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Cheeses from the Aosta Valley
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| In the region of Mont Blanc and the Cervino, autochthonous cows graze on unpolluted Alpine pastures. Their milk smells of mountain grasses, and for centuries it has been transformed into unmistakeable cheeses in the high-altitude huts. Not just the classic Fontina, but also other delicious specialities such as Fromadzo and SÈras. |
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High altitude alpine pastures and milk from autochthonous cows. These are the simple and genuine secrets behind the delicious cheeses from the Aosta Valley, a region where the cheese-making tradition stretches back in time. Indeed in 1237, there were already families in the valley named Caseus (cheese in Latin) and just a few decades later, Formaige, whilst documents from 1270 tell of a highlander called Peroninus de Fontines and pastures in the homonymous area, the original homeland of the famous Fontina cheese.
The high altitude pastures, rich in mountain grasses, are decisive for the quality of the milk from the valley's cows, which are strictly autochthonous. These are of the black-spotted and red-spotted breeds, which in "patois", the Franco-Provencale language spoken in the region, are called "neire" (black) and "rodze" (red). They are reared on hay in the cowsheds for six months, then for a further six months they graze on the high altitude pastures. Because in the Aosta Valley, the ancient tradition of transhumance is still alive; marked by two precise dates, 24 June, the day when the herds are taken up to the mountain slopes, and the 29 September, Saint Michael's day, when the return is made back down to the village sheds.
A hard life for the shepherds, who are up at half past two in the morning, only to work until the evening. Although it is recompensed by the unmistakable taste of the local cheeses.
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Fontina is undoubtedly the queen of Aosta Valley cheeses. However, alongside this well-known product which had already obtained DOC (Denominazione di Origine controllata-Controlled Denomination of Origin) in 1955 (and DOP, Denominazione di Origine Protetta-Protected Denomination of Origin, in 1996), there are other, less well-known but equally valued cheeses. Such as Fromadzo, produced in the mountain huts together with Fontina, processing the milk taken from two milkings.
The name itself, which in "patois" means "cheese", already announces that this truly is a cheese par excellence. It smells of milk, as well as the clear aroma of mountain grasses, and its history is indeed ancient. It is in fact mentioned in the 1477 treaty "Summa lacticiniorum" of Pantaleone da Confienza, and it can be made out in a fresco dating back to 1480 at the castle of Issogne, which portrays a cheese-maker's shop.
Conferred with DOP in 1996, it has a characteristic, fragrant and semi-sweet flavour when fresh which becomes more intense and slightly salty when matured. The outside is rather thick, yellow tending to grey, whilst the inside is compact with small, scattered holes. It is white if fresh and becomes straw-yellow when mature. The attractive cylindrical forms, between 15 and 30 centimetres in diameter, are matured for a minimum of 60 days, up to a maximum of 8-10 months.
The result is an excellent eating cheese which can also be used on pasta, gnocchi, rice and pancakes, as well as for the traditional Aosta Valley fondue. The best wine with which to savour it is a young, medium-bodied red which releases fruity hints, such as a Nebbiolo d'Alba.
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IN GRESSONEY, THE REIGN OF TOMA |
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A characteristic cheese found throughout the Alpine range, in the Aosta Valley it has an unusual variant, Toma di Gressoney. A speciality which is now rather rare: the Walser culture huts that make it, concentrated in the Gressoney and Champorcher valleys, now number very few, not least because almost all the region's milk is used for Fontina. The risk of losing such a valuable tradition has even led Slow Food to protect this cheese, defending it and supporting the hut owners who still produce it.
Toma di Gressoney is a cheese obtained on summer Alpine pastures, using only raw cow's milk. It is round in shape and compact inside, with a colour that varies from white to ochre according to the maturation, which takes place in cellars or natural cavities. Excellent aged, it can also be eaten fresh after just three or four months of maturation.
A classic table cheese with an intense flavour that tends towards a salty and decidedly pungent taste with ageing, it is also perfect for melting on polenta. The right wine is a structured red, such as the Petit Rouge produced at La RochËre, near Aosta.
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SÈRAS AND REBLEC, ALPINE PASTURE DELICACIES |
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Once upon a time the matured ricottas were covered with hay to protect them during transportation from the pastures to the valleys. This method lead to the discovery of Seirass del Fen, also called SÈras or SerÈ in the Aosta Valley. It is in fact made from the whey obtained during production of the Tomas, which is then heated to 70_C to make it coagulate. For this reason, the final product is a very compact ricotta, denser than the traditional one obtained using whey from cold-processed soft cheeses.
SÈras can be eaten fresh, together with boiled or grilled vegetables, or savouring it with a drizzle of oil and some pepper. Part of the production is in fact left to mature for fifty days in cool, damp cellars, wrapped in hay gathered the previous year, which gives it a unique aroma. In this case, it is used as a dressing for pasta, or grated for adding to soups and stuffed pastas, and for preparing desserts.
Another fresh delicacy that comes from mountain pastures is Reblec, a fresh cheese made from whole milk to which cream is sometimes added, giving rise to the mouth-watering variant Reblec de Crama. The small portions in which it is processed, collecting the milk in filtering cloths, can be eaten just twelve hours after production. It is excellent as a dessert, perhaps even with a sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon.
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