Salva Cremasco

Appearance & taste

Salva Cremasco has the shape of a block with flat faces 17 to 19 cm long and 11 to 13 cm wide and a straight side 9 to 15 cm high; the cheeses weigh 1.3 to 1.9 kg or 3 to 5 kg. According to the specification, this shape sets it apart from other Italian and Lombard cheeses. The thin rind is smooth, medium-firm and sometimes covered with surface mould. The paste is rather compact, crumbly, sometimes slightly floury, with a few irregularly distributed holes; because of its high acidity it does not spring back elastically when pressed with a finger. Because the cheese ripens from the outside in, the paste directly under the rind is softer. It is white, and with longer ripening rather straw-coloured under the rind. The cheese contains at least 53 % dry matter and at least 48 % fat in dry matter.

The smell is very intense and spicy and is mainly reminiscent of citrus fruit and heated butter with a hint of lactic acid; the aroma is even more intense. The taste becomes stronger with ripening, is only slightly salty and has, especially near the rind, a slightly bitter note reminiscent of fresh grass.

The marking is embossed on one face of the whole cheese only. Each pack bears a label with “Salva Cremasco” DOP in lettering clearly larger than all other information, the EU logo and the square logo of the designation of origin.

Production

Raw whole milk from cows of the Frisona italiana and Bruna Alpina breeds, which predominate in the area, is used. At least 60 % of the dry matter of the feed comes from the area: green fodder, hay, straw and silage from permanent and temporary grassland, such as grass and herbs with lucerne and clover, ryegrass, cereals and green maize. This is supplemented with cereals, oilseeds, pulses and other authorised feed.

According to the specification, the cheesemaker needs a great deal of experience when salting the curd, because the success of ripening from the outside in depends on the balance between the distribution of the salt and the development of the microflora on the surface. Ripening takes at least 75 days on wood, which lets the cheese breathe and lets excess whey drain away. During this time the rind of each cheese is washed and brushed with water and salt or edible oil, grape marc and herbs. By inspecting and feeling the cheeses, the cheesemaker makes sure that they stay elastic and that the mould does not develop too quickly.

Milk production, processing and ripening take place in the area. Portioning and packing are also done there, in rooms next to the ripening rooms; the pieces are wrapped in food paper so that no moisture forms and the thin rind is not damaged.

Origin & history

The area covers the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi and Milan and thus part of the Po Valley, which was a centre of winter grazing and of milk and cheese production as early as the Middle Ages. Thanks to historical land reclamation, cereals and plentiful fodder thrive here, which favours keeping dairy cows.

The ripening rooms of many dairies play an important role. New cheeses are stored directly after production together with older ones, which pass on their naturally formed moulds to them. Over many years a distinctive microflora has thus developed in the rooms, which according to the specification cannot be transferred and contributes to the thin rind and to the taste, colour and appearance of the cheese.

The rectangular moulds into which the curd was traditionally filled still determine the size and weight of the cheeses. According to the specification, frescoes from the 17th and 18th centuries show small Salva Cremasco cheeses. The name goes back to the once widespread custom of keeping (“salvare”) the milk that exceeded daily needs and making this cheese from it.