Traditional Bergamo cheese: the Cremasco save
Salva Cremasco DOP is a very tasty cheese that is produced in the Lombardy region, more specifically in the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia, Milan, Cremona, Lecco and Lodi. It is a soft, raw table cheese with a washed rind, which is often flavored with edible oil, pomace or aromatic herbs.
Identikit
- Soft cheese with hard and crumbly texture
- Fairly soft undercrust
- Traditional cubic shape
- Straw white paste
- Wrinkled and consistent crust
- Buttery flavor with an aftertaste of undergrowth, aromatic and intense
- Capital letters “SC” engraved on one face of the shape
Save Cremasco DOP: a bit of history
Salva Cremasco, or hardened Cremasco stracchino (strachì da sàlva), made its first appearance in the Middle Ages out of pure necessity: to "save" the surplus of daily milk not used by the family and to conserve milk during transhumance in the mountain pastures. In the Bergamo and Lombardy areas, in fact, among the mountain populations it was a common practice to process the milk and preserve it in the form of cheese so that it could be eaten even months later during long absences from the farmers' homes: easy to transport and keep. In winter it was also used as money to pay the rent of pastures in the plains.
From being a tradition for pure survival, it then became a common practice to consume it even in the populations of the plain, in particular in the Crema area. It is precisely in the fortified village of Crema that, around the year 1000, the trade and sale of dairy products began where Salva was the protagonist. From there, its fame has only increased, arriving today to be recognized with the DOP denomination - “Protected Designation of Origin” -.
Obviously, this nomenclature is not given to every Salva produced in Italy but only if the entire production process of the shapes takes place in companies located in the provinces of Bergamo, Cremona, Brescia, Lecco, Milan and Lodi. These are the historical territories that have been part of the "Consorzio Tutela Salva Cremasco" since 2011 and which can therefore boast official recognition from the European Union as areas of Lombard DOP cheeses. Since then, the official nomenclature for this fabulous cheese is “SALVA CREMASCO DOP REG. (EU) No. 1377/2011”.
The production of Salva Cremasco
To make the typical Salva Cremasco DOP cheese, whole cow's milk from guaranteed and certified farms in the Lombardy province is used. The first phase is the coagulation of the milk which is strictly carried out at 32/40°C, then the curd is processed and placed in square molds in order to obtain its typical cubic parallelepiped shape.
After stewing for 8/16 hours and subsequent salting of the rind with damp cloths, the Salva is left to mature for a minimum of 75 days, but the Salva Cremasco DOP can also mature for 8/12 months. During maturation, the Salva Cremasco wheels are constantly treated with cloths soaked in salt and water, turned often and - sometimes - oiled and brushed.
How to taste it
Salva Cremasco DOP loves to pair with delicate or very strong products, being an important cheese that often tends to overpower the flavours. A typical Lombard recipe involves pairing it with pickled chillies and seasoned with oil and salt: try it to believe it! In the kitchen, Salva Cremasco DOP is suitable for tasty appetizers, for creaming risottos, for flavoring omelettes and pastas, for giving a boost to soufflés or simply enjoyed alone combined with mustards, spiced honeys or fruit jams.
Although it is a cheese with character, it is excellent paired with red wines with an important structure - such as Barbera d'Asti 2018 -, brut sparkling wines or light beers .
Bovì and Dairy Taddei
The Salva Cremasco that you find on our website is produced by Caseificio Taddei which offers DOP cheese processing with the Consorzio Tutela Salva Cremasco brand. A dairy company that over the years has specialized in the production and maturing of cheeses linked to the tradition of the territory, continuing to promote artisanal processing which has always been the added value of the company.
The milk for the production of Salva Cremasco DOP comes from farms that follow our mentality in guaranteeing animal welfare, certified and following a minimum 75-day maturation of the cheese, guaranteeing the taste of a unique dairy product, with a long persistence on the palate. Production takes place according to the regulations of the Protection Consortium, as for the other Protected Designation of Origin cheeses such as: Taleggio DOP with blue writing and Taleggio DOP with red writing .
