Robiola di Roccaverano

Appearance & taste

Robiola di Roccaverano, also simply “Roccaverano”, is cylindrical with flat, slightly textured faces and somewhat outward-curving sides. The wheel measures 10 to 14 cm in diameter, is 2.5 to 4 cm high and weighs 250 to 400 g. From the third day of ripening it contains at least 40 % fat in dry matter. The paste is white and without holes.

As a fresh product, from the fourth to the tenth day of ripening, it has a thin natural mould coating or no rind at all; it is milk-white or straw-coloured, creamy and soft, with a delicately savoury to slightly acidic taste. As a refined product, from the eleventh day, it has a natural mould coating and is cream-coloured, straw-coloured or slightly reddish; the paste is soft, somewhat more compact with longer ripening and creamy just under the rind. The cheese melts on the tongue, with a delicate note of green grass and herbs; later it tastes stronger and more savoury of roasted hazelnuts, with a subtle goat aroma.

It is sold as a whole, packaged cheese with a sealing label. The logo shows a brown, stylised “R” with a crenellated tower modelled on one in Roccaverano, surrounded by a dark green ring bearing the word “Roccaverano”.

Production

Raw whole milk from goats of the Roccaverano and Camosciata Alpina breeds and their crosses is used, obtained from consecutive milkings within 24 or 48 hours. From 1 March to 30 November the goats are out on pasture; in addition they are given fresh or dry fodder, cereals, grain legumes and oil plants. More than 80 % of the feed comes from the area. Maize and grass silage and genetically modified feed are banned, as is milk from intensive livestock farming. Meadows, pastures and woodland are kept in a register.

The cheese is made all year round from lactic curd. Animal husbandry, milk production, processing and ripening take place in the area. It is also packaged there, because the soft fresh cheese without a rind dries out easily and cannot be permanently marked during production.

Origin & history

The area lies in the hills of the Langa. The clayey soils on marl retain water well. The climate is continental, with harsh, snowy winters and a rapid transition to summer heat at the end of June; spring and summer have little rain and are very dry in some years. The species-rich meadows are dominated by grasses such as ryegrass, cocksfoot, fescue and meadow grass, legumes such as mountain clover and bird’s-foot trefoil and many herbs, including wild carrot, sage, lavender, thyme, rue and dog rose. The goats also graze in the woods, which protect them from the heat in summer. According to the specification, the aromas of this flora are found again in the milk and the cheese.

A manuscript by the priest Pistone from 1899 tells the history of the parish of Roccaverano from 960 to 1860. It mentions five fairs a year at which the “excellent Robiola cheeses” were also sold abroad; Robiola was known in Italy and in France at the time. In a jar, preserved in oil or on straw, the cheese can be kept for up to six months.