Castelmagno (DOP) is an Italian cheese from the north-west

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. It has a Protected Designation of Origin status in the

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Historical notes

Castelmagno is a cheese which has been made for many centuries: the earliest known mention of it dates to 1277, when there is a record that Castelmagno was given as payment to the

Marquis of Saluzzo The marquises (also marquesses or margraves) of Saluzzo were the medieval feudal rulers city of Saluzzo (today part of Piedmont, Italy) and its countryside from 1175 to 1549. Originally counts, the family received in ''feudum'' the city from the ...

in exchange for use of pasture lands in Castelmagno and

Celle di Macra Celle di Macra (sometimes ‘Celle Macra’) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo, region of Piedmont, Italy. It is located about southwest of Turin and about northwest of Cuneo. At the end of 2017 it had a population of 94. ...

Zone of production

The cheese has traditionally been made in the Valle Grana in the south-west of the

Province of Cuneo Cuneo (Italian), or Coni (Piedmontese), is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ( departments of Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Haut ...

, where production is permitted today within the boundaries of the

communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...

Castelmagno Castelmagno (Vivaro-Alpine: ''Chastèlmanh'') is a small ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin and about west of Cuneo. The population of the municipality of Caste ...

, Pradleves and Monterosso Grana.

Process of production

Castelmagno is a semi-hard, half-fat cheese produced from whole cow's milk, obtained from cattle of the Piedmontese breed, fed on fresh forage or hay from mixed meadows or pasture. On occasion some milk from sheep or goats may be added to the cows' milk.

Uses

Gnocchi al Castelmagno con granella di noci tostate

Aside from being eaten on its own, Castelmagno can be part of countless recipes, such as in

fondue Fondue (, , ) is a Swiss melted cheese dish served in a communal pot ( ''caquelon'' or fondue pot) over a portable stove () heated with a candle or spirit lamp, and eaten by dipping bread into the cheese using long-stemmed forks. It was promoted ...

or veloutés and can be eaten along with rice, pasta, polenta, thinly sliced raw beef meat (

carpaccio Carpaccio (, , ) is a dish of meat or fish (such as beef, veal, venison, salmon or tuna), thinly sliced or pounded thin, and served raw, typically as an appetizer. It was invented in 1963 by Giuseppe Cipriani from Harry's Bar in Venice, Ital ...

) or grilled vegetables.

References

External links