Raw milk cheeses: what they are and how they differ from pasteurized milk cheeses

 

 

Dear Restaurateur,

welcome back to our information page about food products that you will find on this platform.

Last week, we talked a bit about mozzarella and buffalo mozzarella, mentioning the type of milk used in their production, specifically raw milk and pasteurized milk.

 

With this preamble, it seemed necessary to clarify what raw milk cheeses are since many of the producers you will find on the platform emphasize when they use this raw material and why they do it.

 

Raw Milk Cheeses: What Are They and What Characteristics Do They Have?

Cheeses made from raw milk are produced with unpasteurized milk that, after milking, undergoes no heat treatment, thus preserving all its original physical, chemical, and bacteriological characteristics. Generally, we are talking about cow's or sheep's milk, but it can also be buffalo or goat.

 

Characteristics of Unpasteurized Milk

When we talk about raw milk, we refer to milk that, once milked, is not pasteurized or subjected to heat treatments. This way, it preserves its natural flora of microorganisms, which will give the resulting cheese more intense flavors and aromas.

 

Raw milk is rich in vitamins (A, C, and D), proteins, fats, calcium, and iron, to a greater or lesser extent depending on the type of cow from which it comes and the forage with which the animal was fed.

 

Raw milk is a lively food, with microorganisms that give different characteristics to each cheese and preserve its nutritional value. When milk is pasteurized, the applied heat kills the microorganisms, also reducing the vitamins and proteins, killing the life within it.

 

Without pasteurization, a process that eliminates any pathogenic microorganism and bacteria, raw milk must be "handled with care." Farms must adhere to very high hygiene standards, while raw milk cheese producers must process it shortly after milking and in locations not too far from the farms. This entails a higher cost for producers, but the reward for all this effort, however, is unparalleled. In fact, raw milk cheeses manage to stand out for their organoleptic characteristics, imparting truly unique aroma nuances.

 

Some Examples of Cheeses from Raw Milk

Among Italian raw milk cheeses, alpine cheeses stand out, also called mountain pasture cheeses. Dairy products made in mountain areas use the milk of cows that graze freely on the mountains. The forage they consume (a lot of fresh grass that brings carotenoids, Omega 3, and Omega 6 to the milk) and distinct varieties of available plants give the milk particular smells and flavors that pasteurization would somehow mitigate.

 

An example is Castelmagno d'Alpeggio DOP, which owes its flavorful and persistent aroma reminiscent of aromatic plants to the environment where the cows are raised. The two most famous aged Italian cheeses in the world, Parmigiano Reggiano DOP and Grana Padano DOP, are also produced with raw milk. Other well-known Italian cheeses made with unpasteurized milk include:

 

- Fontina DOP

- Puzzone di Moena DOP

- Strachitunt DOP

- Caciocavallo Silano DOP

- Mozzarella di Bufala, DOP

- Quartirolo Lombardo DOP

- Squacquerone di Romagna DOP

- Ricotta Romana DOP

- Ricotta di Bufala Campana DOP

- Murazzano DOP

- Robiola di Roccaverano DOP

- Asiago DOP

- Montasio DOP

- Pecorino Romano DOP

- Pecorino Sardo DOP

- Pecorino Siciliano DOP

- Pecorino Toscano DOP

 

These are just some of the Italian cheeses made with raw milk. In another article, we will talk about French and Spanish cheeses that use this rich ingredient.

 

The term "raw milk cheese" does not only imply the creation of cheese from unpasteurized milk; it represents a deeper commitment to preserving traditions, the peculiarities of our land, and preventing the extinction of breeds, cultures, and production methods. Raw milk cheeses encapsulate the entire folk culture of our regions, some of which may have been lost over time.

 

At Eggify we are excited to offer many small cheese artisans an exclusive and always accessible space for potential customers. It's easy to find in the complex digital universe—a showcase to display their products and companies, helping to keep alive a food tradition that is gradually fading away.

 

I want to remind you that Eggify's goal is to be an impartial window on the market, where small or large producers "compete" on equal terms. Unlike search engines with complicated algorithms and criteria that determine the visibility or total absence of a company in the digital context, a registered company on Eggify is and will always be visible. But we will talk about this complex world of algorithms in another article. Let's get back to cheeses...

 

Raw Milk Cheeses and Food Safety

If a cheese is made with raw milk, the law in Italy requires indicating it on the label.

 

The hygiene package includes the following regulations:

 

- Reg CE 852/2004

- Reg CE 853/2004

- Reg CE 854/2004

- Reg CE 2073/2005

- Directive 2002/99 CE

 

The obligation ceases if the cheese has a maturation of at least 60 days. This is because beyond two months of maturation, the risk of pathogenic microorganisms proliferating is truly insignificant.

 

In any case, producers of raw milk cheeses always adopt very rigorous procedures to ensure consumers receive a quality product, safe from a health standpoint, complying with EU regulations, and undergoing very frequent checks.

 

Dear restaurateur, I hope this article can help you choose the cheese that best suits your needs. Whether you own a small restaurant or manage a restaurant chain, on this platform, you will find cheese producers or distributors who can meet your requirements.

 

I invite you to register for free and take advantage of this tool designed specifically for the hospitality industry.