Great cheeses are born from raw milk — such as Parmigiano Reggiano — and many others with a hard paste, but not only. True champions of flavour tied to territory and biodiversity.
When milk is not subjected to heat treatment it is called "raw". Its rawness has always aroused a certain degree of concern about possible bacterial load, but raw milk and its derivatives are safe when made correctly, as well as being rich in flavour and beneficial properties.
Milk is processed at room temperature or at around 38°C, allowing more proteins, vitamins and calcium to be preserved. But the difference lies above all in the flavour. More uniform in cheeses made from pasteurised milk, in raw-milk cheeses it is instead intense and always different. It will be the result of the passion with which production has been overseen — a process that, in order to achieve great results, calls for the careful stewardship of the land and the animals.
Slow Food writes in the pages of Resistenza casearia: "Raw milk is rich in vitamins and bacteria that help improve the immune system of children, but also of adults. In particular, it contains vitamin A (important for eyesight, cell development, anti-tumour activity and immune defences), vitamin D (necessary for cellular activity, brain development, cancer prevention and immune development), proteins and sugars such as lactose. It also contains mineral salts such as calcium and iron. With pasteurisation of milk, the vitamin content is partially reduced, especially with regard to vitamins C and B6 and folic acid. The same applies to proteins and fats, whose structure is altered, compromising the biological value of the milk."
The flavour is intense and varies according to provenance, because the milk used to make them retains all the characteristics of the grazing territory that would otherwise evaporate during heating. The milk will therefore have ever-varying characteristics, as will the cheeses into which it is transformed, in which the fodder and the entire diet of the native livestock can be perceived. Alpine tome, formaggelle or robiole will thus have an ever-changing flavour that recalls the territory of origin through the unaltered organoleptic characteristics of the milk.
"Biodiversity does not mean only plant varieties, animal breeds, types of bread, cured meats, cheeses. Biodiversity is also something less immediately perceptible. In the case of cheeses, this invisible biodiversity consists of the billions of bacteria that are wiped out by pasteurisation and other types of heat treatment," explains Slow Food.
Among raw-milk cheeses, those typical of malga or alpine pasture production stand out — medium-aged, sometimes with an uncooked paste, such as tome and formaggelle. One of them is Morlacco, produced in the mountain dairies of the Massiccio del Grappa massif during the summer grazing season, with a maturing period of at least six days. Its savoury and aromatic flavour, with herbaceous notes, lends a fragrant touch in the kitchen to risottos — perhaps with pears — omelettes, crostini and even pizza.
Then there are cheeses that undergo cooking of the curd and a medium to long ageing period, among them Parmigiano Reggiano, already mentioned above, but also Puzzone di Moena (aged from 90 days to 10 months) and some pecorinos. Those from the Pistoia mountains are typical, requiring a resting period of more than 60 days. Like aged cheeses, pecorinos pair well with contrasting fruit flavours such as pears and apples, or can be enjoyed with a drizzle of acacia honey and accompanied by a glass of red wine.
"Controlling the risk of contamination in milk and cheese derives first and foremost from the constant maintenance of hygiene at every stage of the supply chain, from the animals' feed through to the final consumer. Today's knowledge and techniques are profoundly different from those of the past, and have made the entire process much safer; it is regulated in such a way as to ensure frequent checks and documented self-checks at every point of risk," reads the Slow Food pages.
"In the European Union, the HACCP protocol on self-monitoring and the systematic monitoring of microbiological conditions by official authorities — both defined in the so-called EU 'hygiene package' (Regulations (EC) 852, 853, 854, 882/2004, and Directive 2002/99) — have radically changed the way raw milk and raw-milk cheese are produced. Thanks to the support of a widespread veterinary service, producers are now aware that their production method carries certain inherent risks, and for this reason they work more carefully to minimise them throughout the entire supply chain, while at the same time the quality of the milk is continually being improved."
Slow Food celebrates raw-milk cheeses for the sense of terroir they evoke. They contribute to the protection of local traditional production and are rich in flavour thanks to their centuries-old craftsmanship. From 15 to 18 September, raw-milk cheeses will also be the stars of the 2017 edition of Cheese, in Bra, in the province of Cuneo, where the States General of Raw Milk will be held.