🧀 Piave (cheese)

Piave is an Italian hard cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), made from cow's milk collected in the mountain territory of the province of Belluno in Veneto. The whole production process takes place in this province. The EU register gives 4 March 2008 as its date of protection. The name comes from the Piave river, which runs through the Belluno area.

Milk and feed. According to the specification, the milk comes from typical local breeds (Bruna Italiana, Pezzata Rossa Italiana, Frisona Italiana, Grigio Alpina) and their crosses, at least 80%. At least 70% of the forage and 50% of the dry-matter ration must come from the production area; medicated feeds, urea and fresh vegetables, fruit or rapeseed fed as such are excluded.

Making. Milk from up to three consecutive days may be collected, and it may be pasteurised. Rennet and local starters made from Belluno milk and whey are used. The curd is cut to the size of a rice grain, cooked at 44–47 °C, pressed, marked on the side with the name Piave and salted in brine. The wheels age at 8–14 °C and 70–90% humidity.

Types. Fresco: more than 20 and fewer than 60 days, soft pale rind, closed pale paste, sweet milky taste, about 6.8 kg. Mezzano: 60–180 days. Vecchio: over 6 months. Vecchio Selezione Oro: over 12 months. Vecchio Riserva: over 18 months, about 5.5 kg. With age the rind becomes hard and darker, ochre, the paste turns deeper yellow, drier, granular and friable, and the taste grows more intense, with a slight piquancy in the oldest cheeses.

Labelling. The name Piave is stamped vertically all around the side of the wheel, and every wheel carries a production lot code.