Bel Paese Cheese: What It Tastes Like, How It Melts and What to Use Instead

It slices cleanly cold, softens into a smooth, creamy melt when heated, and has none of the sharpness or funk that puts some people off Italian cheese.

It is also a brand with a birthday. Egidio Galbani created it in 1906 as a gentle everyday cheese, and its mildness is the whole point: where Taleggio announces itself, Bel Paese stays out of the way of the dish.

Bel Paese cheese at a glance

Here is Bel Paese cheese at a glance, based on the facts about its origin and character that are well documented.

Where Bel Paese cheese comes from

Bel Paese cheese comes from the Galbani dairy family of Lombardy. Egidio Galbani and his father Davide opened a dairy in Ballabio in 1882, and Galbani introduced Bel Paese in 1906, according to Galbani's own company history. Production later moved to larger sites, and the company has belonged to Lactalis since 2006.

The name means "beautiful country" and is a phrase Italians use for Italy. It was taken from the title of a book by the geologist and priest Antonio Stoppani, and the wrapper carries his portrait). Italian-made wheels show a map of Italy on the label, while the American-made version shows a map of America.

That label matters for one reason: Bel Paese is a trademark, so it is not covered by a protected name the way Parmigiano or Gorgonzola are. Other makers produce similar cheeses under other names, and this page treats those as substitutes.

What Bel Paese cheese tastes like

Bel Paese cheese tastes mild, milky and buttery, with a faint lactic tang at the back and a clean finish. There is no real rind flavor and no sharpness, which is why it works as a first Italian cheese for kids and for people who find Taleggio or Gorgonzola too much.

The paste is smooth and supple, pale yellow and slightly springy, with the kind of high moisture that lets a slice bend instead of crack. Because maturation is short, six to eight weeks, it never reaches the nutty, crystalline stage of a long-aged cheese. Think of it as a close cousin of French Saint-Paulin and German Butterkase, both mild, supple, and made to be sliced.

Strength is low on any scale. It sits comfortably in the same group as the cheeses in the best mild cheeses guide.

How Bel Paese cheese melts

Bel Paese cheese melts into a smooth, creamy pool rather than a stretchy rope. Its high moisture and mild, young proteins let it soften at a low temperature, and it spreads and browns lightly under a broiler without turning oily or tight.

That makes it good wherever you want creaminess and no stringiness: baked ziti, lasagna layers, stuffed shells, croque-style sandwiches, and gratins. On pizza it behaves differently from low-moisture mozzarella, because it will not pull into long strings. If you want that pull, use mozzarella for stretch and add thin slices of Bel Paese for creaminess.

A practical rule: slice it or tear it rather than grating, since the soft paste smears on a box grater. Chill it for 20 minutes first if you must grate, and for the cleanest melt, add it to the top of a dish for the last 10 to 15 minutes in a 400 F (200 C) oven.

For a wider comparison of cheeses that melt well, the best melting cheeses guide ranks them by how they behave when hot.

How to use Bel Paese cheese

Use Bel Paese cheese anywhere a mild, creamy slice improves the dish without taking it over.

• Sandwiches and paninis: thin slices melt evenly and do not overpower ham, roasted vegetables or tomato.
• Baked pasta: layer or top it for a creamy, lightly browned crust.
• Gratins: over potatoes or cauliflower, where it browns gently.
• Cheese board: slice it as the soft, mild option next to a sharper wedge and a salty cured meat.
• Snacking: it is firm enough to cut into cubes for lunch boxes.

Serve it for the board at room temperature, taken out of the fridge about 30 minutes ahead, so the buttery flavor comes forward. A mild cheese loses most of its character when it is cold.

What to drink and eat with Bel Paese cheese

Bel Paese cheese pairs best with light, crisp or low-tannin partners. Pinot Grigio, Soave and Barbera are all easy matches, a blonde ale, pilsner or helles suits beer drinkers, and apples, pears and grapes handle the fruit side. Bread, prosciutto and mild olives round out a plate. The pairing guide lists more options by cheese.

Bel Paese substitutes

Bel Paese substitutes should be mild, soft to semi-soft and good at melting, and several cheeses fit.

• **Fontina:** a little nuttier and more savory, with a similar creamy melt. The closest Italian swap.
• Mild Havarti: a Danish cheese with the same buttery softness; Havarti has a slightly more lactic flavor.
• Saint-Paulin or Butterkase: both are traditional counterparts to Bel Paese in mildness and texture, though harder to find in the US.
• Young low-moisture mozzarella: for baked dishes, less buttery and stringier.
• **A young caciotta:** the family of small Italian table cheeses that Bel Paese resembles in spirit.

The substitute finder will suggest options by what the recipe needs.

What most Bel Paese advice gets wrong

Most Bel Paese advice treats it as a mozzarella stand-in and stops there, which sells it short and sets up bad results.

Bel Paese does not stretch like mozzarella

Bel Paese does not stretch like mozzarella, because it is a semi-soft, short-matured cheese rather than a stretched-curd one. On a pizza you get a creamy, spreadable layer instead of strings. Many recipes that say to swap one for the other forget this; mix them if you want both qualities.

Bel Paese is not a protected cheese

Bel Paese is not a protected cheese, so the wrapper is the only guarantee of what you are buying. Look for the Stoppani portrait and the Galbani name, and note whether the label shows Italy or America, since both versions are sold.

Bel Paese does not improve with age

Bel Paese is made to be eaten at its mild stage, so extra time in your fridge does not improve it. Keep the wedge wrapped, and the cheese will taste the same in a week as it did on day one, or slightly drier.

How to store Bel Paese cheese

Store Bel Paese cheese tightly wrapped in the fridge and plan to finish an opened wedge within about a week or two. Cheese paper or wax paper inside a container beats cling film for a semi-soft cheese, because it lets the surface breathe. The storing soft cheese guide covers the wraps in detail.

Questions about Bel Paese cheese

These are the questions about Bel Paese cheese people ask most.

What does Bel Paese mean?

Bel Paese means "beautiful country" in Italian and is a phrase for Italy itself. It comes from the title of a book by Antonio Stoppani.

Who invented Bel Paese cheese?

Bel Paese cheese was invented by Egidio Galbani in 1906. He wanted a mild, delicate cheese to sell mainly in Italy.

Is Bel Paese cheese good for melting?

Bel Paese cheese is good for melting if you want creaminess rather than stretch. It softens smoothly in baked pasta, gratins and sandwiches.

Is Bel Paese cheese made in the US?

Bel Paese cheese is made in both Italy and the United States, and the American version shows a map of America on the wrapper.

What is a good substitute for Bel Paese cheese?

A good substitute for Bel Paese cheese is Fontina or mild Havarti, because both are soft, mild and melt creamily. Saint-Paulin and Butterkase are close matches if you can find them.

Is Bel Paese the same as mozzarella?

Bel Paese is not the same as mozzarella, though recipes often swap them. Bel Paese is softer and more buttery, and it melts without stringing.

Your first Bel Paese cheese

For your first Bel Paese cheese, buy one small wheel or wedge, taste it plain at room temperature, then melt a few slices over baked pasta. If you like it, try a side-by-side with Fontina to see how much more savory the Alpine cheese is.