This cheese is obtained with raw curd and is pressed, and with fermentation acidity; it is produced with whole cows' milk, or partially skimmed and mixed with milk straight from the cow. It is cylindrical in shape with rounded sides (diametre 30-35 cm), and straight edges ( 8-12 cm), weighing about 5-8 k . The rind is thin, elastic and yellow, and becomes dark and often rigid when aged. The internal cheese dough has fine holes, and is a clear straw yellow, soft and elastic.The taste is pleasant and develops into a more marked and clearly spicy taste in the aged products.The perfume of the fresh cheese recalls that of milk and butter while the ripened products release notes of ammoniac. It is produced all year round but the best products are those produced in summer, when the cattle feed in the alpine pastures.
Production Area
The production area covers the whole territory of the Comunità Montana Valli of Lanzo, and in particular the Great Valley, the Valley Wing and the Valley of Viù.
How it is made
The mik is warmed to a temperature of 35-37°C and the rennet is then added. After an hour the curd is gathered in cheese cloths and is manually pressed. The pressing continues with weights which are removed the day after. The cheese is dry salted and overturned a few times (10-15 days) and ripening takes place (20-90 days) in rooms with temperatures of 5-10°C and relative humidity of about 85%. As an alternative to pressing, some dairies put the extracted curd in a boiler room in cheese cloths and remove it when it has reached the correct consistency to stand alone.
History
The Toma di Lanzo is surely the cheese with the most historical annotations of all the mountain tome cheeses. The first historical information dates back to 150 A.C., when Gens Vennonia, a powerful Roman Turinese family, sent slaves, shepherds and settlers to Piano della Mussa in the Ala Valley, to pasture the herds and produce butter and cheese. In 1477, Pantaleone da Confienza in the "Summa lacticinorum," mentioned numerous Piedmontese cheeses among them those of the Lanzo Valley. Lastly in 1917, Alberto Virgilio, in his book, "Voces and Things of the Old Piedmont," mentioned the "Tome di Lanzoa" among the agricultural products and most famous foods and wines of the region.
