Formai de Mut dell’Alta Val Brembana DOP

The dialect name for this cheese means ‘Mountain cheese’ and it is made in 22 municipalities in the high Val Brembana on the borders with the Valtellina. It is eaten both fresh and ripened. The alpine pasture version (easily distinguished by its blue ink branding on the surface whilst the dairy version is red) is at its best after about six months ripening.

Organoleptic characteristics
Aspect and texture:	compact, more or less intense yellow paste with oval pinholes
Taste:	intense and rich with slight traces of animals and grass
Serving suggestions:	Full bodied red wines. Aromatic honey. Fresh fruit (Passacrassana pears). Hot marrow preserve. Black rye bread and ‘taragna’ polenta

Technical characteristics
Milk:	full fat, raw, cow’s milk
Production method:	artisan, alpine pasture
Paste:	cooked, pressed
Salting:	dry and in brine
Ripening:	at least 45 days
Production period:	throughout the year (summer alpine pasture)
Fats:	45 % F-Dm
Weight:	8 -12 kg
Size:	30-40 cm diameter, h.8-10 cm
Producers:	Dairies in the Val Brembana