Mascarpone cheese

Mascarpone is a cheese originally from Italy, but it is currently produced in other parts of the world, usually from bovine milk. Around the late 1500s or late 1600s dairymen of Lombardy became famous for their fresh cheese curds known as Mascarpone (Jones).

It is believed that the name “mascarpone” may come from the Spanish “mas que bueno” (“better than good”), from the days when the Spanish ruled Italy. Another possibility is that the name is derived from “mascarpia,” the local dialect term for ricotta, because very similar processes make both ricotta and mascarpone.

It is an unripened fresh cheese, used for consumption shortly after its production with a delicate, soft, dense, creamy and smooth appearance and color that varies from snow white to light yellow.

Fat content is quite high varying from 44% to 47% and it may contain over 80% of fat in the dry extract.

This type of cheese produced by a combination of chemical acidification and heat treatment. It does not need a starter culture, as the majority of other cheeses that require a mesophilic culture.

Due to the mild flavor and creamy consistency, it is a base ingredient in industrial, culinary, and homemade preparations (e.g., it is a key constituent of a widely appreciated Italian dessert ‘Tiramisù’). Mascarpone is also used in other dished such as pasta, and fresh fruit.
Mascarpone cheese