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Cheese from Italy, Piemonte

Montegranero

Raw whole cow milk from one milking is warmed to 36–38 °C and set with calf rennet in 35–40 minutes. The curd is cut in a cross, rested, broken to rice size and semi-cooked to 48 °C with stirring, then pressed up to 12 hours and salted. It ripens at least 4 months at about 8–12 °C.

Fully documentedCheese4 monthsTraditional food product (PAT, Piemonte, DD 24 July 2015 n. 460)Family: Cooked hard alpine cheese family (Comté, Gruyère and Emmentaler as templates)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe sheet doses the rennet by setting time and gives no batch size. A wheel weighs 6–10 kg.
Raw whole cow milk of one milking[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Calf rennet, enough to set in 35–40 minutes[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Salt, dry or as brine[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]

Total time across the recorded steps: 4 months

Start
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36–38 °C

What changes: Calf rennet sets the warmed whole milk at 36–38 °C in 35–40 minutes

Step 1 of 6
Set with calf rennet
Time
35–40 min
Reported
Temperature
36–38 °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 from one milking is warmed to 36–38 °C and set with calf rennet in 35–40 minutes. The curd is cut in a cross, rested, broken to rice size and semi-cooked to 48 °C with stirring, then pressed up to 12 hours and salted. It ripens at least 4 months at about 8–12 °C. Made in 6 steps over 4 months. The longest step, ripen in a cellar, takes at least 4 months (Regione Piemonte 2015) and runs at 8–12 °C (Regione Piemonte 2015).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 4 monthsReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Ripen in a cellar
Temperature8–12 °CReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Ripen in a cellar

What makes this one different

One of the few Piedmont cheeses whose curd is really cooked, to 48 °C. It was the summer cheese of farmers who stayed in the valley while others went up to the alpine pastures.

Rind
Hard, smooth, deep straw or light brown, sometimes with moulds
Size
Cylinder 30–35 cm across and 10–15 cm high, 6–10 kg
Season
June to September (ONAF)

Related ferments

Safety

Made from raw milk. The curd is cooked to 48 °C and the cheese ripens at least 4 months. The regional sheet says the process has no risks beyond those of normal cheese-making, but it reports no tests. The US FDA says ageing raw-milk cheese for 60 days may not eliminate or adequately reduce E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, and Listeria may grow in some cheeses during ageing. The US CDC says people at higher risk of Listeria infection, including pregnant women, people 65 or older and people with weak immunity, should avoid cheese made with raw milk unless it is heated to 165 °F (74 °C) or until steaming hot.

History and sources

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

The sheet records sales in the villages of the upper Val Pellice since the mid-19th century.

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, Schede tecniche prodotti PAT 2015, D.D. 24 July 2015 n. 460 (BU 38S1, 24/09/2015), Category D product 18 'Montegranero' (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters), technical sheet 'Montegranero'web
  3. [onaf] ONAF, cheese page 'Montegranero' (id 461)web
  4. [fda-rawcheese2016] US Food and Drug Administration 2016, FY 2014–2016 Microbiological Sampling Assignment Summary Report, Raw Milk Cheese Aged 60 Daysgov
  5. [cdc-listeria] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Listeria Infectiongov