TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Trentino Raw Milk Cheese Types
Another typical northern Italian delicacy produced throughout the Alpine valleys of Fassa and Fiemme, Puzzone di Moena, also known as Spretz Tzaorì, is a semi-cooked and semi-hard washed rind cheese made from raw cow's milk.
It is available either as Stagionato (matured) or Puzzone di Malga, a much sought-after variety made exclusively with milk from summer pastures. Puzzone di Moena is characterized by an intense aroma called puzza (lit. stink), and has a strong yet pleasantly salty flavor with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Trentingrana is an Italian Grana cheese hailing from Trento. The cheese is made from raw cow's milk and it ages for 22 months. The rind is thick and dark yellow in color, imprinted with the word Trentino on each wheel. The texture is hard, grainy, and compact, while the flavors are sweet, rich, and full.
The aftertaste is floral and delicate, with herbaceous and grassy hints. The cheese has been produced since 1926. It's recommended to eat it as it is or grate it over pasta. Trentingrana can also be used in salads and served with fresh fruit. Pair it with sparkling white wines or full-bodied red wines.
Tyrolean grey cheese is a variety of sour cow's milk cheese, traditionally made on lush Austrian pastures from skimmed milk which was previously left to curdle for several days. This cheese is extremely low in fat, it has a thin crackled rind and a crumbly texture.
Named after the grey colored mold which emerges on the surface right after maturation, Tiroler Graukäse exudes a strong, pungent aroma. It is typically crumbled over buttered wholemeal bread, but it is also an essential ingredient in many traditional Tyrolean dishes such as nettle soup with Kaspressknödeln, a variety of cheese dumplings, or Zillertal donuts.
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Tosella is an Italian fresh cheese hailing from Valle di Primiero in Trentino. The cheese is made from raw cow's milk that's whole or partially skimmed, on the same day of the milking, so it should be eaten as soon as possible. Originally, it was eaten by the mountain herdsmen.
The texture is soft and creamy, and the flavors are mild, milky, and slightly grassy. Tosella is often cut into slices, then browned in butter and served with local sausages and polenta on the side. It's recommended to pair it with a bottle of Prosecco.
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Vezzena is a traditional cheese hailing from Trento, where it's been produced in the alpine farms of Lavarone, Vezzena, and Folgaria since the early 1900s. The cheese is made from June to September from partially skimmed raw cow's milk and it's usually left to mature from 12 to 24 months.
There are a few versions of the cheese – fresh, medium-aged, aged, and extra-aged (more than 24 months). The texture is semi-hard, creamy, open, and buttery, while the grainy texture can be found in aged versions. The flavor is pleasantly bitter, herbaceous, piquant, intense, and earthy.
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Crucolo is an Italian cheese hailing from Trentino-Alto Adige region. Dating back to the 19th century, the cheese is made from raw cow's milk. The milk is of the highest quality because the cows graze on green grass along the banks of the Brenta River.
There are four versions – the sweet and fresh version (30 days of aging), the semi-hard version (60 days of aging), the version with Teroldego wine, and the giant version that weighs about 200 kg. Crucolo is typically moist, rich, and buttery, with a tangy finish, while the texture is dotted with eyes.
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Casolét is an Italian cheese produced in the mountains and valleys of Trentino-Alto Adige. The cheese is made from raw and pasteurized milk of cows that are reared in Peio Valley. The name is derived from the Latin caseoulus, meaning small cheese.
Casolét is made in various formats - squares, triangles, or even Rosa Camuna, an ancient drawing of a rose. Its thin orange rind is dusted with grey and white mold, hiding a straw-yellow paste underneath. The texture is supple with irregular eyes and the aromas are that of fermented fruits.
Named after the process of pressing the cheese, Spressa delle Giudicarie is made by hand according to the ancient recipe passed down from one generation to another. It is made with the milk of Rendena cows, and produced in the province of Trentino.
Traditionally made from leftover milk, after skimming off the cream to make butter, this is one of the oldest Alpine cheeses. The low-fat, semi-cooked and semi-hard Spressa cheese comes in two varieties: Giovane, ready for consumption after 3 months, and Stagionato, a more mature version which requires 6 months of aging.
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