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Cheese from Italy, Lombardia

Formaggella della Valcamonica

Raw cow milk, used just after milking, is set with calf rennet at 39 °C in 30–40 minutes. The curd is broken to rice-grain size while held at 39 °C, moulded, dry-salted twice and ripened for 15–40 days. Locally there are two types, a whole-milk formagèla and a part-skimmed, longer-aged formaèla.

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe sheets give no batch amounts. A cheese is about 4 cm high and weighs 1.0–1.5 kg; the Comunità Montana gives 22 cm across and 1.5–2 kg for the formagèla.
Raw whole cow milkTradition asks for milk used just after milking[lom-valcamonica][onaf-valcamonica]
Goat milk (optional)About 10% of the milkNot uncommon, ONAF says[lom-valcamonica][onaf-valcamonica]
Liquid calf rennet[onaf-valcamonica][cmvc2014]
Farm milk or whey starter (optional)Named in the Comunità Montana's technical sheets[cmvc2014]
SaltDry salt, applied twice[lom-valcamonica]
Starteran optional farm milk or whey starter, named in the Comunità Montana's technical sheets

Total time across the recorded steps: 15 days – 40 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
39 °C

What changes: Starting material: raw cow milk, warmed just after milking

Step 1 of 6
Warm the fresh milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
39 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: raw whole milk at setting 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

Raw cow milk, used just after milking, is set with calf rennet at 39 °C in 30–40 minutes. The curd is broken to rice-grain size while held at 39 °C, moulded, dry-salted twice and ripened for 15–40 days. Locally there are two types, a whole-milk formagèla and a part-skimmed, longer-aged formaèla. Made in 6 steps over 15 days – 40 days. The longest step, ripen, takes 15–40 days (Regione Lombardia).

Key numbers
Main step15–40 daysReported[lom-valcamonica]Ripen
Temperature39 °CReported[onaf-valcamonica]Warm the fresh milk

What makes this one different

The curd is not cooked above the setting heat; it is broken while held at 39 °C. It comes in two local types, a soft whole-milk formagèla and a part-skimmed formaèla that is cooked hotter and kept for months.

Rind
Light straw, deepening with age
Size
About 4 cm high, 1.0–1.5 kg
Season
All year (ONAF)

Related ferments

Variants

  • FormagèlaWhole raw milk, set at 37 °C in 30–40 minutes, broken to walnut size, heated to 40–41 °C and put straight into moulds; salted after 24 hours and ripened 30–90 days; 22 cm across, 5 cm high, 1.5–2 kg; buttery paste that melts with age (Comunità Montana).
  • FormaèlaPart-skimmed raw milk, broken to hazelnut size, heated to 42–43 °C, rested 15–20 minutes and gathered in a linen cloth; ripened 60–180 days; 22–24 cm across, 7–8 cm high, 3.5–4 kg; more elastic than the formagèla, turning more compact with age, with stronger aromas (Comunità Montana).
  • With goat milkAbout 10% goat milk added to the cow milk.

Safety

Raw-milk cheese eaten after as little as 15 days. ANSES advises pregnant women, people over 65, people with weak immunity and young children to avoid raw-milk cheeses.

Hazards the sources name: Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, the main hazards ANSES names for raw-milk cheeses.

History and sources

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

The Comunità Montana's book says the formaggelle of Corteno Golgi and Val Saviore were once famous, a fame it ties to the pastures and hay of each place.

  1. [lom-valcamonica] Regione Lombardia, prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, sheet 'Formaggella della Valcamonica' (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [onaf-valcamonica] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), technical sheet 'Formaggella della Val Camonica' (PAT Lombardia)web
  3. [cmvc2014] Comunità Montana di Valle Camonica 2014, I formaggi nella cultura casearia di Valle Camonica (Sapori di Valle Camonica), texts by G. Martini, 2nd ed., pp. 35–37book
  4. [anses2022] ANSES 2022, Fromages au lait cru, quels risques pour la santé et comment mieux les prévenir (8 April 2022)gov