Mozzarella is the most common cheese found on pizza, but there are several cheeses that can be used instead of mozzarella, or in combination with it, to add a little extra flavor to the finished pie. Many of these come from Italy and are classified as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or di orgine protetta (DOP) cheeses. This means that they can only be produced in certain Italian regions.
Gorgonzola is created with unskimmed cow’s milk. It is an Italian blue cheese with a crumbly texture and a salty flavor that has a hint of sweetness. This cheese has more of a bite to it than other cheeses used on pizza. It is produced in Lombardy and Piedmont of Northern Italy, and it is aged three to four months. It is often found on four cheese pizzas.
Feta is a brined curd cheese that comes from the Eastern Mediterranean Basin. It is crumbly in texture with a slightly grainier feel. Its flavor is saltier than other cheeses with a hint of sweetness. It works well with olive oil and combines with oregano nicely making it ideal for pizza. It may be used alone or mixed with a mozzarella. It is made from a combination of sheep’s and goat’s milk in Greece.
Provolone can also be called Aged Provolone in The United States. It is a semi hard Italian cheese. The taste varies with aging. When aged for a short amount of time, it has a creamy texture and a mild sweet taste. Longer aging produces a dry texture with a piquant flavor. When mixed with mozzarella, it adds extra flavor to a pizza. The deli version of Provolone found within The United States is much more similar to a mozzarella than a true Italian Provolone.
Parmigiano Reggiano is a cheese that comes from Parma, Italy. It is aged 12 to 36 months, and it is distinctly different from Parmesan which is aged only nine months and comes from cows that eat more than just hay and grass. Parmigiano Reggiano has a nutty taste with a hard and crumbly texture. It works well on its own for pizza. It is created under strict guidelines as to how the cows are raised. It also has less salt than American Parmessian, and it is rated both PDO and DOP.
Pecorina Romano is PDO and DOP certified. This cheese comes from Tuscany. It is aged for at least eight months, and it is made from sheep’s milk. Because of the use of sheep’s milk and the aging process used, this cheese has a very unique piquant taste. The basic United States Romano is much blander and made from cow’s milk. Using a true Pecorina Romano on a pizza will give it much more flavor than the American Romano or mozzarella on its own.