Italy is one of the countries producing most of the Cheese used around the world. It produces over 450 varieties of cheese. One of its famous variations is Bagoss Cheese. It belongs to Grana family and is produced in Alpine Pastures. The word Bagoss means ’from Bagolino’. Bagoss is a strong salty cheese. It is a semi-fat and extra hard cheese. It has an intense flavor. It is colored with saffron from the commune of Bagolino. Saffron makes it aromatic and gives it a yellow color. It is regularly oiled with Linseed Oil. Linseed oil leaves brown color on the surface of the cheese. The aged cheese has the more intense taste. It ages 18 months and in rare cases 2 to 3 years. It weighs around 14kg to 17kg. Its texture is hard, dry and pin holed. It is 35cm to 40cm in diameter and 10cm to 15cm in height. Bagoss cheese is in very high demand from Tokyo to New York and is very expensive.
The Quality:
The quality of cheese depends on the pastureland it comes from. Bagoss cheese is produced in small quantities. This cheese owes its taste to the Bruna Alpina cows that are taken to graze the rich grass of mountain pastures and are milked twice a day. The slight variation in taste is because of the different species of plants and flowers. The best bagoss cheese is made from summer milk. 300 liters of milk is required to make a wheel of bagoss cheese that’s why it is expensive.
Method of production:
- Filtering process: The filtering process is carried out by passing milk through sieves. The milk then falls into a bucket that has holes in the bottom. Then it goes to the wooden tubs.
- Alpine Butter: The cream that rises on the surface of the milk in the wooden tub becomes Alpine butter.
- Adding color and aroma: When milk temperature rises to 39 degrees, traditional animal rennet and a pinch of saffron powder is added to grant color and aroma to the cheese. Rennet breaks the mixture.
- Cooking the cheese: The cheese goes on cooking when the mixture is broken up.
- Shaping the wheel: Once the cheese is cooked, it is poured in plastic bags that give shape to the wheel.
- Salting process: The 40 days salting process is carried out strictly by hand every fortnight.
- Management: In order to give the typical yellow color of bagoss cheese to the wheel it is scraped, cleaned and oiled delicately with linseed oil.
Now the Bagoss cheese is ready and is all set to send to the store. It is recommended to store the cheese in the refrigerator.
The Bagoss Cheese makes the taste even better!
The delightful taste of bagoss cheese can be enjoyed in several ways. Stuff your burger with it and feel like heaven. You can use it for the preparation fillings too. It can make any Pasta 2x yummier if it is grated upon it. Cream any rice with bagoss cheese and thank me later!
