Fontina is the worst cheese.

May 14, 2010 12:27 PM

Why does fontina cheese give me a stomachache?

For my entire life, I have never been able to eat fontina cheese without getting a terrible stomachache (cramping, gas, and sometimes difficulty breathing as though I've eaten too much food, even though I've not). I eat many other cheeses -- such as mozzarella, cheddar, jack, American, brie, muenster, romano, mascarpone, and asiago, and even fontina's cousins gouda and taleggio -- with a great amount of glee and no troubles. I don't like the taste of Swiss or bleu cheeses, but they don't give me any stomach troubles.

If it matters, I'm female and lacto-ovo vegetarian.

I know YANMD, but I am looking for casual theories and anecdata, not a diagnosis.

posted by shamash to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

Ohhh familiar. I'm lactose intolerant but only some cheeses make me sick (mascarpone, I'm lookin' at you). It has to do with the aging of the cheese or some such thing (but I pretty much tuned out the why and how because it was really only trial and error that was going to help me figure out what not to eat). But your fontina symptoms sound exactly like mine when I eat mascarpone.
posted by December at 12:42 PM on May 14, 2010

Okay, here's some random speculation.

Some types of cheese aging processes tend to produce more glutamates. That is, the naturally occurring counterpart of MSG. It makes the food savory but some people can't handle it.

Here's another theory: that cheese is more acidic than other varieties.

Maybe you've developed a slight lactose intolerance?

Just tossing out ideas here ...
posted by Araucaria at 1:01 PM on May 14, 2010

Different cheeses contain different chemical make-ups. Wouldn't surprise me to see someone reacting to one and not another.

That said ... I wonder if how you're eating fontina is different than others. For example, do you only have fontina when it's part of a specific dish? Could it be that something else in the dish is causing the issue?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 1:01 PM on May 14, 2010

"Fontina Val d'Aosta must be made from unpasteurised milk ..."
Perhaps that's what causes your distress?
posted by Carol Anne at 1:07 PM on May 14, 2010

Intriguing, I get the same thing with ricotta, but I'm lactose intolerant. I can take an enzyme pill and eat most cheeses, but I still can't drink milk or eat ricotta cheese. If you're not having trouble with mascarpone or taleggio I can't imagine that's your issue. Softer cheeses contain more liquid, which is where the lactose lives, so I can eat parmesan or pecorino without a pill, but I'm cautious around softer spready cheeses.

Do you always buy/eat the same brand of fontina? Maybe try switching it up?
posted by hungrybruno at 1:15 PM on May 14, 2010

Fresh, unaged cheeses - mascarpone, ricotta etc. - contain lactose. Aged cheese (any over 60 days) contain almost none, and really aged cheeses (2-year-old cheddars, 3-year-old reggianos) contain even less than almost none. The chemical process that takes place when a cheese ages eliminates the lactose. Most people who are lactose intolerant can eat well-aged cheeses with no trouble, because they don't have any lactose to be intolerant of.

That said, I have no idea what's up with the fontina distress. All fontina is aged over 60 days - I think the minimum is 90. It may just be a thing specific to this particular cheese.
posted by rtha at 1:29 PM on May 14, 2010

I was just reading how Gouda is lower in acid than other cheeses because they add water to wash the curds before pressing. As you said, Fontina is similar, according to this forum. The washing of curds reduces the lactose in the cheese, therefore less acid is produced.

Now, I don't know why less acid would hurt your stomach.
posted by cabingirl at 2:07 PM on May 14, 2010

Something else to look at would be animal rennet vs. vegetable rennet in the cheese.
posted by cabingirl at 2:15 PM on May 14, 2010

I just learned that there is an Italian fontina which is made with raw milk and a Dutch fontina made with pasturized milk. (Or so the cheese lady told me at the shop) Could it be the kind of fontina you are getting?
posted by sadtomato at 5:11 PM on May 14, 2010

I don't know, but I can verify a similar problem! I'm fine with camembert, but I have the same gas/cramping/inevitable diarrhea problem with brie. No idea why, since as far as I know, they're basically the same thing, but there you have it.
posted by ErikaB at 9:12 PM on May 14, 2010

Response by poster: It sounds the most plausible that it's the difference between Italian and Dutch that is tripping me up here -- I've only ever had Italian (although in various dishes), and I bet it is the lack of pasteurization that is screwing with my stomach.

Thanks for all your thoughts, guys!
posted by shamash at 4:51 AM on May 15, 2010

Here's one more thought, if you're still reading this:

The cows in Italy might be eating some flower that you're allergic to. The Dutch cows would have a different diet.

Pasteurization might neutralize the allergen.

Again, just random speculation.
posted by Araucaria at 10:45 AM on May 17, 2010