Raschera

Appearance & taste

Raschera comes in round and square form, each with flat top and bottom faces. The round wheel measures 30 to 40 cm in diameter, has slightly convex sides 6 to 9 cm high and weighs 5 to 9 kg. The square wheel has sides 28 to 40 cm long, an irregular edge 7 to 15 cm high and weighs 6 to 10 kg. According to the specification, it makes the cheese instantly recognisable and has largely replaced the round form, which today accounts for less than 3 % of production.

The rind is thin, elastic, smooth and regular, grey or reddish, sometimes with yellowish specks and reddish patches at the edges that become more distinct with ripening; it is not edible. The reddish colouring occurs above all in the mountain-pasture cheese and is due to certain moulds. The paste is white or ivory, relatively firm and elastic, with a few small, irregularly distributed holes and occasionally a delicate natural veining near the rind. The specification describes the taste as fine and delicate, with a characteristic aroma that in the mountain-pasture cheese recalls mountain grasses; with longer ripening a slightly sharp, spicy note is added. The cheese contains at least 32 % fat in dry matter.

A stylised “R” with the three-digit number of the dairy or ripening business is branded onto the middle of one flat face; on “Raschera d’Alpeggio” there is a small “a” inside the “R”. In addition there is a paper label with a green background, yellow for the mountain-pasture cheese.

Production

The cows, sheep and goats feed primarily on fresh or stored green fodder or hay from meadows and pastures, mostly obtained in the area. The milk may be given a germicidal treatment, partly skimmed by skimming and inoculated with milk enzymes or natural starter cultures. Animal rennet must contain at least 80 % chymosin; non-animal coagulants are also allowed. The curd is carefully broken up until it is the size of maize grains; according to the specification, the elastic structure and the typical holes depend on this. Ripening takes place in natural rock cellars or in climate chambers that exactly reproduce their humidity and temperature; these conditions determine the mould growth and the thickness and elasticity of the rind.

“Raschera d’Alpeggio” is made from the milk of animals that graze on mountain pastures from 1 June to 15 October; at most 10 % of the daily dry matter may be supplementary feed. It is made and ripened only in nine municipalities, including Frabosa Soprana, Ormea and Pamparato; milk production and ripening there take place above 900 m. Animal husbandry, milk production and processing take place in the area.

Origin & history

The pastures in the Maritime Alps lie between the Ligurian Sea and the Po plain. The climate is rainy and mild thanks to the nearby sea, and many grasses grow on the pastures, including more than 100 endemic species; according to the specification, they give the milk its typical aromas. The influence of the sea can also be felt in the hills and the plain of Cuneo; the loose, fertile alluvial soils provide nutrient-rich grass and hay.

For over 100 years Raschera has been a typical cheese of the pasture areas around Mondovì. Later production spread to the plain of Cuneo, where many herds are driven in winter to be fed on hay. According to the specification, people, above all in the countryside, say “a Raschera” when they mean a particularly good cheese.