Bettelmatt

region: Piemonte | production: July–September | aging: 60 days | form: 4–6 kg | pasteurization: no

Bettelmatt cheese is a gem of alpine dairy tradition, produced by only eight dairies in Piemonte, and only during the summer months, when the herds graze high in the mountains. Local shepherds have been making this unique cheese since the 13th century, and the method of production has remained unchanged to this day. Unlike other cheeses, the entire production process is still done by hand, in mountain huts, without the help of machines, without pasteurization and without preservatives.   

To make Bettelmatt, only summer raw whole milk from the local Bruna Alpina breed of cows is used. For just two months a year, the herds are taken to high mountain pastures between the valleys of Valle Antigorio and Val Formazza at an altitude of around 2,200 meters, where they graze on a unique mix of grasses and aromatic herbs. The grazed food strongly influences the quality and taste of the milk, and therefore the milk from this area is significantly different in flavor from the milk of cows grazing on other alpine meadows.

The milk is processed directly in the mountains, twice a day, after morning and evening milking. Immediately after milking, rennet is added to the milk and the resulting curd is broken up and gently heated in copper vats. Then it is transferred and hand-packed into molds, in which the cheese takes its final shape. This is followed by two months of aging in stone cellars, where the aroma of the mountain meadows is refined and enhanced. Finally, a logo is branded onto each form of Bettelmatt, guaranteeing its authenticity.

Bettelmatt hits the market in the fall, and due to its very limited production, most forms are consumed by Christmas. Then the long wait begins again, for nature to wake up from its winter sleep, the snow to melt, and the shepherds to be able to drive the cows back to the mountains to graze and produce the exceptional milk, which is born in complete silence, calm, and peace.

Producer: Gabriele Scilligo, Alpe Regina