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Cheese from Italy, Piemonte

Toma di Celle

Fresh or well-chilled whole cow milk that has not begun to sour is set with calf rennet at about 36–38 °C for an hour or so. The curd is cut once to walnut or hazelnut size to keep it moist, drained 10–12 hours in a cloth-lined mould and chilled at 4 °C, with little or no salt. It is eaten the next day.

Fully documentedCheese11 h – 14 hTraditional food product (PAT, Piemonte)Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedA fresh cheese with no fixed amounts; the sheets give no milk volume or rennet dose. A cheese weighs 1.0–1.5 kg.
Whole cow milk, freshly milked or well chilled, raw (pasteurised is also allowed)Once made from skimmed evening milk mixed with warm morning milk, to keep cream for butter[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Calf rennet[onaf-sheet]
Fine salt (optional, very light)[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]

Total time across the recorded steps: 11 h – 14 h

Start
Drag the bar or press Play

What changes: Fresh whole cow milk that has not soured goes into the vat

Step 1 of 5
Take sweet milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

The milk must not have begun to sour, so it is used just after milking or well chilled.

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

Fresh or well-chilled whole cow milk that has not begun to sour is set with calf rennet at about 36–38 °C for an hour or so. The curd is cut once to walnut or hazelnut size to keep it moist, drained 10–12 hours in a cloth-lined mould and chilled at 4 °C, with little or no salt. It is eaten the next day. Made in 5 steps over 11 h – 14 h. The longest step, drain in a cloth-lined mould, takes 10–12 h (Regione Piemonte 2015).

Key numbers
Main step10–12 hReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Drain in a cloth-lined mould
Temperature36–38 °CReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Set the curd

What makes this one different

Very fresh, moist, sweet cow toma eaten next day, salted very lightly or not at all. The curd is cut once to walnut or hazelnut size and not cooked, so it keeps its moisture.

Rind
None; edible throughout, cloth-weave marks
Size
1.0–1.5 kg; slumped cylinder ø 20–30 cm, side 3–5 cm
Serving
Traditionally with boiled mountain potatoes and garlic mayonnaise (aioli), or with bagnèt verd

Related ferments

Safety

The drained cheese is kept at 4 °C until sale to stop draining and unwanted microbial growth, and it is eaten the next day. The regional sheet gives its pH as 6.0–6.5, a fresh, moist cheese without high acidity, and says safety rests on good raw milk, hygiene and the cold chain. It suggests pasteurising when raw milk is used, though the rules do not require it. Raw milk is allowed. The CDC says pregnant women, newborns, people 65 or older and people with weak immunity should avoid any cheese made with raw milk unless it is heated to 165 °F (74 °C) or until steaming hot. It gives the same advice for queso fresco and similar fresh, soft cheeses, even when made with pasteurised milk.

History and sources

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

ONAF's page, on the history of the village of Celle, says its first document is a 1277 arbitration over grazing rights on the pastures of grange Martini. The losing community of Castelmagno had to pay some wheels of cheese each year to the Marquis of Saluzzo. It also quotes an 1895 book, La provincia di Cuneo, saying the territory's pastures supported many cattle that produced fine cheeses and butter.

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, D.D. 24 July 2015 n. 460, Schede tecniche prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali (BU 38S1, 24/09/2015), category D product 33 'Toma di Celle' (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters), technical sheet 'Toma di Celle'web
  3. [onaf] ONAF, cheese page 'Toma di Celle' (id 477)web
  4. [cdc-listeria] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Listeria Infectiongov