Taleggio is a soft, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from northern Italy, sold as a flat square brick with a thin, crusty pinkish-orange rind and a pale, supple, almost spreadable interior. The rind is washed with brine during ageing, which encourages a sticky orange bacterial smear and gives the cheese a frankly pungent, barnyard aroma — yet the paste itself tastes surprisingly mild and gentle, buttery and creamy with a light fruity tang and a faint salty bite. It melts cleanly and smoothly, which is why it is folded into risotto, draped over polenta and slipped into panini.