Vezzena: a flavorful highland cheese with a long tradition.

Vezzena, the aged cheese with a long tradition produced in the plateaus of Folgaria, Lavarone, and Luserna. The cheese is well known for its flavorful and slightly spicy notes, and for its versatility as a table cheese as well as for preparing dishes or for grating.

Vezzena is made from raw, partially skimmed cow's milk from Brown, Red Spotted, and Black Spotted breed cattle, and it is processed with calf rennet; after various stages of production, the cheese is aged for varying lengths of time. The milk used to produce the cheese can come from either farm or mountain; the latter is protected by the Slow Food Presidia, and is available with a minimum aging of 60 days for the mezzano, 18 months for the vecchio and 24 or even 36 months for the stravecchio.

Vezzena: the history of cheese

Vezzena, a unique cheese both in flavor and with very ancient origins; until the First World War, Vezzena was the only cheese in Trentino used to season soups and the typical canederli, and from some historical accounts, it appears that Vezzena was the emperor Franz Joseph's favorite cheese. It's no wonder that Vezzena's floral and slightly spicy flavor pairs well with many dishes, both for first courses and second courses based on white meats and for many different recipes.

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Vezzena cheese: the processing

Vezzena cheese: the various stages of processing begin with milking. Two consecutive milkings performed the evening before are needed for processing. During the night, it is left to rest to allow for the cream to rise. The next morning, part of the cream is removed and at that point, processing begins. Here, the raw, partially skimmed milk is transferred to copper boilers and heated. Then, starter milk is added followed by calf rennet. After breaking the curd, it is cooked slowly at about 45 degrees. The curd is left to settle at the bottom, part of the whey is removed, and the curd is cut into portions suitable for shaping. The formed blocks are wrapped in linen cloths and placed in molds for pressing. The next day, the cheeses are released from the molds and placed in a cool place for a night. Next, brining begins, lasting for four days. Now the cheeses are ready for aging: they are placed on wooden boards where they are turned several times. Once a month, they are cleaned and treated with linseed oil until they have completed the stipulated aging.

Vezzena cheese: the various types

The Vezzena cheese is a versatile cheese, with a wide range of uses, thanks also to the three types of aging that give it different flavors and textures. The mezzano Vezzena is aged for about two months, has a sweet and round taste, a soft texture, and small holes. It is perfect for enjoying on its own or with jams.

The vecchio Vezzena, aged for about 18 months, has a very fine, almost absent eye formation. Its consistency is buttery, the paste is grainy and tends toward yellow. The rind is thin, elastic, and ranges in color from straw-colored to brown. Its flavor is incredibly rich in nuances, aromas, and scents, intense and complex with sensations of dried fruit, flower honey, aromatic herbs, ginger, and cinnamon. On the palate, it releases varied flavor sensations, from fruity savory to a hint of mild spiciness.

The stravecchio Vezzena has an aging of 24 up to 36 months, and is intensely rich in aromas and scents. The paste is grainy, tends toward yellow, with a very fine, almost absent eye formation. The consistency is buttery, and the rind is thin, elastic, and straw-colored tending to brown. The taste is very rich, aromatic, intense and complex: it releases sensations of dried fruit, flower honey, aromatic herbs, ginger, and cinnamon. The tasting is an incredible pleasure: it is a cheese that expresses all the floral sensations of pasture, savory with slightly spicy notes. The stravecchio can be grated to season first courses in cooking, or it can be used to create fillings for meat dishes, fondues, or traditional canederli.

In all its versions, the Vezzena is a must for cheese lovers; it is an interesting product, rich in personality, with delicate yet decisive flavors. A must-try!

Malghe Vezzena: the production area in the mountain

Malghe Vezzena, the territory where the cheese is produced includes the area that was previously known as Italian Tirol, namely the plateau that includes Folgaria, Lavarone, and Luserna, an area on the border of Trentino and Veneto. We are at about 1100 meters above sea level, the area of the malghe where herds graze from June to late September; an environment ideal for their nutrition: green and flower-filled meadows, clean air, and bright sunshine, where pastures are enriched with aromas and scents, making the milk produced of the highest quality.

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The Brown, Red Spotted and Black Spotted cows are particularly robust and are allowed to graze in alpine pastures until late September; a time with pure air, fresh and flowering grass, aromatic and medicinal alpine plants which make their milk perfect for the production of Vezzena. From simple blossoms to meadow sage, achillea, soapwort, and calendula. Additionally, centaurea, cornflower, linaria, filipendula, artemisia and heracleum, all very aromatic herbs present in this area that make the milk from the cows delightfully aromatic. The resulting cheese will have many intense and aromatic notes, with different nuances based on the area and the herbs present in the meadows where the cows graze.

Altopiano di Vezzena: the territory

The Vezzena plateau is a beautiful and extensive territory, and it is the homeland of Vezzena, the oldest and most renowned cheese in the region. The Vezzena plateau overlooks the Valsugana, the plateau in front of Levico, and gently slopes down towards the plateau of Sette Comuni in a symphony of green pastures, woods, and malghe where cheesemaking takes place. Here, in addition to typical mountain activities, alpine grazing occurs to collect the most exquisite milk possible, that for the production of Vezzena.

Vezzena, a triumph of aromas with a typical mountain flavor; to be tried in all aging versions to capture all its nuances and aromatic diversities.

Antonella Iannò

S&M