Argentina Cheese: Types, Regions and Classic Cheeses
Most Argentina cheese is soft. More than half of the country's cheese production is soft cheese, about 30% is semi-hard and about 15% is hard. Popular cheeses of Argentine origin include Reggianito, Sardo, Cremoso, Provoleta and Pategrás.
Most cheese is made in the Pampas region, mainly in the provinces of Córdoba, Santa Fe and Buenos Aires. Cheese is by far the country's most produced dairy product. It uses about 45% of the milk produced in Argentina.
Modern Argentine cheesemaking began with the large wave of European immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Immigrants, especially from Italy, brought the cheesemaking methods of their home countries and tried to make their own cheeses again in Argentina (Wikipedia's article on Argentine cheese).
Main Argentina cheese types by texture and milk
Hard Argentine cheeses
Reggianito is a hard, grainy cheese based on Italian hard cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano. Its name means "Little Reggiano" because it is made in smaller wheels and aged only 5 to 6 months.
Sardo gets harder and stronger in flavor as it ages. See more hard Argentine cheeses.
Semi-hard Argentine cheeses
Provoleta is a local version of Provolone. People grill it and eat it as a starter at an asado, the Argentine barbecue. The Italian immigrant Natalio Alba created it in the 1940s.
Chubut is named after the Patagonian province where Welsh immigrants first made it. See more semi-hard Argentine cheeses.
Argentine cow's milk cheeses
Sardo and Reggianito are both made from cow's milk. Sardo tastes similar to Pecorino Romano, but Pecorino Romano is made from sheep's milk. See more Argentine cow's milk cheeses.
What is the oldest cheese in Argentina?
Tafí del Valle is the oldest cheese of Argentine origin. It was created in the 18th century in Tafí del Valle, in Tucumán, and tradition credits it to Jesuit missionaries. The city holds the National Cheese Festival every year.
Goya is a hard cheese from the late 18th century. Gregoria Morales made it in the province of Corrientes. Her nickname was Goya, and both the cheese and her town came to be called by that name.
By 1840, Goya was the best-selling cheese in the city of Buenos Aires.
Argentine Cheeses
Argentine Cheese Questions
What cheese is Argentina known for?
Cremoso is the most popular cheese in Argentina. Other popular cheeses of Argentine origin include Reggianito, Sardo, Provoleta and Pategrás. Reggianito is considered the most important hard cheese in the country because it is the most exported and the most eaten. Pategrás is the most popular semi-hard cheese made there.
Is Argentina known for cheese?
Yes. Argentina is one of the top 10 cheese-producing countries in the world and the second largest producer in Latin America, after Brazil. Argentines eat more cheese than people in any other Latin American country, about 12 kilos per person each year. Production grew from 430,955 tonnes in 2001 to 508,000 tonnes in 2009.
What is Chubut cheese?
Chubut is a semi-hard cheese named after the Patagonian province of Chubut. Welsh immigrants first made it there in the mid-to-late 19th century, using their ancestors' methods. It is made in Gaiman, in the lower Chubut river valley. It has long been paired with quince paste, a dessert called queso y dulce or vigilante.
What is Sardo cheese from Argentina?
Sardo is a yellowish white cow's milk cheese from Argentina. It tastes close to Pecorino Romano but is less sharp, with a mellow, lightly salty flavor. Young Sardo is semi-hard and sweet. As it ages, it becomes harder and stronger and is used for grating. It is sold in blocks of about 2.9 kg (6.5 pounds).
What is Mar del Plata cheese?
Mar del Plata is a semi-hard cheese named after the coastal city where it was created. It was once called Holanda because it is like Gouda and is made from the milk of Holando-Argentino cows. It uses partially skimmed cow's milk and ages between four months and one year. Its rind is coated in paraffin or painted red or yellow.
What is Argentine soft cheese called?
The most eaten soft cheese in Argentina is Cremoso, also called Mantecoso ("buttery") or Fresco ("fresh"). It is yellowish white, with a sweet and slightly acid taste, and it is aged 20 to 30 days. People value it because it melts well. Cuartirolo is a soft cheese that some authors consider almost the same as Cremoso.