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Cheese from Italy, Emilia-Romagna

Squacquerone di Romagna PDO

Pasteurised or thermised cow milk is warmed to 35–40 °C, soured with a natural starter of local Streptococcus thermophilus and set with calf rennet in 10–30 minutes. The curd is broken to walnut-size lumps and stirred until the pH reaches 5.9–6.2, then drained in moulds, salted in brine and ripened only 1–4 days at 3–6 °C. It has no rind and is so soft it takes the shape of its container.

Fully documentedCheese27 h – 4.1 daysPDO (EU), Reg. (EU) No 679/2012; amended by Reg. (EU) 2018/265Family: Fresh lactic (acid-set) cheese family

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceAmounts are per hectolitre (100 litres) of milk, from the PDO specification. Finished cheeses weigh 0.1–2 kg.
Cow milk from the area, at least 3.5 % fat and 3 % protein, collected within 48 hours of the first milking[squac-disc]
Natural starter of local Streptococcus thermophilus, used within 4 days of preparation[squac-disc][squac-2017]
Liquid calf rennet (strength 1:10 000 to 1:40 000, at least 75 % chymosin)15–50 ml per hectolitre of milk[squac-disc]
Salt16–24 % brine, or 400–800 g per 100 litres of milk added before curdling[squac-disc]
Starternatural starter of local Streptococcus thermophilus strains grown in the area

Total time across the recorded steps: 27 h – 4.1 days

Start
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35–40 °C

What changes: The milk is pasteurised, then warmed to curdling temperature

Step 1 of 6
Heat-treat and warm the milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
35–40 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
S. thermophilus

Milk with a pH of 6.60 or higher may first be held at 8–12 °C for 12/24 hours to pre-ripen.

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

At a glance

Pasteurised or thermised cow milk is warmed to 35–40 °C, soured with a natural starter of local Streptococcus thermophilus and set with calf rennet in 10–30 minutes. The curd is broken to walnut-size lumps and stirred until the pH reaches 5.9–6.2, then drained in moulds, salted in brine and ripened only 1–4 days at 3–6 °C. It has no rind and is so soft it takes the shape of its container. Made in 6 steps over 27 h – 4.1 days. The longest step, ripen briefly, takes 24 h – 4 days (Disciplinare di produzione della DOP 'Squacqu…) and runs at 3–6 °C (Disciplinare di produzione della DOP 'Squacqu…). Salt is 16–24 % (Disciplinare di produzione della DOP 'Squacqu…). Streptococcus thermophilus, native biotypes grown as a natural starter in the area does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step24 h – 4 daysSet[squac-disc]Ripen briefly
Temperature3–6 °CSet[squac-disc]Ripen briefly
Salt16–24 %Set[squac-disc]Brine
AciditypH 4.8–5.4Set[squac-disc][squac-2017]Ripen briefly

What makes this one different

A rennet-set fresh cheese soured by a natural starter of local S. thermophilus and ripened only a few days, so it stays almost spreadable; the PDO ties the starter strains to the area.

Composition
Fat 46–59 % of dry matter; moisture 58–69 %; pH 4.75–5.35 (ranges widened in 2017)
Storage
Kept at 0 to +6 °C, packed within the production area

Related ferments

Safety

The specification requires pasteurised or thermised milk. The cheese has no rind, must be packed inside the production area and must be kept at 0–6 °C. The CDC says people at higher risk, including pregnant women, people 65 or older and people with weak immunity, should avoid unheated queso fresco-type cheeses and similar fresh, soft cheeses, even when made with pasteurised milk. It does not name this cheese. It lists cream cheese and mozzarella made with pasteurised milk among safer choices.

History and sources

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

The specification says it was made on farms of Romagna, where part of the milk went into Squacquerone to keep longer and to add to farm income by barter, and that making times change with the season, longer in winter and shorter in summer. It dates the first documented trace to a letter of 15 February 1800 from Cardinal Bellisomi, bishop of Cesena, to the vicar general of the diocese, asking about a lot of Squacquerone from Romagna.

  1. [squac-disc] Disciplinare di produzione della DOP 'Squacquerone di Romagna' (version of 23 February 2018), copy published by the control body Kiwaspec
  2. [squac-2017] European Commission 2017, amendment application and single document 'Squacquerone di Romagna', OJ C 368, 28.10.2017spec
  3. [squac-2011] European Commission 2011, publication of an application and single document 'Squacquerone di Romagna', OJ C 304, 15.10.2011spec
  4. [cdc-listeria] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Listeria Infectiongov