Piave is an Italian cow's milk cheese named after a river by the same name. It is DOP protected and the only authentic Piave is produced in the Dolomites area of Belluno province of Veneto. Also called, Parmesan's Cousin due to apparent similarities in flavor, Piave is a hard, cooked curd cheese sold at five different maturation periods. As a thumb's rule, Piave is dense in texture without any open holes. The color of the pate is white in fresco, which becomes straw colored as the cheese matures. A sweet tasting cheese intensifies with aging. The rind is soft and clear when fresh becoming hard and brownish color in advanced ages. The holes are also absent in aged Piave. Depending on the type, texture and flavor of the Piave, the cheese goes well as a grating as well as a table cheese.

Texture: dense and flacky hard

Rind: natural

Color: straw.