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Cheese from Austria, Tyrol, the Paznaun valley and its side valleys

Paznauner AlmkäsePaznauner Almkas

Raw milk from cows on high alpine pasture is skimmed by hand to the wanted fat level, given calf rennet and lactic bacteria, and the curd is heated to 35–52 °C. The pressed wheels are brined or dry-salted and ripen at least six weeks in natural cellars, smeared with salt water, sometimes with a red-smear culture. It is made only during the 90–120 days of the alpine summer.

Fully documentedCheese42 daysnone (listed in the Austrian register of traditional foods)Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedNo published amounts. Wheels weigh 3.5–5 kg.
Raw cow milkHay milk; cows fed only grass and hay, no silage[bmluk]
Calf rennetRennet substitutes and genetically made rennet are not allowed[bmluk]
Lactic acid bacteria[bmluk]
SaltAs brine or dry salt, and in the salt water used to smear the rind[bmluk]
Red-smear cultureoptionalAdded to the salt water early in ripening[bmluk]
Starteradded lactic acid bacteria

Total time across the recorded steps: 42 days

Start
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What changes: Cream rises on the raw milk and is skimmed off by hand

Step 1 of 6
Skim the raw milk by hand
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Milk is traditionally poured into low wooden vessels (Stotzen) and skimmed by hand to the wanted fat level.

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 milk from cows on high alpine pasture is skimmed by hand to the wanted fat level, given calf rennet and lactic bacteria, and the curd is heated to 35–52 °C. The pressed wheels are brined or dry-salted and ripen at least six weeks in natural cellars, smeared with salt water, sometimes with a red-smear culture. It is made only during the 90–120 days of the alpine summer. Made in 6 steps over 42 days. The longest step, smear and ripen in a natural cellar, takes at least 42 days (Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture (BMLUK)). Added lactic acid bacteria does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 42 daysReported[bmluk]Smear and ripen in a natural cellar
Temperature35–52 °CReported[bmluk]Heat the curd

What makes this one different

Under the Austrian food code the name Alm or Alp normally belongs to hard cheeses; Paznauner Almkäse is a semi-hard cheese ripened only six weeks, though its curd is heated to hard-cheese temperatures. Cheese made on the valley farms outside the alpine season is sold as Paznauner Käse instead.

Composition
Fat at least 25 % of dry matter; made in levels from half-fat to full-fat
Size
Wheels of 3.5–5 kg, never blocks
Season
Only during the 90–120 days of the alpine grazing season
Rind
Firm, yellow to brownish, no cracks, sometimes with a thin dried smear

Related ferments

Safety

Made from raw milk and ripened at least 6 weeks. The Austrian ministry text says the wide heating range of 35 to 52 °C gives a hygienic safety almost equal to that of hard cheese. CDC says eating products made from raw milk can expose people to germs. Its Listeria guidance tells pregnant women, newborns, adults 65 and over and people with weakened immune systems to avoid any cheese made from 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 ministry register says high and late medieval sources call alpine cheese 'casei alpini' or 'alpchaese', and that a 1544 record in the Tyrolean state archive attests the making of a long-keeping cheese in the region. The Paznaun tourist board says that for centuries alpine milk in the region went mainly into butter, with cheese a by-product of the skimmed milk. In October 2007 it was named a GENUSS REGION ÖSTERREICH at the Innsbruck autumn fair.

  1. [bmluk] Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture (BMLUK), Traditionelle Lebensmittel in Österreich, 'Paznauner Almkäse'gov
  2. [paznaun-tvb] Tourismusverband Paznaun – Ischgl 2024, How Paznaun became a cheese hub (17 September 2024)web
  3. [pts2007] pressetext (pts20071012001), 'Neue Genussregionen in Tirol ausgezeichnet', Innsbruck, 12 October 2007 (press release)web
  4. [cdc-raw-milk] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Raw Milk (31 January 2025)gov
  5. [cdc-listeria] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Listeria Infectiongov