STRACHITUNT
PDO

$17.99

An incomparable taste.

The history of Strachítunt dates back to the dawn of time. After several centuries of success, also at international level, the cheese had almost been forgotten. In recent years, however, we have witnessed its rebirth, thanks in part to the activities of the Consortium for the Protection of Strachítunt Valtaleggio. Today it is part of the aristocracy of cheeses and is one of Bergamo’s nine PDO cheeses.

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Description

The Consorzio Di Tutela Strachítunt Valtaleggio was established in the early 2000s with two main aims: to protect such a prized product, which had already been the subject of numerous imitations and mispronunciations, and to obtain Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. In order to preserve the identity and the uniqueness of Strachítunt, the specifications are very strict. The production territory includes four municipalities: Taleggio, Vedeseta, Gerosa (a hamlet of Valbrembilla) and Blello.

The milk must come from cattle reared on farms in the production zone, with 90% of the total coming from Bruna Alpina breed cows. These cows must be 65% grass and hay-fed and 90% must come from the Val Taleggio area. The Consortium currently has eleven cheese makers-ripeners working across the whole chain, all of whom are based within the territory envisaged by the specifications.

Characteristics

Strachítunt is a unique cheese because it is produced in a restricted geographical area, in compliance with extremely strict specifications, using a technique that is unmatched in the world, the roots of which dates back centuries. The air, water and grass of the Taleggio Valley give it an unparalleled flavour, born of the combination of the alchemy of nature and the wisdom of age-old gestures. The rind is thin and wrinkled. The paste is compact, marbled, softer under the rind and straw-white in colour, with the presence of streaks. The aroma is characteristic of blue cheeses, with notes that are initially slightly milky, then overpowered by metallic notes. The flavour is aromatic and intense, varying from sweet to piquant depending on the degree of ripeness, fragrant and fondant with a pleasant vegetable aftertaste.

The territory

Strachítunt has gone from being an important resource for families to providing work for companies, encouraging young people to set up new businesses in the Taleggio and Brembilla valleys. When the Consortium for the Protection of Strachítunt Valtaleggio was established 20 years ago, the main thought was to protect the product, the name, the context and the people who produced it. Today, the Consortium dreams of Strachítunt becoming a value for the territory. Nestled in the heart of the Prealpi Orobiche, on the right bank of the River Brembo, in an area that ranges from an altitude of 800 metres to over 1600 metres on the Piani di Artavaggio, the Val Taleggio is a land rich in water. It surprises visitors with its delightful hamlets, where a few examples of traditional stone roofs can still be seen, emerging among the pastures and meadows and the deep green of the woods. Its current physiognomy has been shaped over the centuries by agricultural, dairy and forestry work, favoured by a mild climate even in winter.

How it is made

The term Strachítunt derives from the Bergamasque translation of “round Stracchino”. It is a raw milk blue cheese belonging to the Stracchino family, with which it shares its origins and tradition. Strachítunt is made from whole cow’s milk using the ancient two-paste technique that consists of layering the evening curd (commonly known as “cold curd”, which is left to drain in linen cloths for at least 12 hours, with the morning curd (commonly known as “hot curd”). This combination produces a cylindrical cheese with flat faces with a diameter of 25-28 cm and a straight or slightly rounded heel of 15-18 cm. During the minimum maturing period of 75 days, holes are made in the two faces of each wheel to promote the development of moulds naturally found in the cheese, giving it possible bluish-green veins.

Maturing

The specifications allow a minimum maturing period of 75 days, although for connoisseurs the optimal storage time is around 3 months (during which the characteristic moulds will develop fully). During this period, the cheeses are perforated by hand, both on the heel and on both sides, using a copper needle. This procedure allows air to enter the cheese and create the moulds where the two different pastes have not amalgamated: the two curds, one made in the evening and the other in the morning, being characterised by different acidities and consistencies, do not amalgamate well, leaving spaces which fill with air following perforation. This is where marbling naturally begins to develop. The cheeses are matured in underground, concrete cellars which recreate the conditions that occurred naturally in the old maturing caves.

Consortium for the Protection of Strachítunt Pdo

The Consortium for the Protection of Strachítunt Valtaleggio was established in the early 2000s with two main aims: to protect such a prized product, which had already been the subject of numerous imitations and mispronunciations, and to obtain Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. In order to preserve the identity and the uniqueness of Strachítunt, the specifications are very strict. The production territory includes four municipalities: Taleggio, Vedeseta, Gerosa (a hamlet of Valbrembilla) and Blello. The milk must come from cattle reared on farms in the production zone, with 90% of the total coming from Bruna Alpina breed cows. These cows must be 65% grass and hay-fed and 90% must come from the Val Taleggio area. The Consortium currently has eleven cheese makers-ripeners working across the whole chain, all of whom are based within the territory envisaged by the specifications.

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