Branzi cheese is named after the village in Alta Val Brembana where traditional production originated. It was the social dairy that collected the milk productions of the cattle that were either in the barn at the bottom of the valley during the winter or had not gone up to the mountain pasture during the summer.
Branzi was an important center of dairy trade, which, at the end of the mountain pasture season took place during the St. Matthew’s Fair.
Branzi is a whole, raw, semi-cooked cow’s milk cheese that is usually aged for more than 60 days.
The longer it is aged, the more its paste takes on a deeper yellow color and the smell initially of cooked milk acquires notes of melted butter, white fruits, and meat broth, reaching considerable intensity and persistence.
