Taleggio and Stracchino are two well-known cheeses from the Italian tradition: do you know in your recipes you can use one or the other without differences on calories and fats? Choose only your favorite taste, Taleggio and Stracchino have similar nutritional facts
A deep knowledge of cheese types, nutritional facts and flavors is at the heart of the taste and health culture: any cheese is a different taste experience and if you like Italian Cheese, tradition gives you an embarrassing wealth of options.
Do you think some cheeses are too fat to be consumed or added to your recipes? A deep examination of recipe ingredients allows you to avoid unnecessary sacrifices when trying to eat something lighter.
Any cheese contains mainly proteins and fats, which quantities are dependent on milk type and cheese seasoning – i.e. the amount of residual water. In any case all cheeses are rich in calories.
Cheese is one of the most wholesome foods: it is obtained just from milk – whole or semi-skimmed – and rennet or milk enzymes.
Nevertheless this food is too often considered an enemy of a healthy and balanced diet. Even many people remove cheese from their “allowed foods” list, depriving themselves of a pleasure.
A common misconception involves Taleggio and Stracchino: Stracchino recipes are considered lighter and healthier than Taleggio recipes: actually, Taleggio and Stracchino have just a very different taste characteristics but they are comparable on nutritional values:
100g of Stracchino contain 18.5g protein, 25.1g fat, 567mg calcium, 90mg cholesterol, 414mg sodium;
100g of Taleggio contain 19g protein, 26.2g fat, 433mg calcium, 90mg cholesterol, 873mg sodium
Are them the same cheese?
Taleggio and Stracchino are in facts two Lombardia Region cheeses: for centuries “Stracchino” word marked any soft cheese in a square shape. The term derives from the dialect word used to define when someone was tired: maybe it alludes to the conditions of the cows after the long summer pasture.
Taleggio cheese name has arisen from the Valley name near Bergamo, where Taleggio was first produced. The increase of Taleggio consumption and demand caused the production area extension: now Taleggio cheese can be produced in the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Milan, Pavia, Novara and also Treviso. It is since 1996 that Taleggio is included in the list of PDO.
As you saw 100g of Taleggio and of Stracchino have same protein, fat and cholesterol amounts.
In other words: Stracchino is not lighter than Taleggio.
The only remarkable difference between the two cheeses is that 50 g of Taleggio, a normal cheese portion, contains 21% of the daily sodium amount against Stracchino 10%.
Do you think the Taleggio high sodium content is a failing feature? Learn how to use this Taleggio feature to avoid adding salt to your recipes – for example you can prepare Potato Gnocchi with Taleggio and oats without adding salt.
See Potato Gnocchi with Taleggio and oats recipe
The salt amount difference between Taleggio and Stracchino arises in the seasoning phase:
– Stracchino undergoes only a short seasoning time, 20 days at most;
– Taleggio seasoning lasts 1-2 months and during this period cheese is processed with water and salt sponge bath to wash out the abnormal cheese mold.
Do you recognize now the importance of knowing the nutritional facts? It allows you to live your preferred taste experience with all your recipes!
