This article is created as unpaid advertisement for the EU campaign Nice To Eat EU promoting the Piave DOP cheese.
I was lucky enough to be invited yesterday to a cheese tasting event at the Streets restaurant in Graz. The event was organized by the European Union, specifically Nice to Eat EU, to promote the Piave DOP cheese in Austria.
Besides me, Austrian food bloggers, gourmet magazines and restaurant owners were invited to try out this delicious cheese.
Our menu was made completely with the Piave DOP cheese. Below is a gallery of pictures with descriptions.
Truffle and selezione d’oro Piave DOP ravioli 
The menu at the Piave DOP tasting 
The starter at the Piave DOP tasting 
The menu at the Piave DOP tasting 
The cheese soup made with mezzano Piave DOP 
Apple Strudel with vanilla sauce 
The cheese selection at Piave DOP tasting
About the Piave DOP cheese
The Piave DOP is a type of cheese that is produced in the area of Belluno, about an hour from Venice in the mountains in the most northern side of the Veneto region. The production is strictly regulated and is only made in one dairy farm in the Italian Dolomites.
The milk comes to 80% from three specific cow species: Italian Braunvieh (brown cattle), Italian Pezzata Rossa und Italian Holstein Friesian. All cattle grows and roams in the area of Belluno.
The type of milk used and the ripening process gives this cheese an interesting taste that distinguishes it from other more famous DOP cheeses, like Grana Padano and Parmiggiano Reggiano.
Here are the different levels of maturation on offer:
- Piave DOP Fresco (20/60 days)
- Piave DOP Mezzano (61/180 days)
- Piave DOP Vecchio (> 6 months)
- Piave DOP Vecchio Selezione Oro (> 12 months)
- Piave DOP Vecchio Riserva (> 18 months)
The Nice To Eat EU project in Graz
Piave DOP is not that known in the Austrian region, so part of this three-year EU program aims to make it break into the market.
The overall goal is to bring the Piave DOP, its flavour, its tradition, its DOP certification and the uniqueness to European tables.
Now, the project has come to Graz and from today till the 20th of December you will be able to buy tasting platters of the Piave DOP cheese in different restaurants:
This is a unique opportunity, since this cheese is not sold in shops in Austria yet. Make sure to go for a tasting in one of the restaurants above!
