Seirass dël Fen is a ripened ricotta from whey obtained from processings of milk from cows, sheep and goats. It is round in shape and off-white in colour. The cheese is hard, crumbly and melts in the mouth. The texture is finely granulose, and smells and tastes of milk and hay of the alpine huts in which they are wrapped.
It is produced in summer, from May to October when the cattle are fed with green fodder from the alpine pastures.
Production Area
The production area covers various zones of the Alps of Piedmont and in particular: Chisone, Susa and Val Pellice in the Province of Turin.
How it is made
The whey is warmed up to 70-80°C. Then the salt and a bit of whole milk is added, and the temperature is brought to 90°C. The flakes of ricotta rise and are gathered with a perforated spoon and placed in a cheese cloth. The latter is hung for draining in a cool, airy room for 12 hours. Then the cloth is tightened around the cheese to complete the draining for another 10-12 hours. Salt is sprinkled on the surface by hand and the product is covered with hay. After 10 days of ripening, the fresh product may be sold, and after 25 days also the ripened product.
History
The Seirass del Fen belongs to the tradition when in the past, families went to the pasture meadows together to breed the cattle in common. The products obtained from the milk (tome and seirass) were therefore preserved until the end of the pasturing period to be distributed to the various cattle farmers. The Seirass cheese, during the aging period, was covered with hay to stop the flies from laying eggs. Pantaleone da Confidenza, in fact, in the "Summa lacticiniorum," had observed that finished cheeses were conserved in hay.
