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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Italy, Lombardy, province of Brescia, the commune of Bagolino

Bagòss

Bagòss is a hard, long-aged cheese from Bagolino in the Brescian Alps, made from raw cow's milk partly skimmed by letting the cream rise. It is the only Alpine cheese that gets saffron in the vat, a habit dated to the 16th century under Venice. The curd is cooked at 47–52 °C, pressed in wooden hoops, dry-salted for over a month and aged at least six months with its rind rubbed with linseed oil. Made in 8 steps over 7 months – 7.4 months. The longest step, age and oil, takes at least 6 months (Regione Lombardia 2017. D.d.s. 24 ottobre 201…) and runs at 4–19 °C (Regione Lombardia 2017. D.d.s. 24 ottobre 201…). Lactic bacteria of the raw milk and of optional native milk or whey starters from the production area does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 6 monthsSet[bagoss-disc2017]Age and oil
Temperature4–19 °CSet[bagoss-disc2017]Age and oil
Fully documentedCheese7 months – 7.4 monthsLombardy traditional food product (PAT); PDO application with a favourable regional opinion (2017); Slow Food PresidiumFamily: Cooked hard alpine cheese family (Comté, Gruyère and Emmentaler as templates)More cooked alpine cheesesMore from Italy

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe proposed specification fixes limits, not a full recipe. The saffron amount is per vat; a wheel is 40–50 cm across and weighs 14–22 kg.
Raw cow milk from one or more milkings · Partly skimmed by letting the cream rise; up to 30% whole milk allowed; at least 70% of the milking cows of mountain breeds[bagoss-disc2017]
Native starter (milk, curd or whey starter from the area) · Optional[bagoss-disc2017]
Powdered calf rennet[bagoss-disc2017]
Powdered saffron (the tip of a teaspoon) · Added to the curd while it is being cut[bagoss-disc2017]
Medium-grain sea salt[bagoss-disc2017]
Linseed oil for the rind[bagoss-disc2017]
Starter: optional native milk, curd or whey starter; calf rennet

Total time across the recorded steps: 7 months – 7.4 months

Start
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What changes: Cream rises in shallow basins and is skimmed off by hand

Step 1 of 8
Let the cream rise
Time
10 h – 2 days
Set
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

The milk goes into the basins within 2 hours of milking; the risen cream is skimmed off by hand.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Bagòss is the only Alpine cheese that has saffron added in the vat, which gives the paste its yellow colour. Its milk is skimmed by letting the cream rise in shallow basins, it is heated in a copper cauldron over a fire, and the rind is kept supple with linseed oil.

Milk
Raw cow milk, partly skimmed by creaming
Saffron
A pinch of powdered saffron goes into the curd
Ripening
At least 6 months (proposed PDO rules); 12–24 months in the regional product sheet
Size
40–50 cm across, 10–12 cm high, 14–22 kg
Composition
More than 20% fat as is; at most 37% moisture

Related ferments

Safety

Bagòss is made from raw milk, but the curd is cooked at 47–52 °C and the cheese is aged at least six months. No other safety limits are set.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The specification traces Bagòss to the 16th century, when Bagolino was under the Republic of Venice; saffron, traded in Venice, was added to give a golden cheese for the Doges. The Bagolino statutes of 1473 already required cattle to spend about 90 days on the summer pastures. The name is the local word for the people of Bagolino.

  1. [bagoss-disc2017] Regione Lombardia 2017. D.d.s. 24 ottobre 2017 n. 13094, regional opinion on the PDO application for «Bagoss», with Allegato 2, Disciplinare di produzione DOP «Bagòss». Bollettino Ufficiale Regione Lombardia, Serie Ordinaria n. 43, 27 October 2017 (copy hosted by ONAF)spec
  2. [bagoss-reglomb] Regione Lombardia, Bagoss traditional product sheet (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  3. [onaf-bagoss] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), Bagoss cheese sheetweb