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Cheese from Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Prov. Bolzano

Algunder Bauernkäse halbfett (Formaggio contadino semigrasso di Lagundo)Algunder Bauernkäse halbfett

A semi-fat farm cheese from Algund (Lagundo) in the Burggrafenamt. Half the milk is skimmed, all of it is pasteurised and set with calf rennet at 32 °C in 30 minutes; mesophilic lactic cultures go in after the curd is cut. The curd is warmed to 38 °C, moulded, brined 48 hours and ripened 60 days at 14 °C.

Fully documentedCheese2 monthsPAT (listed under the Province of Bolzano in the national list of traditional agri-food products)Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe shares are of the milk in the vat, as the provincial sheet gives them; no other amounts are given. Each wheel weighs about 6 kg.
Whole cow milk50 %The morning milking[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Part-skimmed cow milk50 %The evening milking, skimmed by creaming in cooled basins[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Liquid calf rennet[pat-sheet]
Mesophilic lactic cultures[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
SaltAs a brine bath[pat-sheet]
Startermesophilic lactic cultures, added after the curd is cut

Total time across the recorded steps: 2 months

Start
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What changes: The evening milk is skimmed, mixed with whole morning milk and pasteurised

Step 1 of 7
Skim half the milk and pasteurise
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

The evening milk is skimmed overnight and mixed with whole morning milk the next day. Output: pasteurised part-skimmed milk.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

A semi-fat farm cheese from Algund (Lagundo) in the Burggrafenamt. Half the milk is skimmed, all of it is pasteurised and set with calf rennet at 32 °C in 30 minutes; mesophilic lactic cultures go in after the curd is cut. The curd is warmed to 38 °C, moulded, brined 48 hours and ripened 60 days at 14 °C. Made in 7 steps over 2 months. The longest step, ripen, turned and cleaned, takes 2 months (Provincia autonoma di Bolzano) and runs at 14 °C (Provincia autonoma di Bolzano).

Key numbers
Main step2 monthsReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Ripen, turned and cleaned
Temperature14 °CReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Ripen, turned and cleaned

What makes this one different

The semi-fat Lagundo cheese uses half skimmed milk, while its sister, Algunder Butterkäse, uses whole milk with added cream. Both are pasteurised and get their lactic cultures only after the curd is cut. The paste stays soft even after months of ripening.

Rind
Clean, smooth, thin, fairly hard, pale straw
Size
About Ø 30 cm, height 10 cm, 6 kg

Related ferments

Safety

Made from pasteurised milk and ripened 60 days.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The cheese has been known since 1960. The cheesemaker Josef Gruber says he took up the method in 1960 and passed it on to the current cheesemaker in 1995. It is sold mostly locally.

Microbes
No study we found names its microbes.
  1. [pat-sheet] Provincia autonoma di Bolzano, traditional food product (PAT) sheet "Algunder Bauernkäse Halbfett (formaggio contadino semigrasso di Lagundo)" (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), technical sheet "Algunder bauernkäse halbfett (Formaggio contadino)"web
  3. [pat-list] Ministero delle politiche agricole, Elenco nazionale dei prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali (art. 12, comma 1, L. 12 dicembre 2016 n. 238), Allegato I, section Provincia autonoma di Bolzano (copy hosted by InformaCibo)gov