The remote origin of Taleggio cheese is closely linked to the territory and dates back to the X Century or before: in fact, its history is related to the transhumance trail of cows, which were taken to the pastures in spring and back to the flatland in autumn. Did you know that this operation is so ancient and rooted that Bergamo’s dialect has a specific word to name it? It is “cargà” or “descargà ‘l mut”, which literally means “loading” or “unloading the mountain” (with the herd).
The exceeding pasture milk was soon used to make cheese, which was aged in the storage rooms and then exchanged with other assets.
Even the name is strictly connected to the territory: the village of Taleggio, in the Brembana Valley, is still the place where the highest amount of cheese is made, and it is full of lindens, “tilietulum” in Latin, which later became “Tileggio”.
The Taleggio boasts countless attempts of imitation, but it does not run the risk of being counterfeited: in fact, when it is produced outside its original environment it doesn’t keep the same characteristics and turns into something completely different.
The real Taleggio requires at least 35 days of aging: it is quite sweet at a first, then sapid with some bitter or spicy aftertastes.
As you taste it, you immediately feel the flavours and the fragrances of melted butter, hay, fresh mushrooms, undergrowth and sometimes even truffles, citrus fruits, farm, leather, meat broth and white pepper. It’s like being inside a mountain hut!
Taleggio is a raw cheese: don’t worry if you find some moulds on the rind: they ensure the good taste of the cheese, as they contribute to its aging from the outside to the inside, making it savoury and very digestible. Therefor, the cheese closer to the ring is softer and its colour is lighter than the rest of it.
What’s the best way to taste it? It is delicious with pears or apples. If you prefer something more complex, you can try it in the risotto with toasted hazelnuts, or melted on pizza, or even with the “foiade” (Bergamo’s traditional pasta), with gnocchi or as a sauce for meats.
You can find P.D.O. Taleggio in all the cheese stores of Bergamo and its territory, and in almost every restaurant. What are you waiting for? Go try it!
The remote origin of Taleggio cheese is closely linked to the territory and dates back to the X Century or before: in fact, its history is related to the transhumance trail of cows, which were taken to the pastures in spring and back to the flatland in autumn. Did you know that this operation is so ancient and rooted that Bergamo’s dialect has a specific word to name it? It is “cargà” or “descargà ‘l mut”, which literally means “loading” or “unloading the mountain” (with the herd).
The exceeding pasture milk was soon used to make cheese, which was aged in the storage rooms and then exchanged with other assets.
Even the name is strictly connected to the territory: the village of Taleggio, in the Brembana Valley, is still the place where the highest amount of cheese is made, and it is full of lindens, “tilietulum” in Latin, which later became “Tileggio”.
The Taleggio boasts countless attempts of imitation, but it does not run the risk of being counterfeited: in fact, when it is produced outside its original environment it doesn’t keep the same characteristics and turns into something completely different.
The real Taleggio requires at least 35 days of aging: it is quite sweet at a first, then sapid with some bitter or spicy aftertastes.
As you taste it, you immediately feel the flavours and the fragrances of melted butter, hay, fresh mushrooms, undergrowth and sometimes even truffles, citrus fruits, farm, leather, meat broth and white pepper. It’s like being inside a mountain hut!
Taleggio is a raw cheese: don’t worry if you find some moulds on the rind: they ensure the good taste of the cheese, as they contribute to its aging from the outside to the inside, making it savoury and very digestible. Therefor, the cheese closer to the ring is softer and its colour is lighter than the rest of it.
What’s the best way to taste it? It is delicious with pears or apples. If you prefer something more complex, you can try it in the risotto with toasted hazelnuts, or melted on pizza, or even with the “foiade” (Bergamo’s traditional pasta), with gnocchi or as a sauce for meats.
You can find P.D.O. Taleggio in all the cheese stores of Bergamo and its territory, and in almost every restaurant. What are you waiting for? Go try it!
P.DO. Taleggio is produced all round long throughout the Province of Bergamo
Valcalepio D.O.C. rosso; Terre del Colleoni D.O.C. rosso Incrocio Terzi
