🧀 Valtellina Casera

Valtellina Casera is an Italian semi-hard cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), made from partly skimmed cow's milk. It is produced in the province of Sondrio (Lombardy), in the Valtellina valley, from the milk of local farms. Locally, casera is the room where cheese is stored and aged.

How it is made. The milk is partly skimmed, coagulated with rennet, the curd gently heated, pressed into round wheels of about 7–12 kg and salted. The side of each wheel carries a mark with the name.

Ageing. At least 70 days. The paste is springy and straw-coloured with small eyes; the taste is sweetish and mild, becoming more pronounced with age. The cheese melts well.

How to eat it. Casera is the essential cheese for pizzoccheri, buckwheat pasta with potatoes and cabbage, and for sciatt, buckwheat fritters with cheese. It is also served on a cheese board with red wines from Valtellina (see Wine and cheese). It belongs to the groups Semi-hard cheeses, Italian cheeses and Protected cheese names; from the same valley comes the alpine Bitto.

Why it matters to you. The name Valtellina Casera has been protected in the EU since 1996. For authentic pizzoccheri, look for this cheese with the DOP mark.