Bitto DOP
Bitto DOP, named after a stream in Valtellina, is a historic raw-milk mountain cheese, renowned for its extraordinary longevity, which can exceed ten years. Its production is an ancient art, limited to the summer months (June to September) when the herds graze at high altitude.
Produced exclusively on select Alpine pastures in the valleys of the province of Sondrio and surrounding areas, its uniqueness lies in the processing of fresh cow’s milk, to which a mandatory percentage of raw goat’s milk (generally between 10% and 20%) is added, essential for its complex aromatic profile. Processing often still takes place in traditional “calecc,” small mountain dairy farms.
Download product sheetCharacteristics
Region
Milk Origin
Appearance
Hard, straw-yellow paste with very fine eyes; the rind is slightly convex (when fresh, the paste is soft and elastic).
Taste
Intense, rich, dry, with light animal notes, notes of grass and harmonious hints of goat’s milk
Pairings
Full-bodied, aged red wines. Chestnut honey, blueberry jam. Rye bread, pizzoccheri, and Valtellina sciatt (buckwheat fritters stuffed with Bitto cheese).
Technical specifications
| Milk | cow's and goat's milk, raw, whole milk |
|---|---|
| Processing | mountain pasture |
| Cheese paste | cooked, pressed |
| Salting | Dry salting and brine |
| Seasoning | min. 70 days (fresh); min. six months (aged) |
| Production | Summer |
| Fat | 45% Mgss |
| Weight | 8-12 kg |
| Diameter | diameter 30-50 cm, h. 8-10 |
| Producers | Alpine cheesemakers of Valtellina |
| Whole Cheese Code | 1002310 |
| Cutted Cheese Code | 1002311 |
