Features
Asiago PDO is a semi-cooked cheese made with whole cow's milk in two different
type.
"Asiago fresco" (fresco=fresh) and "Asiago stagionato"(stagionato=seasoned).
Asiago fresco (also called "Asiago pressato") has a maturing of minimum
20 days; the flavour is delicate, sweet with taste of youghurt, butter.
The paste is white or straw yellow with very evident and irregular eyes.
Asiago stagionato (also called "Asiago mezzano" o "Asiago d'allevo")
has a maturing between 4 and 10 months; the flavour is a little bit sweet,
with taste of dried fruit and butter.
The paste is compact and elastic, the colour is straw-yellow and has small
to medium-sized eyes.
NOTE: The cheese name - in the label - may be differently
named (look above) or may be followed by more commercial indications such
as "Asiago fresco RISERVA" for cheese of more 40 days of maturing;
"Asiago stagionato VECCHIO" (vecchio=old,aged) for cheese with
a maturing more than 10 months until 15 months; "Asiago stagionato
STRAVECCHIO" or "Asiago STRAVECCHIO" (stravecchio=extra aged),
for cheese with maturing more than 15 months.
Another important Asiago is "PRODOTTO DELLA MONTAGNA" must be obtained from milk of mountain farms: the maturing is 30 days minimum for "Asiago Fresco" and 90 days minimum for "Asiago Stagionato".
ASIAGO cheese: others dairies
and images
Asiago stagionato
How is it made?
The milk must be stored in dairies at the temperature between 4 and
11° C and must be processed within 48 hours from the arrive in the dairies.
For the production of "Asiago fresco" can be utilized raw milk
or thermised - pasteurized milk belonging to one or more milkings.
For the production
of "Asiago Stagionato" cheese is used milk deriving from several
consecutive milkings partially skimmed or which one is partially skimmed by surfacing.
Can be used
raw milk or thermised milk at 57/68 °C.
ASIAGO FRESCO: The milk is heated until 35-40° to coagulate and then 15/25 minutes after the addition of calf rennet, takes place the cut of the curd broken down in granules as a size of walnut/hazelnut.
The cheese is pressed for 12 hours.
SALTING: If it has not been made in paste, salting will take place dry or in a brine.
ASIAGO STAGIONATO: The milk is heated until 33-37° to coagulate and then after 15/30 minutes after the addition of rennet takes place the cut of the curdbroken down in granules as a size of walnut/hazelnut.
SALTING: If it has not been made in paste, salting will take place dry or in a brine.
Production area
Asiago is produced in the territory of Vicenza province (Veneto region), partial territory of Padua
and Treviso (Veneto region) and Trento province (Trentino Alto Adige region).
Some producers
numbers
Asiago is the sixth cheese in Italy for production volumes.
21.969 t in 2021 (t = 1.000 KG).
There are 41 producers and 5 seasoners.
Asiago is the only PDO cheese with 2 cheeses made with different processing.
Consortium for the safeguard of Asiago cheese
The Corsortium was established on 1979. In 1996 Gorgonzola was awarded the European P.D.O. denomination.
CONSORZIO TUTELA FORMAGGIO ASIAGO
Via Giuseppe Zamperi, 15
36100 Vicenza
tel.0444-321758
email: info@formaggioasiago.it
website: Corsortium Asiago website
