and traditions. Visitors will have the opportunity to taste the "hosts" Grana Padano and Provolone Valpadana DOP in their different, surprising nuances; or, still remaining in the Lombardy region, Gorgonzola and Salva Cremasco DOP (the latter consumed in Lombardy since 1600), or cheeses with buffalo milk also produced in northern Italy, up to the most sought after ones such as the typical products of Amatrice (provola, pecorino, goat cheese, caciocavallo, truffle cheeses, rum and tobacco).
A journey of taste across the peninsula from mountain cheeses to traditional historic Sicilian cheeses
Tuscany and Sardinia, regions particularly suited to the production of dairy products derived from sheep and goat's milk, will be interpreted at the table by a selected choice of typical dairy products. The mountain pasture cheeses will lead the tasters to high altitudes, where the animals graze on uncontaminated meadows which give products such as Asiago (Veneto), Montasio (Friuli), Bitto and Casera (Sondrio and Val Brembana) – just to name a few – typical hints of fermented vegetables or slightly fruity and with a bitter taste. The small region of Val D'Aosta will show itself by demonstrating how it is rich in differentiated productions: in addition to Fontina DOP and Vallee d'Aoste Fromadzo DOP one cannot fail to mention the Toma di Gressoney or Reblec de crama. Piedmont will show itself represented by delicacies such as Castelmagno, Raschera, Murazzano. The south will make its contribution with the Sicilians as the Ragusano DOP, the ancient Canestrato, the Provola dei Nebrodi DOP. The Caciocavallo Silano DOP and the now international and widely used in all recipes around the world are unmissable Burrata di Andria PGI and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO.
Taste journeys, pairings with compotes, mustards, sweet and sour sauces and show cooking with starred chefs
The territories of Italy will not only be interpreted at the table by cheeses. The edition will be enriched by interesting tasting journeys: the stands will offer delicacies that can be combined with cow and sheep products, mustards, compotes, sweet and sour sauces and successful pairings with craft beers which, due to their organoleptic characteristics, go very well with cheeses.
The journey through flavors is enriched with a stop at Villaggio della Mostarda, set up in the heart of the event in Piazza Roma, in which artisanal producers will show off their best creations to seal the sensorial union that has always linked mustard and cheese on the table. Each cheese will be a sensorial journey through the landscapes, traditions and food and wine excellences of our country.
The rich schedule of this renewed edition includes show-cooking with starred chefs, tasting sessions with wine and beer, a competition between farms producing selected cheeses for their particularities that make them unique, traveling music and shows that will involve the public. Information on www.formaggiesorrisi.it
