Castelmagno

Cheese made with milk only during the summer months from the mountain. It differs in its yellow ivory and savory taste. The texture is very crumbly in the more mature wheels. The aging phase last from 90 to 180 days, the minimum aging is expected by the specification of the Presidium of 4 months. This cheese won in 1982 the DOC and DOP in 1997.

The aftertaste is long, round, crumbly with hints of stone cellars, grass and nature. Very fragrant, the taste is slightly salty, with marked herbaceous and floral notes. Delicious in pasta dishes. Very good in gnocchi and risotto dishes. The paste is straw yellow, without eyes, with a coarse-grained texture which becomes creamier under the rind when the cheese is matured. Some lucky wheels develop natural blue veins that add a sweet and distinguishing note to the taste

Trivia: Castelmagno gets its name from a famous sanctuary dedicated to San Magno and his town. The first news of its production was in the XII century, when Marchese di Saluzzo, in 1277 insisted that the rent of a few pastures was to be paid with wheels of Castelmagno. The 18th century was its golden age: the Castelmagno cheese became the king of piedmont cheeses, and was always on the menus of the most famous restaurants of Paris and London. After the World War II, with people leaving the mountains for the big cities, the Castelmagno risked to disappear and until the 1970's it was nearly unknown. Today it is mainly produced in the valleys but there are still some mountain dairies that produce their cheese in alpine pastures as in the old days.

Type: Semi-Soft Cheese