When thinking of Lombardy one thinks of Milan or, in terms of cheese, probably of famous PDOs like Gorgonzola and Taleggio. But it wouldn´t be Italy if the obvious wouldn´t be escorted by an uncountable variety of more hidden wonders and gems.
In our case it´s Bergamo and the valleys and hills behind it that rolled “Formagella Bergamasca” in our direction.
Formagella, which in the local dialect means “small cheese”, comes in different varieties of a similar concept from different valleys north of Bergamo.
While there is also a PDO Formagella made out of goats milk – La Formaggella del Luinese from the Varese region – our lady is a pure cow´s offspring.
Formagella Bergamasca, with it´s semi-cooked paste made out of pasteurized cow´s milk and aged up to 60 days, is certainly not the most famous Formagella family member but I dare to say that ours , made by Formaggi Arnoldi, is certainly the most beautiful of them.
The rind has a soft, dry touch and the interior pampers with a fluffy and slightly sticky paste. The taste reminds of butter and a summer landscape which makes it a great all day companion.
Gustav says not to forget the fun factor – You can roll it, break it, eat it, dig in it, eat it again and all along enjoy the visual, haptic and tasty features!
So next time you are in the region make sure to try this one and also search for the more famous siblings “Formaggella della Val Brembana” and “Formaggella della Val di Scalve”.
And in case you don´t have time for travel but for making cheese – here is a link on how to make it yourself.
