Fact Sheet
Malga Cheese
Category:
Semi-hard, mature, high-fat cheese
The Product:
Malga Carnia cheese, Cacio di Carnia cheese
Description:
It has a cylindrical shape with straight edges; approximately 4-5cms high with an average diameter of 25cms. It has a smooth, natural rind and straw-colored paste with irregular-sized but evenly distributed holes or eyes; it has a pronounced, sometimes slightly bitter, but pleasant taste.
Processing, preserving and aging:
Tradition has it that to produce the malga cheese, you must combine partly skimmed milk obtained in the evening with whole raw milk from the morning. Sometimes 10-15% goat's milk can be added.
The milk must come from cows that have grazed at high altitude and must be processed raw to preserve the microbial and enzymatic properties that guarantee the correct transformation during maturation.
The breaking of the curd, which follows the coagulation phase with bovine rennet, is performed by hand, using a curd cutting tool until bean-size granules are obtained.
Heat treatment then follows at 33-39°C after which the curd is left to settle and stand so as to obtain an adequate purge. Then you proceed with the extraction using a cloth and placing it into the mold.
The forms are lightly pressed until the evening (6-8 hours) and then left to rest at room temperature until the next morning, when they are immersed in saline for 24-48 hours.
The aging must be carried out in a cool environment on wooden boards and in these conditions the cheese reaches the correct level of sapidity after about 30 days. If it is aged for a longer period it can also be used as a grating cheese.
Equipment and materials used in the preparation:
Large vats and tanks for milk storage, boilers or copper pots and wood fires for heating, a wooden curd knife for stirring, a curd breaker, molds to give the cheese shape and wooden boards for the aging process.
Malga Alta Carnia
Via Sauris di Sotto, 98A
33020 - Sauris (UD) Italy
Write us:
info@malgacarniaformaggi.it
