Piave Mezzano Cheese DOP (Quarter Wheel)

Piave Mezzano Cheese DOP

The Piave Mezzano DOP is the most famous of Belluno cheeses. Born from the experience of local cheesemakers, it is still produced today in compliance with traditional methods. It has a sweet and intense flavor which intensifies with the aging process.

Piave Mezzano Cheese DOP is produced with pasteurized whole cow's milk collected exclusively in the Belluno valleys from typical breeds of cattle from the production area, including the Bruna Italiana, fed with local forage rich in inflorescences which attribute particular organoleptic characteristics to the milk.

The seasoning, which lasts from 60 to 180 days, makes the rind to be thick, consistent and tending to brown while the paste is straw-colored.

 

Shape and size

Piave Mezzano Cheese DOP has a cylindrical shape with flat faces of variable diameter, depending on the three types: 30-34, 29-33, 30-36 cm. It has a height of 6-10 cm and the weight varies according to the seasoning: Fresh 5.8-7.8 kg, Mezzano 5.6-7.6 kg, Old 5-7 kg.

 

Aging/Seasoning

Piave is produced in three types: Fresh, with 20-60 days maturation; Mezzano, from 60 to 180 days; Old, over 180 days. The crust in Piave Mezzano Cheese DOP is thin and soft and pale straw. The pasta is semi-hard and quite elastic, compact, white and without holes.

The taste is firm and pleasant; the perfume is very reminiscent of milk but also of yogurt; on the palate, it is a cheese with high solubility.

 

Nutritional value

Energy value (per 100g) : 408 kcal / 1709 kJ

Fat: 34 g

       of which saturated: 0 g

Carbohydrates: 0.1 g of which sugars 0 g

Protein: 25 g

Salt: 1.7 g

 

History of Piave Mezzano Cheese DOP

The name of the Piave cheese derives from the homonymous river, whose source is located on Mount Peralba in Comelico. Born from the dairy tradition of the Belluno area, it is produced with local milk collected by the Lattebusche cooperative and has a manufacturing and maturing process that follows the traditional method.

In all its varieties, Piave Cheese is perfect to be enjoyed in purity or accompanied by bread and polenta. Of course, some recipes range from appetizers to desserts such as the tasty Piave risotto or the very special pear and Piave ice cream. Piave Mezzano Cheese DOP is suitable for any use in the kitchen and also allows less experienced chefs to create special dishes.

Thanks to its qualities and a strict production disciplinary, Piave Cheese can boast the indication DOP (Protected Designation of Origin), a quality mark that protects the agri-food excellence of Europe. The cattle breeds that produce milk are typical of the area, including the Italian Bruna, the Italian Pezzata Rossa, and the Italian Frisona.

Since 2010, this product has been protected by the Consortium for the Protection of Piave Cheese which is based in Busche di Cesiomaggiore and which aims to safeguard the typicality and peculiar characteristics of Piave Mezzano Cheese DOP and promote its knowledge on national and international markets.

 

How Piave Mezzano Cheese DOP is made

Pasteurized milk is inoculated with the starter or whey starter produced by the dairy. Coagulation, rennet, occurs with the use of calf rennet. The curd undergoes a break the size of a grain of rice and then half-cooked-cooked, depending on the type to be obtained. After extraction, the pasta is placed in molds, where the shapes are pressed and marked. Finally, salting in brine.

The mark, present on the whole heel in a vertical direction and with the reverse side of the alternating writing, certifies the origin of the product. Each shape shows the production batch (printed on the heel or one of the two plates), with the day, month and year of production.

In short, Piave DOP cheese represents a consolidated dietary habit for many consumers who want a healthy and balanced diet without giving up expression and tradition, made of taste and genuineness. All stages of the production process are of fundamental importance in determining the characteristics of Piave DOP cheese, starting from the quality of the milk (determined by the breed of the cow), to the farming methods - which are as follows traditional criteria also characterized by the link between the breed of cattle raised and the territory and its origin - and the composition of the "recipe", which is the result of the individual dairy tradition.

Pairings

If it is fresh it can be tasted alone, with bread and vegetables, or at the end of the meal, with acacia honey and chestnut honey. It lends itself best to the classic recipes of the Belluno culinary tradition, but it is also suitable for refined Italian dishes. Piave Mezzano Cheese DOP is perfect to be enjoyed naturally or cut into strips to enrich tasty salads or first courses. The advice is to combine Piave Mezzano Cheese DOP with full-bodied white wines or young reds.

Piave Mezzano is an Italian cow's milk cheese named after a river by the same name. It is DOP protected and the only authentic Piave is produced in the Dolomites area of Belluno province of Veneto. It is a flaky hard, grainy cheese with a dense texture and no holes. The flavor is intense sweet with a tropical fruity flavor underlined by an almond-like bitterness. All Piave’s are aged in temperature and humidity-controlled cellars where they are regularly turned, brushed and scraped.

3.5 pound (1.6 kilogram) - WEIGHT APPROXIMATES

Ingredients: Pasteurized cow's milk, salt, rennet, lysozyme from eggs

Packaging: Vacuumed-sealed Plastic

Flavor: Full-flavored, salty, sharp, strong
Texture: Hard, dense, firm
Color: Pale yellow
Aroma: Milky, pleasant
Region: Veneto

Product of Italy