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Mascarpone

SoftCow MilkItaly, LombardyNONE

Mascarpone departs from the usual fresh cheese pattern in one important way: it begins with full-fat cream rather than milk. The cream is lightly acidified and then heated to a high temperature, which produces both the marked sweetness and the airy, expanded texture that distinguish it. Comparisons to cream cheese undersell it badly — the block cream cheese sold in supermarkets is denser, blander and often gummy by contrast. The cooking step pushes the flavour towards something almost confectionery, which is why it lives mostly in desserts despite having perfectly good savoury applications.

Aging Time

Eat fresh — up to 7 days

Style: Soft
Milk: Cow
Origin: Italy · Lombardy
Ripening: Fresh · eat within 7 days

Tasting Board

Texture

Smooth, voluminous and completely grain-free.

Flavor

Pronounced sweet cream, closer to a dessert than a cheese.

Aroma

Cooked milk.

History & Origins

Native to Lombardy in northern Italy, where surplus cream from a heavy dairy region was worked into a spoonable cheese rather than churned to butter.

Cultural Significance

The structural component of tiramisu, and by extension one of the most widely exported Italian dairy products despite its short life once opened.

Pairing & Serving

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What to Pair It With

Berries, coffee, cocoa, stone fruit. Savoury uses lean on it as an enrichment for sauces and risotto.

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How to Serve It

Spoon straight from the tub at cool room temperature. Once opened, use within a few days — the high fat picks up other flavours quickly.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Calories	kcal
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Total Fat	g
Saturated Fat	g
Sodium	mg
Calcium	mg

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