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Cheese from Italy, Sardegna

AxriddaSu casu cun s'axridda

Axridda is a raw sheep or goat milk cheese from Escalaplano in Sardinia that is coated in local clay to carry it through the summer. The milk is set with calf rennet at about 35–36 °C, the curd is cut to rice-grain size, moulded, dry-salted and washed while young. After at least three months the wheels are coated with 4–5 mm of clay and can ripen for two years or more.

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedFarm and household making with no amounts in the regional sheet. Wheels weigh 2.0–4.0 kg.
Raw whole sheep or goat milkMilked by hand or machine; made from January to May[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Liquid calf rennet[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
SaltRubbed on dry[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Local clay (presumably a kaolin)Mixed with water, olive oil lees or lentisk oil, or dusted onto the damp wheel[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.7 months – 2.1 years

Start
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35–36 °C

What changes: Liquid calf rennet sets the raw milk in a copper vat at 35–36 °C

Step 1 of 7
Set with calf rennet in a tinned-copper vat
Time
35–45 min
Reported
Temperature
35–36 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: set curd.

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

Axridda is a raw sheep or goat milk cheese from Escalaplano in Sardinia that is coated in local clay to carry it through the summer. The milk is set with calf rennet at about 35–36 °C, the curd is cut to rice-grain size, moulded, dry-salted and washed while young. After at least three months the wheels are coated with 4–5 mm of clay and can ripen for two years or more. Made in 7 steps over 3.7 months – 2.1 years. The longest step, ripen under the clay, takes 3 months – 2 years (ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori F…).

Key numbers
Main step3 months – 2 yearsReported[onaf-sheet]Ripen under the clay
Temperature35–36 °CReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Set with calf rennet in a tinned-copper vat

What makes this one different

Axridda is a pecorino-type cheese sealed under a clay coat. The clay, presumably a kaolin used for ceramics, is spread on after at least three months, from June, when the cheese begins to sweat. It is mixed with water, olive oil lees or lentisk oil, or dusted onto the damp rind, and keeps fat in and moulds and mites out.

Rind
Clay-coated, thin, smooth or slightly rough, grey or hazel
Size
2.0–4.0 kg; Ø 18–22 cm, height 8–12 cm

Related ferments

Variants

  • Clay mixed with waterDries and cracks, so it is spread on one or two more times.
  • Clay mixed with olive oil lees or lentisk oilStays soft and does not crack.
  • Clay dusted on the damp wheelRepeated two or three times until 4–5 mm thick.

Safety

Made from raw milk. The ONAF sheet gives at least 90–120 days of ripening in its method table, but from about 2 months in its description. The US FDA says ageing raw-milk cheese for 60 days may not eliminate or adequately reduce E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes may grow in certain cheeses during ageing.

History and sources

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

The ONAF sheet links the clay coating to an ancient practice described by Pliny the Elder. The regional sheet records the method as handed down orally and confirmed by interviews with local people. Slow Food writes that families in Escalaplano, where long dry summers made keeping pecorino hard, found that a clay coat let the cheese stand long ripening. Its Presidio protects the cheese because only a few families still make it. The sources disagree on timing. The regional and ONAF sheets put the clay on after at least three months of ripening, while Slow Food has the wheel wrapped in clay after 5–7 months, gives a minimum ripening of 6 months, and notes wheels of up to 30 months; the ONAF sheet gives ripening from about 2 months to over 2 years.

Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
  1. [fda-rawcheese2016] US Food and Drug Administration 2016, FY 2014–2016 Microbiological Sampling Assignment Summary Report, Raw Milk Cheese Aged 60 Daysgov
  2. [pat-sheet] Laore Sardegna (Agenzia regionale per lo sviluppo in agricoltura), Prodotto tradizionale della Sardegna, Formaggi, "Axridda" (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  3. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), technical sheet "Axridda"web
  4. [slowfood] Fondazione Slow Food per la Biodiversità, Presidio 'Axridda di Escalaplano'web