Robiola di Roccaverano / Roccaverano DOP is fresh cheese that undergoes ripening or is matured, and is produced with raw, whole sheep's or cow's milk, originating exclusively from the breeding zone. This cheese traces back to the Celts who used to make a cheese very much like the actual product. With the advent of the Romans, the cheese took on the name of "rubeola." But the importance of the "Robiola" was evidenced in a manuscript of 1899, among the historical news of the politics of that time: the Municipality of Roccaverano used to host five tradefairs in a year, during which the cheese was sold to export the "excellent Robiola cheeses." The nutriment of the sheep-goats and cows were done by their grazing and the use of green and/or conserved fodder taken from the fields and meadows/grasslands rich with many aromatic and medical herbs. Specifically these spontaneous species of medicinal herbs which possess particular qualities constitute the high quality nutriment for the sheep and goat breeding farms, as also for cattle, and which, with their various perfumes and aromas, give the "Robiola di Roccaverano" cheese a fragrance which distinguishes it from any other type of cheese. The product is retailed for consumption according to their ripening, and types, such as Fresh, Cured or Ripened and Dry.
Characteristics
Physical characteristics
- Aging:
- FRESCO dal 4° al 10° giorno di maturazione; AFFINATO dall'11° giorno
- Edge:
- slightly convex, height from 2.5 cm to 4 cm
- External aspect:
- FRESH milky white or straw yellow coloration;
MATURE creamy white, straw yellow, or slightly reddish.
- Form:
- cylindrical
- Rind:
- FRESCO può presentarsi sotto forma di una lieve fioritura naturale di muffe o essere inesistente;
aspetto esteriore: bianco latte oppure paglierino;
AFFINATO presenta una fioritura naturale di muffe
- Texture:
- FRESCO cremosa, morbida;
AFFINATO morbida leggermente compatta con il protrarsi della stagionatura, può essere cremosa nel sottocrosta saporito;
- Top:
- sides slightly fringed
- Weight:
- from 250 g to 400 g. These parameters refer to the end of the minimum ripening period.
Nutritional characteristics
- Ashes:
- minimum 3% out of the dry matter
- Fat:
- minimum 40% out of dryness
- Protein substances:
- minimum 34% out of dryness
Sensory and organoleptic characteristics
- Aroma:
- FRESCO delicato e/o leggermente acidulo; AFFINATO: deciso;
- Color of pasta:
- FRESCO e AFFINATO di colore bianco latte
How it is made
Robiola di Roccaverano is produced with raw whole milk of goats of the Roccaverano and Alpine chamois breeds and their crossbreeds, or of the Langhe breed ewes and the Piedmont Brown Alpine Cow breeds and their crossbreeds, exclusively coming from the same farm, in the following portions: whole raw goat's milk singly, or in variable minimum amount of 50% with raw whole cow's milk and/or 50% ewe's milk.
The feeds of sheep-goats are obtained through the grazing of the animals in the pastures between 1 March and 30 November and the use of green and/or conserved fodders and grains of cereals, legumes, oil-rich grains and their by-products. The feeds of the cows consists in their grazing and green and/or conserved fodders and grains of cereals, legumes, oil-rich grains and their by-products.
More than 80% of the feeds of all the animals have to be taken from the farm. All the animal feeds must not contain genetically modified organisms and it is prohibited to use milk from other farms that do not have their own pastures.
It is prohibited to use pigments, colourants and particular aromas in the entire processing.
Natural ripening is done by preserving the fresh product in suitable store rooms for at least three days, from the moment in which the cheese is placed into a cheesecloth. From the fourth day the product can be sold or further ripened in the farm and/or facilities of other cheese producers. Robiola di Roccaverano cheese is considered ripened or aged starting from the 10th day after it has been placed in the moulds and dried for at least 30 days after.
The product is released to the market according to the ripening needed for the Fresh, Ripened, or Matured and Dry and is sold whole and packaged, with 10 days' ripening, or dry with 30 days' aging.
Interesting features
Robiola di Roccaverano keeps better in the fridge if first placed in a covered porcelain or ceramic dish and then placed on a plate of the same material so as to let the cheese breathe.
The robiola made in a cottage industry level may be kept for six months in a glass jar covered with oil or by wrapping the moulds with hay.
This cheese is produced throughout the year and its taste comes from live milk enzymes present in the cheese paste at the moment of consumption.
Labelling
Upon their release to the market, the cheese should be marked with a sticker that seals the pack and which bears the designation logo constituted by a stylised letter "R." At the base of the designation logo, the identification code of the producer should appear with the progressive number: against an ochre coloured background for the Robiola di Roccaverano product with only goat's milk and on a white background for those produced with mixed milk. It is obligatory, however, to indicate on the label the various percentages of milk used. Each single cheese form is released whole for consumption, packed and bearing the seal. Only after this seal is placed, can the product be released to the market with the Protected Designation of Origin "Robiola di Roccaverano."
European community registration
Registration EU Reg. EC 1263 of 01/07/1996
GUCE L163 02.07.1996
