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Cheese from Italy, Umbria

Caciottone di Norcia IGPCaciottone di Norcia

A large caciotta of pasteurised milk that is 90–95 % cow and 5–10 % ewe. The milk is pasteurised at 70–73 °C, given streptococci and lactobacilli, set with calf rennet at 35–40 °C, cut to maize-kernel size and warmed in moulds at 35–40 °C. It is brined for 24–36 hours, ripened 20 days to 12 months and washed before sale.

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe amounts are the specification's milk shares of the mix; it gives no batch size or doses. Each cheese weighs 3.2 kg (± 12 %).
Cow milk, pasteurised90–95 %Stored at 10 °C at most before pasteurising[spec]
Ewe milk, pasteurised5–10 %[spec]
Direct-inoculation culture of streptococci and lactobacilli[spec]
Calf rennet[spec]
Salt, as brine of 16–21 °Bé or dry[spec]
Starterdirect-inoculation culture of streptococci and lactobacilli

Total time across the recorded steps: 21 days – 12 months

Start
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70–73 °C

What changes: The cow and ewe milk is pasteurised at 70–73 °C for under a minute and a half

Step 1 of 6
Store and pasteurise the mixed milk
Time
0.6–1.2 min
Set
Temperature
70–73 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactobacilli
Lactic acid bacteria

Output: pasteurised cow and ewe milk.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

pasteurising kills the milk's own bacteria

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 large caciotta of pasteurised milk that is 90–95 % cow and 5–10 % ewe. The milk is pasteurised at 70–73 °C, given streptococci and lactobacilli, set with calf rennet at 35–40 °C, cut to maize-kernel size and warmed in moulds at 35–40 °C. It is brined for 24–36 hours, ripened 20 days to 12 months and washed before sale. Made in 6 steps over 21 days – 12 months. The longest step, ripen, then wash, takes 20 days – 12 months (Disciplinare di produzione 'Caciottone di Nor…). Streptococci and Lactobacilli do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step20 days – 12 monthsSet[spec]Ripen, then wash
Temperature70–73 °CSet[spec]Store and pasteurise the mixed milk

What makes this one different

Larger than the traditional cow-milk caciotta. A small share of ewe milk (5–10 %) lets it keep longer at that size, and it is sold as dolce, medio or riserva by age.

Size
Cylinder with a straight side and rounded faces, 20–22 cm across, 9–11 cm high
Weight
3.2 kg (± 12 %)
Moisture by age
At least 31 % (dolce, 20–60 days), 23 % (medio, 61–120 days), 21 % (riserva, 121–365 days)
Composition
In dry matter at least 37 % protein, 46 % fat and 2.10 % sodium chloride

Related ferments

Variants

  • DolceRipened 20–60 days; moisture at least 31 %.
  • MedioRipened 61–120 days; moisture at least 23 %.
  • RiservaRipened 121–365 days; moisture at least 21 %.

Safety

The milk is pasteurised at 70–73 °C for 37–75 seconds, and the cheese ripens at least 20 days.

History and sources

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

Mixed-milk cheese was made in the Valnerina before the mid-20th century. In winter most sheep left on transhumance, so the little ewe milk left at home was mixed with cow milk. The cheese appears in photos of the Norcia black truffle fair from the late 1950s. The EU registered the PGI in 2024.

  1. [spec] Disciplinare di produzione 'Caciottone di Norcia' (IGP), Art. 2 and 5, as published by MASAF, provvedimento 27 September 2024, Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 237 of 9 October 2024 (copy hosted by Unionalimentari)spec
  2. [eu-application] Single document 'Caciottone di Norcia', PGI-IT-02807, Official Journal of the EU C/2024/1985 of 6 March 2024 (copy hosted by ONAF)spec
  3. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters), technical sheet 'Caciottone di Norcia'web