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Fermentation Atlas

Cave- and pit-ripened cheeses

Cheeses ripened underground, in pits or caves.

7 entries listed here.

Compare them

CheeseRegionMilkRipeningRind
Brânză de NăsalRomania, Cluj countyRaw cow milk, fat standardised to 2.7–3.1 %25–30 days in the Țaga cave at about 14–15 °C and 90–95 % humidity
Formaggio di fossa (pit-ripened)Italy, Romagna and MarcheEwe (pecorino), cow (vaccino) or mixed (misto) whole milk, raw or pasteurised; no silage80 to 100 days in the pit, after a room pre-ripening
Pecorino in grotta del viterbeseItaly, LazioWhole ewe milk, heat-treated at 62–68 °CAbout 2 weeks in a cold room, then 60–90 days in a cave; ONAF gives at least 100 days and up to about a year in allWrinkled, dry or oiled; straw-yellow to grey-brown; treated with oil and ash or walnut leaves by some makers
Pecorino maturato in grottaItaly, Emilia-RomagnaWhole ewe milk, raw or pasteurised, made March to MayAt least 3 months at the dairy, then about 3 months in the mine (late July to early November)Absent or barely visible; the surface softens and fuses into the paste in the cave
Divle Obruk peyniriKaramansheep/goat milk~4 mo in cave
Formaggio di Fossa di Sogliano PDORomagna/Marchesheep/cow/mixed milk~80–100 d in pits
Formaggio in fossa (stagionato in fossa)Italy, Marche2–3 monthsAbsent or barely a skin; greasy surface, sometimes with condensed fat and moulds

Bold names have a full page with the animated steps. Blank cells: no sourced value yet.

Short entries

What the sources record about each of these so far.

Divle Obruk peyniriKaraman

goatskin in sinkhole cave

Milk
sheep/goat milk
Ripening
~4 mo in cave

Made like Formaggio di fossa (pit-ripened).

Formaggio di Fossa di Sogliano PDORomagna/Marche

buried in tufa pits

Milk
sheep/cow/mixed milk
Ripening
~80–100 d in pits

Made like Formaggio di fossa (pit-ripened).

Formaggio in fossa (stagionato in fossa)Italy, Marche

Pure ageing product: semi-aged cheeses are sealed in old rock pits for about three months, which deforms them and dissolves the rind.

Rind
Absent or barely a skin; greasy surface, sometimes with condensed fat and moulds
Size
0.5–2.0 kg; very irregular, deformed
  1. Prepare the milk
  2. Set the curd
  3. Cook the curd
  4. Ripen2–3 months

Numbers come from cited sources and carry a label that says how each is known. How this atlas is made