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Cheese from Italy, Lombardia

BernardoFormaggella Bernarda

A soft alpine cheese made in summer from raw whole cow milk, sometimes with 10 % goat milk. The milk rests 3–4 hours, sets in about 45 minutes at 34–35 °C, and the hazelnut-sized curd is warmed briefly to 35–40 °C before it goes into cloth-lined hoops. It is salted dry after three days and ripened 15–20 days; some makers colour it with saffron.

Fully documentedCheese15 days – 20 daysPAT (traditional agri-food product of Lombardia)Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe only proportion given is the 10 % goat milk. Wheels weigh 0.5–1 kg.
Raw whole cow milkRested 3–4 hours after milking; from cows on summer alpine pasture[pat-sheet]
Goat milk10 % of the milk (optional)Added in the past and still by some makers, for flavour[pat-sheet]
Liquid calf rennet[onaf-sheet]
SaltRubbed on dry[pat-sheet]
Saffron (optional)Some makers add powdered saffron to the curd; the ONAF sheet also has the young cheese brushed with a saffron solution in the first days[onaf-sheet]

Total time across the recorded steps: 15 days – 20 days

Start
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What changes: Starting material: raw cow milk, rested a few hours after milking

Step 1 of 7
Rest the milk
Time
3–4 h
Reported
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: raw whole cow milk, sometimes with 10 % goat 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 soft alpine cheese made in summer from raw whole cow milk, sometimes with 10 % goat milk. The milk rests 3–4 hours, sets in about 45 minutes at 34–35 °C, and the hazelnut-sized curd is warmed briefly to 35–40 °C before it goes into cloth-lined hoops. It is salted dry after three days and ripened 15–20 days; some makers colour it with saffron. Made in 7 steps over 15 days – 20 days. The longest step, ripen, takes 15–20 days (Regione Lombardia) and runs at 13 °C (ONAF).

Key numbers
Main step15–20 daysReported[pat-sheet]Ripen
Temperature13 °CReported[onaf-sheet]Ripen

What makes this one different

It is a summer alpine formaggella warmed only briefly after the break and eaten fresh or after a short ripening. The paste is yellow-orange, and some makers add saffron to the curd.

Season
Made on the alpine pastures from June to September
Size
Ø 15 cm, side 5 cm; 0.5–1 kg
Output
About 300 quintals a year (regional sheet)

Related ferments

Variants

  • FrescoAlmost no rind; soft, compact paste.
  • A breve stagionaturaRarer; yellow-brown rind and firmer paste with medium eyes.

Safety

Made from raw milk and ripened only 15–20 days. ANSES advises pregnant women, people over 65, young children and people with weak immunity not to eat raw-milk cheese.

History and sources

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

The ONAF sheet says the name probably comes from Saint Bernard, patron of Oltressenda Alta, or perhaps from the farmer who first made it, 50 years ago by the sheet's account. It adds that publications show a history of almost a century. The regional sheet says the history is well over 25 years long.

Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
Microbes
No study we found names its microbes.
  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Lombardia, Prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, scheda Bernardogov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF, Bernardo, technical sheet (PAT Lombardia)web
  3. [anses2022] ANSES 2022, Fromages au lait cru, quels risques pour la santé et comment mieux les prévenir (8 April 2022)gov