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Cheese from Italy, Piemonte

BettelmattBattelmatt

A summer alpine cheese made only on the high pastures of the Antigorio and Formazza valleys, twice a day, from raw whole cow milk of a single milking. The milk is set at milking temperature with calf rennet in 45–60 minutes, the curd is broken to corn-grain size and must be semi-cooked to 45–48 °C, then pressed up to 12 hours. Wheels are salted dry or in brine and ripen at least 60 days, in cellars with natural rock walls or suitable rooms.

Fully documentedCheese2.5 monthsPAT (traditional agri-food product of Piemonte); Bettelmatt® trade mark, filed in 1998 and sold to the Comunità Montana, with a producers' decalogueFamily: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedNo fixed amounts are recorded. Wheels weigh 4–6 kg.
Raw whole cow milkFrom one milking, used at milking temperature; mainly Bruna Italiana cows[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Natural calf rennetThe only rennet allowed; dosed so that the curd forms in 45–60 minutes[pat-sheet]
SaltDry or as a brine[pat-sheet]

Total time across the recorded steps: 2.5 months

Start
Drag the bar or press Play

What changes: Starting material: raw cow milk from one milking, still warm from the cow

Step 1 of 7
Take the milk of one milking
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Made twice a day, only on the alpine pastures, from early July to mid-September. Copper kettles, natural cloths and wooden moulds and boards are allowed under the PAT hygiene exemption. Output: raw whole cow milk, still at milking temperature.

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 summer alpine cheese made only on the high pastures of the Antigorio and Formazza valleys, twice a day, from raw whole cow milk of a single milking. The milk is set at milking temperature with calf rennet in 45–60 minutes, the curd is broken to corn-grain size and must be semi-cooked to 45–48 °C, then pressed up to 12 hours. Wheels are salted dry or in brine and ripen at least 60 days, in cellars with natural rock walls or suitable rooms. Made in 7 steps over 2.5 months. The longest step, ripen in cellars, takes at least 2 months (Regione Piemonte 2015).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 2 monthsReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Ripen in cellars
Temperature45–48 °CReported[pat-sheet]Semi-cook the curd

What makes this one different

It can only be made on the high pastures in summer, from a single milking used warm. The curd must be semi-cooked to 45–48 °C, and since 2003 only wheels passed by an expert carry the fire brand.

Season
Made only on the alpine pastures, from early July to mid-September (regional sheet; the ONAF sheet says late June to early September)
Size
4–6 kg; cylinder ø 25–35 cm, side 7–8 cm
Brand
Since 2003 an expert fire-brands sound wheels on one face; the other face carries a label naming the pasture (ONAF sheet)

Related ferments

Safety

Made from raw milk and ripened at least 60 days. Ageing alone does not make raw-milk cheese safe. The US FDA says 60 days may not eliminate or adequately reduce E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella in raw-milk cheese, and Listeria may grow in some cheeses during ageing. ANSES advises pregnant women, people over 65, young children and people with weak immunity not to eat raw-milk cheese, except cooked, pressed cheeses such as gruyère or comté. Do not assume this semi-cooked cheese fits that exception.

History and sources

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

An 1831 statistical survey of the Agogna department already lists a cheese called Bettelmatt among the best products of the district. It was carried over the passes by mule or on the back, and in 1410 a theft of wheels set off an armed raid towards Domodossola (ONAF sheet).

Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
Microbes
No study we found names its microbes.
  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Piemonte 2015, D.D. 24 luglio 2015 n. 460, Schede tecniche prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, Categoria D n. 03 Bettelmatt (BU 38S1, 24/09/2015)gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF, Bettelmatt, technical sheet (PAT Piemonte)web
  3. [montel2014] Montel M.C. et al. 2014, Traditional cheeses - rich and diverse microbiota with associated benefits, International Journal of Food Microbiology 177:136-154 (abstract)paper
  4. [anses2022] ANSES 2022, Fromages au lait cru, quels risques pour la santé et comment mieux les prévenir (8 April 2022)gov
  5. [fda-rawcheese2016] US Food and Drug Administration 2016, FY 2014–2016 Microbiological Sampling Assignment Summary Report, Raw Milk Cheese Aged 60 Daysgov