Montasio

Named after a striking Jôf di Montasio in the Julian Alps, Montasio has been made since the Middle Ages and is the king of cheeses in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. A cooked curd cheese made only with raw cow's milk from dairy farms in the Julian Alps and Carni—and in the mountains of the Veneto, it is naturally practically lactose free.

It is either salted in a brine bath or dry-salted with crystal salt, and is aged from two to ten months. It takes on a piquant flavour as it ages, and can be used either as a table cheese, an ingredient or grated on dishes, and in FVG's iconic frico.

Montasio d'alpeggio made in the high meadows is in the Slow Food Presidium.