Textural characteristics of Italian foods

This chapter discusses the texture properties of two prominent Italian cheese, namely the pasta filata and cooked curd cheese. Some information is also given on other peculiar Italian cheeses that do not belong to these categories. To give an overview of the different texture characteristics of Italian salumi, the chapter presents some of the most popular ones, providing some information on their historical and geographical background, focusing the attention on sensory evaluation and instrumental measurements of their texture characteristics. There is no doubt that one of the most distinctive product of the Italian gastronomy is bread. For centuries, bread was the basic component of the diet of a large part of the population. Some features characterize the technology of the Italian traditional bread: no sugar or antistaling are used in the formulation, no pan is used during leavening and baking, and sourdough is the leavening agent.