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Cheese from Italy, Abruzzo

Giuncata vaccina abruzzeseSprisciocca

Raw whole cow milk, warmed to 32–36 °C and given a whey or milk starter if one is used, is set with calf rennet in 30–40 minutes. The curd is broken to hazelnut size, warmed to 40–45 °C under the whey, put into rush baskets, pressed lightly by hand and turned twice. The white rindless cheese is kept in water at about 4 °C and eaten within 2–3 days.

Fully documentedCheese1.5 h – 1.7 hTraditional food product (PAT, Regione Abruzzo)Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedMade in a copper or steel cauldron; the sheets give no fixed amounts. Cheeses weigh 200–800 g.
Raw whole cow milk, filtered[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Whey or milk starter (siero- or latte-innesto) with thermophilic lactic floraoptionalWhey drained from the previous make can be kept as the next starter[pat-sheet]
Calf rennetDosed by its strength and the milk's acidity[pat-sheet]
SaltoptionalOnly for cheeses sold after 48 hours[pat-sheet]
Starteroptional whey or milk starter carrying thermophilic lactic flora

Total time across the recorded steps: 1.5 h – 1.7 h

Start
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32–36 °C

What changes: Whey or milk starter, if used, goes into raw milk warmed to 32–36 °C

Step 1 of 7
Warm the milk; add starter if used
Time
Not documented
Temperature
32–36 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
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 whole cow milk, warmed to 32–36 °C and given a whey or milk starter if one is used, is set with calf rennet in 30–40 minutes. The curd is broken to hazelnut size, warmed to 40–45 °C under the whey, put into rush baskets, pressed lightly by hand and turned twice. The white rindless cheese is kept in water at about 4 °C and eaten within 2–3 days. Made in 7 steps over 1.5 h – 1.7 h. The longest step, fill rush baskets, press and turn, takes 1 h (Regione Abruzzo).

Key numbers
Main step1 hReported[pat-sheet]Fill rush baskets, press and turn
Temperature32–36 °CReported[pat-sheet]Warm the milk; add starter if used

What makes this one different

The name joins the rush basket (giunco) and the squeezing (spremitura) of the curd. In Teramo, sprisciocca means the curd pressed lightly and kept 24 hours, firmer than the just-made giuncata of Chieti and Pescara.

Rind
None; milk white with rush-basket marks; ivory to pale straw if salted
Size
Cylinder, truncated cone or block, 7–20 cm across and 7–12 cm high, 200–800 g
Composition
About 75% moisture and 36% fat in dry matter (indicative)
Season
Made all year

Related ferments

Safety

Made from raw milk and eaten within 2–3 days, kept at about 4 °C in water. ANSES names Listeria, Salmonella and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli as the main raw-milk cheese hazards. It advises pregnant women, people over 65, people with weak immunity and young children not to eat raw-milk cheeses, except cooked pressed ones such as Comté.

History and sources

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

The regional sheet cites late nineteenth-century writers, among them Teodoro Bonanni (1888) and the Jacini inquiry, who praised the dairy products of the time, among which fresh cow cheeses are always present. Elders say the curd was also carried to market wrapped in large leaves of wild cucurbits.

Microbes
No study we found names its microbes.
  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Abruzzo, Prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, sheet 'Giuncata vaccina abruzzese o sprisciocca' (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), technical sheet 'Giuncata vaccina abruzzese, Sprisciocca'web
  3. [onaf] ONAF, cheese page 'Giuncata vaccina abruzzese' (id 323)web
  4. [anses2022] ANSES 2022, Fromages au lait cru, quels risques pour la santé et comment mieux les prévenir (8 April 2022)gov