Gressoney’s Toma has strong hints of pepper and vanilla. This raw material of excellence from the village of Gressoney, Val d’Aosta became Slowfood’s product in 2016.
This alpine cheese (over 2200 meters), is produced just in the summer months. It is recognized as P.A.T. of the Aosta Valley.
The pasta of this alpine toma is raw, with the typical technique of a half-fat cheese. Raw milk must be left for rest for 24 hours, then skimmed by removing excess fat in the outskirts; then it will be added to a milk with a skim over 12 hours. At this point the cheese warms up, the liquid calf rennet is added and it becomes coagulant. This is followed by the ending of the curd which, after being extracted, is placed in wooden shades and is generally dry.
The shape of this cheese is characteristic: the shape is round the height of the bark ranges from 5 to 12 centimeters, the diameter of the faces ranges from 20 to 30 centimeters and the weight from 3 to 5 kilograms. The washed crust is smooth, slightly oily and has a color that, depending on the seasoning, ranges from reddish to gray to brown. The pasta is slightly gleamed and of straw yellow color.
At this point the product should be aged for one year, as for all long-seasoned cheeses. Enjoy it!
