Silter

Appearance & taste

Silter is cylindrical, 34 to 40 cm in diameter, with a straight or slightly convex side 8 to 10 cm high; at the end of ripening it weighs 10 to 16 kg. The rind is hard and, depending on oiling and ripening, straw-yellow tending towards brown. The paste is firm, crumbly and not very elastic, with evenly distributed small to medium holes. Its colour ranges from white in winter to deep yellow in spring and summer. The cheese contains 27 to 45 % fat in dry matter and at most 40 % water.

The taste is mild, with no or almost no bitter notes; cheese ripened for a long time develops savoury or sharp notes. According to the specification, the scent and aroma are long-lasting and are reminiscent of, among other things, dried fruit, butter and milk from grazing cows, green or dry fodder, chestnut flour and the ripening rooms themselves.

The side of the wheel bears a sequence of images from Camunian rock drawings and two edelweiss. After 100 days the brand mark is applied to at least one face: the lettering “SILTER” in an arc, below it two edelweiss with a rock drawing showing a ploughing scene, and in the middle “g. U.” (PDO). Cheese from the alpine pastures is marked accordingly.

Production

At least 80 % of the dairy cows of each farm belong to the mountain breeds Brown Swiss, Alpine Grey and spotted Red cattle, at least 60 % to Brown Swiss. The cows eat grass and hay; silage is prohibited. At least 50 % of the annual feed dry matter comes from the area; concentrates make up less than 40 % of the ration, and at most 30 % on the alpine pastures. Grazing is not compulsory but is widely practised in spring and autumn on the valley meadows and in summer on the alpine pastures.

The cheese is made all year round from raw milk that is partly skimmed only by creaming: it rests for at least eight hours in a cool, ventilated environment, during which the native lactic acid bacteria multiply. The cheesemakers also use a starter selected from the native microflora. The curd is heated and rests for a total of at least two hours in the vat under the whey; this gives the paste its crumbliness. Then the cheese is pressed. It ripens for at least 100 days on wooden boards, in some cases still today in the traditional ripening rooms at a natural 7 to 20 °C and 70 to 90 % humidity, and is oiled, scraped and turned regularly. Keeping of the cows, cheesemaking and ripening take place in the area. Pieces must bear part of the marked side or face.

Origin & history

The area lies in the pre-Alpine and Alpine zone of the province of Brescia, between Lake Iseo in the south and the Adamello massif in the north. Soils and climate range from the submontane to the subalpine belt, with species-rich meadows and pastures including sweet vernal grass and yarrow. Valley meadows and May hay feed the cows in winter, and 120 alpine pastures provide summer grazing. Plants in the feed contain aromatic substances such as coumarin, and their varying carotenoid content determines how yellow the paste becomes.

Silter is made on numerous farms, including small ones, which process their own milk using traditional methods. The cheesemakers adapt the processing times to the climate and the feed, from the mild climate on Lake Iseo to the harsh climate near the Adamello glacier. The long ripening made the cheese keep for a long time; according to the specification, it has always been the main source of food for the valley’s inhabitants and ensured them food all year round.