In Monzambano (Giordano’s home town) every Sunday is market day. The local traders take over the main squares in the town centre to sell clothes, general bric-a-brac and, of course, lots of top-quality local food. It was here, just before Christmas, that we made a great discovery.
Along with my parents, we headed to the food market to see if we could get a few special things to enjoy as part of a Christmas meal (or two!). I’m a big cheese fan and finds it particularly difficult to walk past a cheese stall without at least staring longingly at a large block of Grana Padano, and today I was in luck. We were about to find out all about bagòss cheese!
Bagòss is produced in the comune of Bagolino in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It’s made with the milk of Bruna Alpina cows, and is particularly yellow due to the saffron added whilst the mixture is broken up. As the cheese matures, an outer layer of pasteurised flaxseed oil is added bit by bit to give the cheese an outer crust which will protect it as it ages. The maturing time is crucial too; bagòss must be left to season for a minimum of 12 months, but the best stuff is left to mature for up to 4 years. All of this gives it a wonderful flavour different from any other Italian cheese I’ve ever tasted!
The best way to describe bagòss is salty and slightly pungent, with a texture similar to Grana Padano. It is delicious with mostarda, a northern Italian condiment consisting of candied fruit and very strong mustard-flavoured syrup – something else you must come and try in Italy!
You can find out more about cheeses from Lombardy in this blog post we wrote some time ago. I have much more to tell you about cheese, so much that I need to write a separate blog post! Look out for another adventure in the very near future!
A presto!
Laura
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