A precise combination of sheep's and cow's milk results in a fat, raw-textured product with a thin, smooth rind that is quite tender and elastic. The cheese, a semi-matured cheese with a soft texture and a mild, slightly acidic flavor, has a white color and an odor and aroma tending toward cooked, herbaceous milk.
HISTORY
Some of these peculiar characteristics made it a favorite of the celebrated Michelangelo Buonarroti, the great sculptor, painter and architect, who was particularly fond of "cascio di guaime," so called at the time because it was made from milk from animals fed on the grass born after the first mowing. We have confirmation of this news thanks to a notarial deed of 1554, according to which the famous artist rented three farms with house and land in favor of his well-known collaborator Francesco Amatori, known as the Urbino. This is precisely where Casciotta dell'Urbinate seems to take its name from.
PRODUCTION.
The production area is presented as predominantly mountainous with an abundance of springs, which has always favored sheep breeding so much so that, in past centuries, a toll in the amount of one florin (a rather high figure for the time) was established for transhumance and the renting of the Metaurean lands for those who wished to graze their animals there.
The production area is presented as predominantly mountainous with an abundance of springs, which has always favored sheep breeding so much so that, in past centuries, a toll in the amount of one florin (a rather high figure for the time) was established for transhumance and the renting of the Metaurean lands for those who wished to graze their animals there.
La tradizione vuole che venissero utilizzati vasi in terracotta e setacci di cotone a maglia rada per depositare e conseguentemente filtrare il latte appena munto. Composto per il 70-80 percento di latte ovino e per il restante da latte di vacca, nasce dalla consuetudine delle famiglie dell’epoca di allevare prevalentemente pecore e qualche mucca, e quindi utilizzare il latte rimanente dalle ultime mungiture per comporre quello che diventa il formaggio di punta della zona marchigiana.
Milk is coagulated at a temperature of 35°C with liquid or powdered calf rennet, pressing is done manually according to characteristic techniques, and salting carried out dry.
The expected maturation time is about 20 to 30 days in rooms with temperature between 10 and 14°C and humidity between 80 and 90 percent.
It has a height ranging from 5 to 7 cm and a diameter ranging from 12 to 16 cm, cylindrical shape, and weight between 800 grams and 1200 for the largest forms.
CASCIOTTA D'URBINO ON THE TABLES OF THE MARCHE REGION (AND BEYOND)
On the table we find it in the form of an appetizer in typical chopping boards, which can be combined with mountain or common bread, cold cuts, eggs, ham or with slices of toasted polenta, also topped with jams, marmalades or honey, which particularly enhance its flavor.
It is often used raw in salads or grilled vegetables. Cooked we find it in sauces for pasta dishes and fillings in stuffings. Also present on pizzas.
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