Grasso d’Alpe Monscera
The history of mountain pastures in the Ossola Valley has been documented since the first half of the 11th century. The Ossola mountains, even at high altitude, offer wide, well-sheltered pastures for grazing animals. From these characteristics, local mountain farmers have succeeded over the centuries in producing highly prized cheeses. A prime example is the summer production on the Monscera mountain pasture (2,100 meters above sea level): extremely limited quantities, just a few hundred cheeses per year, are processed in July and August and then brought back down to the valley by mule.
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Characteristics
Region
Milk Origin
Appearance
intense straw-coloured paste, compact, with dense bird’s eye or larger holes
Taste
very intense, flavorful, with notes of alpine herbs and barn
Pairings
Full-bodied red wines. Aromatic honey. Fresh fruit (Passacrassana pear). Black rye bread, polenta.
Technical specifications
| Milk | cow's milk, raw, whole milk |
|---|---|
| Processing | mountain pasture |
| Cheese paste | cooked, pressed |
| Salting | Dry salting and brine |
| Seasoning | minimum 60 days |
| Production | Summer |
| Fat | 45% Mgss |
| Weight | 5-7 kg |
| Dimensions | d. 30-40 cm, h. 10-15 cm |
| Producers | cheesemakers from the Ossola valleys |
| Whole Cheese Code | 7500058 |
| Cutted Cheese Code | 7500059 |
