Bitto Dop
The origins of the Bitto cheese can be traced back to a period during which the Celts had settled in the valleys of the province of the town of Sondrio. And from the Celtic word 'bitu', meaning 'perennial', derives the name of both the valley and the river flowing through it, and also the denomination of the most famous and traditional cheese of this area, the Bitto. The cheese was produced to avoid wasting the large amounts of milk daily produced in the area, and became so famous that the same genius of the Italian Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci, could not stop himself from describing to the Moor Ludwig, the vocation of the inhabitants of Valtellina and of Valchiavenna in the production of milk and wine.
Consumption
The taste of this cheese, which is very sweet and delicate on production, becomes much more intense on maturation. The Bitto is an essential ingredient in the preparation of pork-based delicacies and of the typical polenta, but it can also be eaten on its own, with some bay leaves, walnuts and a drop of vinegar, maybe accompanied by a bottle of Docg Valtellina Superiore.
Identification
The distinctive marks of Bitto Dop
The authentic Bitto Dop can be recognised by the branding on the rind and the characteristic film on the flat face that carries an alpine landscape.
I.D. card
- Type
- The cheese is produced form semi-hard dough from whole cow milk with some addition of goat milk
- Description
- It has a regular cylindrical shape, with a yellowish crust according to the period of maturation, with the presence of aeration and bird's eye
- Characteristics
- Its taste is sweet and delicate. As time goes by the cheese becomes more compact and melts on the palate and acquires a stronger and aromatic taste
- Area of production
- The Bitto is produced in the inner lands of the province of Sondrio and in the bordering villages of Alta Valle Brembana in the province of Bergamo: Averara, Carona, Cusio, Foppolo, Mezzoldo, Piazzatorre, Santa Brigida and Valleve
- Selling period
- All year round
- Normative references
- European registration with Council regulation (CE) n. 1263/96 issued on GUCE L 163/96, 2nd July 1996; national recognition on GURI n. 103, 5th May 1995
