A buttery cheese with half-cooked curd, pressed, produced with whole dairy milk taken from one milking session with natural acidity. It is cylindrical, with flat sided (diametre of 18-20 cm), the edges is slightly convex and 5-8 cm in height; it weighes on the average from 1.5 to 2.5 kg; the crust is smooth, regular, flexible, clear straw-yellow or reddish in colour. The cheese dough is smooth, firm, with slightly diffused holes and the colour ranges from white to straw yellow. Its smell and aroma are very gentle and remind you of milk cream and butter. It has an intense aroma. especially in the summer product, there are no spicy or tangy sensations. It is produced throughout the year but the products are best in the summer, when the cows graze in the alpine mountain pastures.
Production Area
The production area covers the foothills and mountains of the Province of Biella-Sessera Valley, Mosso, Cervo and Elvo Valleys of the Province of Vercelli, Sesia Valley.
How it is made
Raw milk and exclusively cow's milk after a single drawing of milk. A small amount of liquid rennet is added to achieve the coagulation in less than an hour. The curd is cut to the size of rice grains and simultaneously heated (half-cooked at 40°C in winter and 48°C in summer) to speed up the separation of the whey. Then it is left to rest and then the curd is extracted and put into moulds where they are manually pressed, and again left to rest for about 12 hours in which the curd is overturned 4 or 8 times. Salting may
be dry or in brine. The ripening of the hard cheeses lasts for a minimum of 20 days up to a maximum of 2 months on wooden shelves in rooms with temperatures ranging from 8 to 10°C and relative humidity of 85-90%. Two labellings are done: one for the product origin label and one for quality on the paper wrapping. Cheeses produced in Municipalities at 900 m above sea level are branded with the "Mountain Pastures" label.
History
The origins of this cheese go way back in time.
An avid admirer of the Maccagno was Quintino Sella, founder of the Italian Alpine Club, who was angered when this cheese was stolen right after an excursion in the mountains. He, in fact, periodically procured this beloved cheese to bring to Rome and offer it to his friends and colleagues.
Interesting features
Its organoleptic characteristics are pleasant aroma and delicate taste, now and then intense and reminding one of cream or butter.
