/ Our magazine / Montébore cheese: a treasure of flavors and traditions
/ Our magazine / Montébore cheese: a treasure of flavors and traditions
A cheese that encompasses all the flavors and traditions of a region rich in history and which is, in a certain sense, the cradle of Italian identity, namely Piemonte. We are talking about Montébore, a cheese that impresses from the very first glance. Its shape, in fact, is truly unusual, resembling a classic multi-tier wedding cake. But it's not just its shape that is unique; it also features a very particular flavor, distinct from most cheeses.
As we well know, in our country there are numerous ancient traditions that have often fallen into oblivion due to the massive migration from the mountains to the cities, which started gradually as far back as the mid-19th century, especially in large metropolises that symbolize industrial modernity such as Turin or Milan, peaking in the post-World War II period. There are cases, however, where tradition has prevailed over everything and indeed managed to be reborn stronger than ever, just like in the case of Montébore cheese.
This cheese takes its name from the homonymous village, a fraction of the municipality of Dernice, in the Val Curone, province of Alessandria, a watershed between the valleys of Grue and Borbera, where it has been produced for centuries. It is also characterized by being produced following a rigorous and ancient recipe that uses a mixture of cow's milk (75%) and sheep's milk (25%), an element that gives it a unique and inimitable flavor. Its curious wedding cake shape is thought to have been inspired by the ancient ruinous tower found in the Castle of Montébore and is created by typically stacking three robiole with decreasing diameters, although in some cases the number may be greater.
The history of Montébore begins in the distant 15th century, specifically in 1489, the year when the wedding between Isabella of Aragon and Gian Galeazzo Sforza, the nephew of Ludovico il Moro, Duke of Bari and regent of the Duchy of Milan, was celebrated in Tortona.
Montébore indeed appears here as the only cheese served on the table during this lavish wedding banquet, said to be by the will of the master of ceremonies, who was none other than the famous Leonardo da Vinci, a remarkable artist and scientist known worldwide, but also—perhaps an unknown facet of this multifaceted personality—a keen gastronome.
In reality, the origin of this rare cheese is much older and is said to date back as far as six centuries earlier, to the 9th century, and it is connected to the cheesemaking skills mastered with great expertise by the monks of the Benedictine abbey of Santa Maria di Vendersi located on Giarolo mountain, around which the three valleys of Grue, Curone, and Borbera develop. In short, a truly ancient story that sees this cheese as the undisputed protagonist of the cheesemaking production of the area.
However, the production of Montébore suddenly ceased in the post-war period, a time that saw a massive emigration from the valleys, which, depopulating, risked losing the role of witnesses that for centuries they had performed, passing down from generation to generation all those peasant traditions that for ages had been symbols of the identity of an entire territory.
Only in more recent times, specifically in 1999, did Maurizio Fava, in charge of the local Slow Food Presidio, manage to trace Carolina Bracco, the last custodian of the recipe and traditional cheesemaking technique, bringing Montébore back to the glory of old, reviving its production. It was indeed she, Carolina Bracco, who prepared the first five forms with which the reborn Montébore was presented at the "Cheese" in Bra (CN), a major annual event dedicated to the dairy sector that aims to protect and promote numerous typical and artisanal products belonging to this production sector, which just last year celebrated its first twenty years of activity.
The success was truly astonishing, even attracting the attention of foreign media, although it also created significant tensions and discussions in the valley of which this cheese is an emblem. An undoubtedly well-deserved victory for a product more unique than rare, the fruit of dedication and passion for the traditions of their territory, through which a few individuals, without conceding any space to modernization, but instead following uncompromisingly only the dictates of the peasant tradition that has resided in those valleys for centuries, managed in their intent to bring to light a truly unique and genuine cheese with inimitable flavor and texture.
Given the resounding success, the example was then followed by the ambassadors of Montébore worldwide, Roberto Grattone and Agata Marchesotti, founders of Cooperativa Vallenostra, the first producer in the world, according to the regulations, of the Slow Food Montébore Presidio.
Montébore is therefore a survivor that, fighting to avoid extinction, tells of a distant past that, today more than ever, must be protected and safeguarded. A product that has not only managed to avoid extinction but, above all, has managed to gain a place of honor in the dairy production world, becoming a truly rare excellence cheese, a product that therefore deserves respect and requires a certain awareness from those who have the pleasure and honor of tasting it.
Today, as centuries ago, Montébore is produced using raw mixed cow's and sheep's milk. The milk is heated to about 36°C, to which natural rennet is then added. The curd must be broken strictly one hour after coagulation, resulting in curds the size of walnuts that are then left to rest for about half an hour.
A second curd breaking is then carried out, which further reduces the size of the curds. The resulting paste is finally left to drain in ferslin, the typical cylindrical molds with decreasing diameters that will then create the various “tiers” of the final Montébore shape.
During this time, the cheese is turned four or five times before proceeding to the manual salting of the forms, which is done exclusively with sea salt. Then the forms are placed to rest in a cool, dry place for about 10 hours. Finally, the molds are stacked in the characteristic truncated cone shape, the so-called "castellino", thus constructing the characteristic shape of Montébore, which is then aged for a period ranging from 20 days to five months.
Montébore can be consumed fresh, after undergoing a maturation of about 20 days, which makes this cheese complex yet delicate, giving it a sweet flavor and a soft, creamy texture. It can also be consumed after 45-60 days, in which case Montébore can be considered a medium-aged cheese. Finally, it can also be consumed after four or five months, a period after which it is considered a long-aged cheese and, for this reason, it is characterized by a different texture, firmer, and an intense, pronounced flavor, almost spicy.
The crust of Montébore, when fresh, is initially smooth and moist but then, with aging, becomes dry and wrinkled, and its color shifts from white to straw yellow as the aging period extends.
The Montébore cheese fresh is truly excellent to enjoy at the end of a meal thanks to its milky and buttery flavor that distinctly differs from other cheeses with a finish reminiscent of chestnut and mountain herbs. It is truly ideal for enhancing tasty salads.
Long-aged Montébore can be, in addition to being enjoyed on a precious cheese board, also grated over fresh meats or pasta. Montébore is perfect, in general, as an excellence cheese to make every meal of the day special: fresh, it pairs perfectly with local chestnut honey, orange marmalade, and cugnà, a typical Piedmontese marmalade made with grape must.
Another gourmet pairing is with dried fruit, particularly with walnuts and figs but also with sour cherries and rose grapes, revealing an extraordinary versatility that pairs well with local products found during all seasons of the year.
Aged, on the other hand, Montébore is perfect for seasoning stuffed pastas and gnocchi as well as for stirring into risottos, giving them a strong flavor combined with a slight hint of spice. Montébore also does not fear perhaps slightly daring combinations that nevertheless serve as an excellent way to elevate its uniquely particular and characteristic flavor to the highest level.
It is indeed absolutely worth trying with spicy caramelized pears flavored with ginger or chili as well as with capunet, the typical roll from the area made with pork and savoy cabbage, with pumpkin, artichoke, zucchini, and even thistle pies.
In short, a truly extraordinary product for its shape and flavor that is just waiting to be tasted and appreciated and thus elevated to the knowledge of many as a symbol of its territory of origin but, above all, as a icon of excellence in dairy production of our beautiful country.
Ilaria Chesini
S&M
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