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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Italy, Lombardy, the province of Sondrio

Bitto PDO and Storico RibelleBitto

Bitto is a cooked, raw-milk alpine cheese made only in summer on the high pastures of the Valtellina, from cow's milk with up to 10% goat's milk. The milk is renneted on the alp right after milking, the curd is cut to rice-grain size and cooked at 48–52 °C, and the wheels age at least 70 days and often for many years. Storico Ribelle is the Presidium version, with 10–20% goat's milk, no starters and at least 12 months of ageing. Made in 7 steps over 14 months – 10 years. The longest step, long ageing, takes 12 months – 10 years (Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity). The milk's own spontaneous cheese microflora, which the specification relies on in place of added starter does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step12 months – 10 yearsReported[sf-ribelle]Long ageing
Temperature35–37 °CReported[onaf-bitto]Rennet the milk on the alp
Fully documentedCheese14 months – 10 yearsPDO (EU, 1996; DOC 1995); Storico Ribelle is a Slow Food Presidium sold under its own nameFamily: Cooked hard alpine cheese family (Comté, Gruyère and Emmentaler as templates)More cooked alpine cheesesMore from Italy

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe specification fixes limits, not a recipe. Wheels are 30–50 cm across and weigh 8–25 kg.
Raw whole cow milk from a single milking · From cows fed alpine pasture; worked on the spot right after milking[bitto-disc1995]
up to 10%Raw goat milk · The Storico Ribelle Presidium uses 10–20% milk from Orobica goats[bitto-disc1995][sf-ribelle]
Calf rennet[bitto-disc1995]
Salt · Dry salt (the ONAF summary also lists brine)[bitto-disc1995][onaf-bitto]
Starternone in the 1995 specification, which relies on the milk's own flora; the Presidium uses no starters

Total time across the recorded steps: 14 months – 10 years

Start
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35–37 °C

What changes: Calf rennet goes into warm milk fresh from the cows, in a cauldron over a fire

Step 1 of 7
Rennet the milk on the alp
Time
up to 1 h
Reported
Temperature
35–37 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

The 1995 specification asks for the milk to be coagulated straight away on the spot, with calf rennet.

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

Bitto is made only during the summer alpine season, from the milk of a single milking that is renneted on the pasture straight away, and the specification relies on the milk's own flora rather than starter. A little goat's milk sharpens the aroma, and the wheels can age for a decade.

Milk
Raw whole cow milk from one milking, up to 10% goat milk (10–20% for Storico Ribelle)
Season
Made only from 1 June to 30 September, while the herds are on the alps
Cooking
Curd cooked at 48–52 °C for about 30 minutes
Ripening
At least 70 days (PDO); at least 12 months (Storico Ribelle); can age for years
Composition
At least 45% fat in dry matter; average moisture 38% at 70 days

Related ferments

Variants

  • Bitto Prodotto d'alpeggioMade only on named high alps; the alp's name is stamped on the side
  • Storico RibelleSlow Food Presidium from the Gerola and Albaredo valleys; 10–20% Orobica goat milk, no fodder or supplements, no starters, at least 12 months of ageing

Safety

Bitto is a raw-milk cheese, but its curd is cooked at 48–52 °C and the cheese is aged at least 70 days. ANSES's advice that vulnerable people avoid raw-milk cheeses exempts cooked pressed cheeses of this kind.

History and sources

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

The name comes from the Bitto valley and river. The cheese became a DOC in 1995 and a PDO in 1996. Makers in the Gerola and Albaredo valleys, the historic heart of the area, sell their cheese under the name Storico Ribelle as a Slow Food Presidium.

  1. [bitto-disc1995] Disciplinare di produzione della denominazione di origine del formaggio «Bitto», DM 19 aprile 1995, GURI n. 103 del 5 maggio 1995 (copy hosted by ONAF)spec
  2. [onaf-bitto] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), Bitto cheese sheetweb
  3. [sf-ribelle] Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, Presidium page «Historic Rebel Cheese» (Storico Ribelle)web
  4. [anses2022] ANSES 2022, Fromages au lait cru, quels risques pour la santé et comment mieux les prévenir (8 April 2022)gov