Mascarpone

Mascarpone, a triple-cream cheese, is a regional Lombardy speciality, used most famously as one of the main ingredients in the super rich Italian dessert, tiramisu. It is made from crème fraiche, tartaric acid and sometimes, buttermilk. It is not in fact a cheese, and is made in much the same way as yoghurt. Mascarpone originated in Lodi, southwest of Milan in the late 16th or early 17th century.