Merk: Asiago

: Asiago D.O.P

Mature Asiago is obtained using semi-skimmed milk. It has a strong, distinctive taste which varies according to how long it is left to mature (from 3 to 12 months and even longer).


HOW TO RECOGNISE IT BY SIGHT
It has a straw or light straw colour. The openness or eye formation is small to medium (less than 1 cm).


HOW TO RECOGNISE IT BY FEEL
If you hold a piece between your fingers, you notice its compact yet soft structure. As it matures it becomes hard like a grating cheese. It does not stick to your fingers but leaves a light and pleasantly fragrant greasiness.


HOW TO RECOGNISE IT BY SMELL
The aroma it can be most likened to is that of bread or pizza dough and dry almonds and hazelnuts. Put your nose over pasta dough and dried fruit and inhale. Now smell Mature Asiago. The rich, intense aromas you detect are similar. Put a piece of cheese in your mouth and chew it while pinching your nose shut with your fingers. Breathe out decisively and enjoy the distinctive aromas of Mature Asiago DOP.


HOW TO RECOGNISE IT BY TASTE
Its taste is intense and full of flavour. It is sweet like a boiled chestnut and becomes more and more aromatic and salty towards the rind. Its strong aroma increases with age and its taste is enhanced by pleasant notes, which can even touch on the extra strong if the cheese maker so desires.
It leaves a strong, lingering taste in the mouth but all traces of morsels, which form when chewing, disappear.


HOW MATURE ASIAGO IS PRODUCED

Mature Asiago is obtained from the transformation of cow’s milk from one or two milkings. After it has been collected and before it is made into cheese, the milk undergoes partial skimming.
The milk is heated to 35°C ± 2°C and calf rennet (a coagulant enzyme) is added to stimulate coagulation. The curd is then cut until the granules are the size of hazelnuts or smaller. It is semi-cooked until the temperature of the mass reaches 47°C ± 2°C, which usually takes about 10-12 minutes.
The curd is then taken out of the vat, divided up, placed in moulds and the casein code (a progressive number identifying each wheel) is applied to the side of the hot cheese.
After a couple of hours (3-5) on a draining table, the cheese is turned several times. Then the Asiago DOP logo is impressed onto the side of the wheel using a special marking mould. The pre-salting stage is then carried out where the excess serum is drained. This process takes a couple of days (minimum 48 hours) and during this time the wheels are turned several times.
The cheese is then salted in one of two ways: by spreading salt over the surface of the cheese or by soaking it in brine.
The last step is the ageing process which lasts at least 60 days and must take place in warehouses located within the area of origin where the storage temperature and relative humidity are meticulously controlled (relative values 10-15°C and 80-85%).
The cheese can be matured for up to 12 months or more.