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Cheese from Italy, Piemonte

Salagnùn

A dairy preparation made from another cheese. A fresh toma-type cheese is set at 37 °C, semi-cooked at 42 °C and kept warm 4–5 hours at 35 °C. After 3 days in the hoop it is crumbled with salt, pepper and cumin seed, packed into a wooden box and kept 90 days at 10 °C and about 85% humidity.

Fully documentedCheese3.1 monthsPAT (traditional agri-food product, Piemonte; D.D. 460/2015, product I 06)Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe regional sheet gives no doses for the salt and spices. A block weighs 8.0–15.0 kg.
A fresh toma-type cow cheese made for the SalagnùnOnce a way to use up unsellable or faulty cheeses and ricotta[pat-sheet]
Salt[pat-sheet]
Pepper[pat-sheet]
Cumin seed[pat-sheet]

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.1 months

Start
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37 °C

What changes: Rennet sets the cow milk for the base toma at 37 °C

Step 1 of 6
Set the base toma
Time
Not documented
Temperature
37 °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

A dairy preparation made from another cheese. A fresh toma-type cheese is set at 37 °C, semi-cooked at 42 °C and kept warm 4–5 hours at 35 °C. After 3 days in the hoop it is crumbled with salt, pepper and cumin seed, packed into a wooden box and kept 90 days at 10 °C and about 85% humidity. Made in 6 steps over 3.1 months. The longest step, mature in the box, takes 3 months (Regione Piemonte 2015) and runs at 10 °C (Regione Piemonte 2015).

Key numbers
Main step3 monthsReported[pat-sheet]Mature in the box
Temperature10 °CReported[pat-sheet]Mature in the box

What makes this one different

Not a cheese made from milk but one made from another cheese, crumbled with salt and spices and matured three months in a box. It was once a way to save faulty cheese; now a toma is made just for it.

Size
Rectangular block of 8.0–15.0 kg
Rind
A light dark-ochre outside colour

Related ferments

Safety

The regional sheet warns to keep the box covered against insects, to watch for too much moisture (which raises water activity) and to use well-kept spices. Its 2004 survey found no Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes or staphylococcal enterotoxins in 3 lots, and rated the hygiene medium-high, also because of the large amount of salt and spices added.

Hazards the sources name: Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and staphylococcal enterotoxins (tested for in 3 lots and not found; coagulase-positive staphylococci and E. coli low).

History and sources

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

The regional sheet says it arose in past centuries as a way to use up unsellable or faulty cheese and ricotta; for some time now a single toma has been made just for it. The ONAF sheet adds that it was made only in late summer or early autumn, when milk was scarce, by cutting already aged cheese into small pieces to add to the food reserve. Both sheets cite Del Forno (1981) and Doglio (1996).

Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Piemonte, D.D. 24 July 2015 n. 460 (BU38S1, 24 September 2015), Schede tecniche prodotti PAT, category I product 06 'Salagnùn' (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), technical sheet 'Salagnùn' (PAT Regione Piemonte)web
  3. [onaf] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), cheese page 'Salagnùn' (id 764)web