Cimbro cheese, an ancient delight with a unique flavor.

The cheese Cimbro is delicious: semi-cooked, with no eye formation, cylindrical in shape and with the rare characteristic of being aged for a long time despite being made from whole cow's milk. But you probably already knew that. What you may not have known is that it is an ancient cheese from Lessinia and that the first records regarding its production date back to the end of the 13th century.

Its name derives from the population of Cimbri who settled in the area of Lessinia, in the current province of Verona. The Cimbri were a Germanic people who came from the north and settled there by permission of the Bishop of Verona in 1287. These ancient woodcutters, who had already transformed into farmers and breeders, enjoyed the usufruct of this territory rich in pastures, and being already accustomed to cattle breeding, they also developed their cheese-making tradition in the new territory related to the production of cow's milk cheeses. And thus, the Cimbro cheese was born.

Cimbro forms are usually not very large, indeed they do not exceed a diameter of 18/20 centimeters with a slightly convex rim measuring 8/10 centimeters. This cheese has a decisive, pleasant, and persistent flavor, which, as it ages, tends toward spiciness, leaving a continuously evolving sensation on the palate.

Lessinia, the native territory of this type of cheese, is a plateau that extends in the Pre-Alps of Veneto north of Verona, reaching the province of Trento, separated by the Valle dei Ronchi. It is an area that acts as a bridge between the Po Valley and the Majestic Alps, a region characterized by the gentle slopes of hills dotted with olive groves, vineyards, orchards, woods, and, higher up, alpine meadows. Home to spectacular karst phenomena like the bridge of Veja, the Lessinia Regional Natural Park is a treasure trove rich in history, art, and culture, increasingly opening up to European tourism. A different, unique place, inhabited by man since prehistoric times due to its diverse landscapes and climate.

It is in this context that one of the most important affineurs of Cimbro cheese in Italy operates: we are talking about Corrado Benedetti, an excellence selector who transforms the best cheese forms into fine products, reinterpreting them through aging and affinements, using local raw materials to give even stronger personality and local characterization to the cheese forms.

Important archaeological finds reveal that in this area, man lived and worked already in the Neolithic period, engaging in agriculture and livestock. Indeed, the grazing here is characterized by the spontaneous growth of a wide variety of herbs that enrich the nutrition, essences, and aromas of the milk and the dairy products derived from it: thyme, rosemary, sage, cumin, elderberry, calendula, nettle, lemon balm, fennel, mallow, oat straw, walnut leaves. Raw materials, traditions, and gastronomic secrets that the Benedetti family has well known and passed down to their children, to bring them to us still fragrant with history and nature.

It is precisely from these raw materials that Cimbro is enhanced by Corrado Benedetti. We at Spaghetti & Mandolino are pleased to offer you four different types of Cimbro to give you four different pleasures for your palate: classic aged Cimbro, Cimbro aged with sage and rosemary, Cimbro aged with walnut leaves, and Cimbro di Fossa.

The classic aged Cimbro brings with it the full range of flavors and scents of Lessinia, made from semi-cooked whole cow's milk with added kid rennet, salt, and live lactic ferments. It does not undergo thermal treatments except for the necessary one for cheesemaking, which does not exceed 36°C. This cheese has been aged for at least 120 days, which makes it even more grainy.

The Cimbro aged with sage and rosemary is a genuine and healthy cheese, very fragrant and particularly aromatic. After an aging period that should not exceed 60 days, the forms of Cimbro are preserved for six months wrapped in sprigs of rosemary and sage, slowly absorbing their intense fragrance.

The Cimbro aged with walnut leaves is also very aromatic, aged for at least two months and matured for six months wrapped in walnut leaves inside barriques, where the forms are layered. The method has ancient origins: the rich tannin content of walnut leaves contributes to the preservation of the cheese while simultaneously imparting its unmistakable aroma.

The Cimbro di Fossa is the delicious result of a natural transformation process of the cheese that takes place in underground caves called, indeed, fossas. Corrado Benedetti decided to let the Cimbro mature in Sogliano, a town in Romagna that, thanks to the ancient granary deposits carved into the tuff, has a long-standing tradition of aging in fossas. The maturation is slow, conditioned by the complete absence of light, the surrounding geological structure, and the microorganisms that inhabit the underground environment.

In short, the Cimbro carries with it much history, much tradition, but when we talk about that of Corrado Benedetti, we are sure it also brings with it a lot of flavor! Enjoy your meal!

S&M