Çuç di Mont
Çuç di Mont
The summer-pasture cheese of Carnia, the Val Canale, the Canal del Ferro and the Friulian Dolomites, where moving the herds up to the alpine meadows is thousands of years old; documents of the Patriarchate of Aquileia were already setting rules for the pastures before the year 1000. Pastures were assigned by rotation, so a farmer rarely held the same one twice, and the making of formadi di mont, çuç in Friulian, travelled with the families rather than with the place. The cheese is little known today.
Designation
- Certification
- Slow Food Presidium
- Category
- Cheeses
Where it is made
Friulian Dolomites, Carnic Alps and Prealps, Julian Alps and Prealps, Pordenone and Udine provinces
How it is made
The previous evening's raw part-skimmed milk is mixed with fresh milk in the cauldron; at 32 to 36 degrees calf rennet goes in and the curd is cut to the size of rice grains, then cooked at 44 to 47 degrees for about half an hour. After a rest it is lifted out by hand in a linen cloth, moulded, pressed and turned several times, brined overnight and dried on wooden boards, then cleaned and turned daily. Made from late May to late September, 45 days minimum, but at its best after a year.