Smile and Say...."F" is for FONTINA
I guess you can figure out my theme for the 2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge. That's right, it's cheese! I hope you enjoy these posts!"F" is for FONTINA VAL D'AOSTA
Fontina! From the Aosta Valley in northern Italy, where the Alps are surrounded by Switzerland and France. Where chestnuts roast on open-air braziers in the chill air. Fontina has a thin brown crust and the cheese has tiny holes. It's pale yellow if produced in winter, when the cows are fed hay, and becomes a deeper yellow if produced during the summer. It has a sweet taste and its aroma intensifies as it matures.
Fontina is rich in phosphorus, calcium and vitamins A and B. Its production is controlled by a rigid discipline which defines it, and in 1996, Fontina gained the Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) stamp from the European Union, which decrees that it must be produced exclusively in the Val d’Aosta.
Look! A little movie - it's only a minute and a half, so watch it and take a virtual tour!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yRxcgx9uWc