La Tur is a very soft cheese made in Alta Langa, Piedmont, Italy.
It is off-white to straw-coloured, with a soft, increasingly wrinkled rind as it ages. Inside, its light, airy texture is so runny that it is spreadable or spoonable. It is runniest at the very centre.
It is quite smelly, and has a tangy, pungent, slightly mushroomy flavour.
La Tur Cheese is made from an equal mixture of cow, sheep and goat milk, plus rennet and salt. The milk has been pasteurized at the lowest possible temperature to meet Italian laws.
A started culture is added to the milk, then salt and rennet. When the curd is formed, it is placed in small moulds about 3 inches (7 1/2 cm) wide by 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) tall. The moulds are turned several times to drain the whey.
The cheese is aged 10 days before sale. For such a young cheese, it has a great deal of character.
La Tur is sold in polystyrene boxes holding 6 cheeses, set in ruffled paper doilies. The complete weight of the box is about 3 to 4 1/2 pounds (1.4 kg to 2 kg.)
