Valle d'Aosta Fromadzo Dop
The first certain data on Valle d'Aosta Fromadzo can be found in a note of the 'Summa lacticiniorum' written by Pantaleone da Confienza, in 1447, July 9th, and dedicated to the cheeses of the Valley. Since ancient times this cheese has always been a delicious alternative to the typical Fontina cheese: the excess milk produced to make Fontina cheese was used to produce Fromadzo, which had also the great advantage of having a longer period of preservation and of having a lot of proteins, typical of low-fat cheeses, in a period when food resources where very scarce.
Consumption
The Valle d'Aosta Fromadzo is highly digestible, and is particularly indicated in low-cholesterol diets. If the maturation period is prolonged, it can be used as grated cheese; if it is fresh it can used in the kitchen in the preparation of rice-based dishes or meat, and in numerous typical recipes of the traditions of this Northern Valley. The cheese is well accompanied by local wines such as Enfer d'Arvier, Torrette, Chambave Rouge, Arnad'Montjovet and Donnas.
Identification
The quality mark of Valle d'Aosta Fromadzo Dop
The product can be recognised by the 'Vallee d'Aoste fromadzo' mark applied on the flat face of the form and a series of words branded along the rind of the cheese carrying the name of the product.
I.D. card
- Type
- Cheese obtained from cow milk in two types: semi'fat and low-fat cheese
- Description
- It is cylindrical in shape with plane faces or slightly rounded at the edges ad with a weight of 1 to 7 kg; the curst is pale yellow which tends to a greyish colour on maturation; the paste has a compact structure and on cutting the colour is white in fresh cheese and yellowish in the prolonged maturation; the percentage of fat cannot exceed 20% in the dry version, while the semi-fat version has a percentage of fat which varies from 20 to 35%
- Characteristics
- The taste is characteristic, fragrant, semi-sweet if fresh and more salted with a pinch of spice if seasoned
- Area of production
- The area of production of the milk from which the cheese is obtained includes the entire area of the Region of Valle d'Aosta
- Selling period
- All year round
- Normative references
- European registration with council regulation (CE) n. 1263/96 issued on GUCE L163/96 dated 2nd July 1996; national recognition with DM, 25th September 1995 issued on GURI 246 of October 20th, 1995
Further information
- Valle d'Aosta Fromadzo Dop
