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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Italy, Valle d'Aosta

Formaggio misto (Valle d'Aosta)Formaggio misto

Raw milk of Valdostana cows is mixed with a varying share of raw goat or ewe milk, set with rennet at about 34–36 °C and cut to rice-size grains while the mass is warmed to no more than 40–42 °C. The wheels are pressed, salted and ripened for 60–90 days in cool, damp cellars, turned and cleaned every few days. Made in 7 steps over 2 months – 3 months. The longest step, ripen in a cool cellar, takes 2–3 months (Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta 1998) and runs at 12–15 °C (Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta 1998). The raw milk's own lactic acid bacteria does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step2–3 monthsSet[vda-misto]Ripen in a cool cellar
Temperature12–15 °CSet[vda-misto]Ripen in a cool cellar

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThere is no fixed recipe or ratio. Cows give milk about nine months a year and goats and ewes for shorter, different seasons, so each batch uses the milk at hand. ONAF gives wheels 30–45 cm across, 8 cm high and 7–8 kg.
Raw milk of Valdostana cows · Always the larger part of the mix[vda-misto][onaf-misto]
Whole raw goat or ewe milk · No fixed share; it follows each animal's milking season[vda-misto][onaf-misto]
Rennet · Calf rennet, liquid or powder, or kid rennet[onaf-misto]
Salt · Dry salt, or brine[vda-misto]
Starter: none listed; rennet only

Total time across the recorded steps: 2 months – 3 months

Start
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What changes: Starting material: raw cow milk with some goat or ewe milk

Step 1 of 7
Mix the milks
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Raw cow milk with whole raw goat and/or ewe milk added; cow milk is always the larger share. Output: mixed raw milk.

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

It is made like a small Aosta cow cheese, but with goat or ewe milk mixed in whenever those animals are in milk, so no two seasons give the same ratio. ONAF calls it a homely alternative to Fontina.

Milk
Raw Valdostana cow milk with a varying share of raw goat or ewe milk
Ripening
60–90 days at 12–15 °C and 80–85% humidity
Size
30–45 cm across, 8 cm high, 7–8 kg (ONAF)
Rind
Washed, damp, lightly smeared, straw-yellow to reddish

Related ferments

Variants

  • ... alpeggioMade on the summer pastures under a separate regional exemption sheet.

Safety

Made from raw milk and only warmed, not cooked. ANSES advises pregnant women, people over 65, people with weak immunity and young children to avoid raw-milk cheeses.

Hazards the sources name: Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, the main hazards ANSES names for raw-milk cheeses.

History and sources

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

Families that kept a few cows, ewes and goats mixed whatever milk they had and made it into one cheese. The method was never written down and has been passed on by word of mouth.

  1. [vda-misto] Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta, Prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, Scheda identificativa 1.11, Formaggio misto (D.Lgs. 173/1998 art. 8)gov
  2. [onaf-misto] ONAF, Formaggio misto, technical sheet (PAT Valle d'Aosta)web
  3. [montel2014] Montel M.C. et al. 2014, Traditional cheeses - rich and diverse microbiota with associated benefits, International Journal of Food Microbiology 177:136-154 (abstract)paper
  4. [anses2022] ANSES 2022, Fromages au lait cru, quels risques pour la santé et comment mieux les prévenir (8 April 2022)gov