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Toma di Gressoney
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Identity card
Name: Toma Valdostana or Toma di Gressoney
Type of product: a firm cheese produced with cow's milk
Area of production: the valley of Gressoney, in the province of Aosta |
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A CHEESE PRODUCED AT HIGH ALTITUDE |
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Many cheeses produced in the Alps are types of "Toma". In the Aosta Valley, each mountain pasture has a different corresponding type. One of the most valued and sought after is undoubtedly Toma di Gressoney. It is produced using only cow's milk on the high altitude pastures during the summer and in the dairies during the winter.
Although until the Fifties Toma Valdostana was produced in three different valleys (Gressoney, Champocher and Évançon), today only a few farmers continue to make this cheese, as almost all the milk collected on the alpine pastures is used for making Fontina. Slow Food protection of Toma di Gressoney was set up in order to conserve it, in collaboration with the Region and the municipality of Gressoney Saint-Jean
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THE SECRETS OF ITS PROCESSING |
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A firm cheese that is typically an ivory colour and with a pleasantly salty flavour and a thin external yellow rind that becomes darker and more wrinkled in time. This is the traditional Toma di Gressoney, for which only cow's milk obtained from two different milkings is used. Once it has been heated to 34-35°C, the milk is made to coagulate with the addition of natural liquid rennet. The curd is then broken into small pieces the size of grains of rice, whilst the temperature is taken to 40-42°C. At this point, the mixture is stirred off the heat for approximately 10 minutes, before the curds are removed from the cauldron and poured into moulds.
Once salted, the Toma cheeses are left to mature for 3-4 months, up to a maximum of 8 months in cellars with a maximum temperature of 9°C and a high level of humidity. Toma ages very well: the flavour of this cheese can be fully savoured after two years, with all the taste of mountain grasses found at high altitude.
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In the past it substituted meat, although today Toma di Gressoney is mostly served at the end of the meal, perhaps accompanied by a fresh salad or typical cured meats from the Aosta Valley, such as "Jambon de Bosses". The best way to savour this particular cheese is to eat it with a slice of warm homemade bread. Alternatively, one can opt for wholemeal bread rolls, bread with cumin seeds, buckwheat bread or rye bread.
But Toma can become the protagonist of many dressings for tasty first course dishes such as Mezze Penne Rigate with Speck and Toma di Gressoney. Lastly, the wine to drink with Toma should have a bouquet rich in fruit and flower aromas, which combine well with the intense mountain scent and the slightly salty flavour of this cheese. Red wines are ideal, particularly Grignolino, Barbera and Bardolino.
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