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Cheese from Italy, Sardegna

Greviera di OzieriGriviera di Ozieri

Raw whole milk of Brown or Bruno-Sarda cows, sometimes with a whey starter from the day before, is set with calf rennet at 35–38 °C in 20–30 minutes. The curd is broken to rice or maize size, semi-cooked to 48 °C, shaped under the whey into a long cylinder, cut into portions, pressed about 8 hours and brined. After 10 days of drying it ripens over 90 days, and propionic bacteria give it even eyes.

Fully documentedCheese3.3 monthsTraditional food product (PAT, Regione Sardegna)Family: Cooked hard alpine cheese family (Comté, Gruyère and Emmentaler as templates)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedFarm dairies; the sheets give no batch size or doses. Two sizes are made, 2.5–4 kg and 10–12 kg.
Raw whole cow milk of Brown or Bruno-Sarda cows[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Whey starter made from the previous day's wheysometimes[pat-sheet]
Calf rennet[pat-sheet]
Salt, as saturated brine[pat-sheet]
Olive oilFor oiling the rind during ripening[pat-sheet]
Startersometimes a whey starter from the previous day's make

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.3 months

Start
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35–38 °C

What changes: Calf rennet goes into raw milk at 35–38 °C, which sets in 20–30 minutes

Step 1 of 8
Set with calf rennet
Time
20–30 min
Reported
Temperature
35–38 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

The raw milk is filtered, and a whey starter from the day before is sometimes added.

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 milk of Brown or Bruno-Sarda cows, sometimes with a whey starter from the day before, is set with calf rennet at 35–38 °C in 20–30 minutes. The curd is broken to rice or maize size, semi-cooked to 48 °C, shaped under the whey into a long cylinder, cut into portions, pressed about 8 hours and brined. After 10 days of drying it ripens over 90 days, and propionic bacteria give it even eyes. Made in 8 steps over 3.3 months. The longest step, ripen in a cellar, takes at least 3 months (Regione Autonoma della Sardegna). Propionic acid bacteria, which form the even, spread eyes does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 3 monthsReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Ripen in a cellar
Temperature35–38 °CReported[pat-sheet]Set with calf rennet

What makes this one different

A Gruyère-style cheese made only in Ozieri since the later 1800s, when Brown Swiss cattle and Swiss bulls came to the area. The curd is shaped under the whey into a log and cut, and propionic bacteria open its eyes.

Rind
Firm, smooth or slightly rough, straw yellow turning darker
Size
Traditional 2.5–4 kg, 18–22 cm across and 15–18 cm high; newer 10–12 kg, 38–40 cm across and 20–22 cm high
Season
Made all year

Related ferments

Safety

Made from raw milk, then brined, dried and ripened more than 90 days. ANSES names Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli as hazards of raw-milk cheeses and tells pregnant women, young children, people over 65 and people with weak immunity to avoid them, apart from cooked pressed kinds such as Gruyère.

History and sources

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

The regional sheet links the cheese to Brown Swiss cattle and Swiss bulls brought to Ozieri in the second half of the 1800s, and to local makers' contact with Gruyère cheesemakers. A Ministry of Agriculture dairy course at Sassari mentioned it in 1898–1899.

  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Autonoma della Sardegna, Assessorato dell'Agricoltura, Scheda identificativa dei prodotti tradizionali della Regione Sardegna, 'Greviera di Ozieri' (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), technical sheet 'Greviera di Ozieri'web
  3. [onaf] ONAF, cheese page 'Greviera di Ozieri' (id 372)web
  4. [anses2022] ANSES 2022, Fromages au lait cru, quels risques pour la santé et comment mieux les prévenir (8 April 2022)gov