Name

Robiola d’Alba

Seal of quality

Prodotto Agroalimentare Tradizionale (PAT)

Description

A soft cow’s milk cheese, white in colour and without a rind. Each cheese weighs about 300 g. with a diameter of 9- 13 cm and convex edge of 2-4 cm. The minimum maturing period is of between 4 -5 days, although according to the traditions of the Langhe hillside the maturing period is longer, actually in air-tight “albanelle”.

The Robiola d’Alba cheese is of white colour and slightly grainy, this feature being the result of the slight acidity of the cheese which is the result of the type of cheese making process, and which makes this cheese ideal eaten with salads and vegetables in general, and is fresh and tasty even in hot seasons, unlike other cheese types.

There is an absence of rind in the fresh cheeses (with less than a week of maturing), becoming slightly yellowish in those cheeses matured for over 2 weeks. The traditional cheese making process involves the use of raw milk from one or two milkings, that is brought to a temperature of between 30-35°C. Rennet is added and then it is necessary to wait for about two hours. The next stage is the breakage of the curd, a pause of 10-15 minutes and extraction. The curd is placed in moulds and is turned over 5- 6 times (at a pace of a turn every 30 minutes at the start, and then each hour.). The cheese is salted the following morning.

Area of production

It is traditionally produced in the area between the provinces of Asti, Cuneo, Alessandria and Savona. Principally in the township of Alba and the surrounding area, even if in previous decades dairies of the Turin area used to produce cheese using a similar method.

Galleria fotografica