What's this
What is the stinker of Moena?
The puzzone di Moena (spretz tzaorì) is a protected denomination of origin cheese (DOP) typical of northern Italy. It is produced mainly in Moena - a town from which it takes its name - in the province of Trento - Trentino Alto Adige - even though the PDO specification grants the cheese-making, in compliance with the regulation criteria, throughout the Val di Fassa, Val di Fiemme and Val of Primiero.
From a nutritional point of view, Puzzone di Moena belongs to the II fundamental group of foods - foods rich in high biological value proteins, specific vitamins and minerals. It also has less desirable characteristics such as the richness in fatty acids, cholesterol and sodium. For this reason, its applications in the diet are of various kinds and we will see them better in the following paragraphs.
The puzzone di Moena is a whole cow's milk cheese, raw with a half-cooked paste and washed rind. During the maturation it develops characteristic scents, more similar to the blue ones - intense flavor and aroma, pungent, slightly spicy and with a bitter aftertaste; give the name "puzzone" here. The shape is cylindrical, 35 cm wide, with a 10 cm heel and an approximate weight of 10 kg. The seasoning ranges from 90 days to 6 months. The pasta has a semi-hard consistency, with medium elasticity and a whitish color tending to yellowish; a thin, not evenly distributed eye is visible. The rind is thin, dark yellow or orange, slightly greasy.
The puzzone of Moena is considered by many to be the "par excellence" table cheese. Regarding its organoleptic and taste characteristics, it is suitable for consumption as an appetizer, a dish or a dessert. It is also the protagonist of elaborate recipes, especially of first courses.
Nutritional Properties
Nutritional properties of the Puzzone di Moena
The Puzzone di Moena is a dairy product and belongs to the II fundamental group of foods - foods rich in proteins with high biological value, specific vitamins and minerals of milk.
It has an energy supply and a level of fat that is more than significant. Calories are provided mainly by fatty acids, followed by proteins and traces of carbohydrates - visible mainly in low-seasoned cheeses. The lipid chains are predominantly of the saturated type, the peptides with a high biological value - that is they supply all the essential amino acids in the right proportions and quantities with respect to the human protein model - and any soluble / simple carbohydrates - type lactose disaccharide.
The following composition changes take place as the seasoning continues:
- lactose decreases, which is almost completely degraded into lactic acid by the lactic acid bacteria contained in the product
- increases the concentration of histamine, by decarboxylation of histidine - free amino acid - always by the microflora
- the concentration of water decreases, mainly due to evaporation
- increases the nutritional density, therefore the dry substance per 100 g, consequently to dehydration.
The stinker of Moena does not contain fibers; it is instead rich in cholesterol. The quantity of purines, as for the other foods of the same food group, is rather limited. Does not provide gluten.
The vitamin profile of the Puzzone di Moena is characterized by its abundance in riboflavin (vit B2) and retinol or equivalent (vitamin A and / or RAE). Many other water-soluble group B factors such as thiamine (vit B1) and niacin (vit PP) are fairly concentrated.
With regards to minerals, on the other hand, the cheese shows significant concentrations of calcium, phosphorus and sodium chloride.
Diet
Moena diet and stink cheese
The Puzzone di Moena, being a very caloric food and rich in lipids, does not lend itself to the weight loss diet against overweight - which must be low-calorie and normolipidic.
The prevalence of saturated fatty acids on the total profile, associated with the abundance of cholesterol, makes the stinker of Moena unsuitable for hypercholesterolemia.
Containing proteins with high biological value, the stinker of Moena can be considered an excellent source of essential amino acids. It is recommended in all circumstances that require increasing the intake of these nutrients; they are indicative examples: general and specific malnutrition, chronic malabsorption and the increased specific needs, for example: during pregnancy, breastfeeding or by practicing extraordinarily intense and prolonged sports. The use of cheese as a nutritional source of high biological value proteins / essential amino acids is however limited by its less desirable properties - see cholesterol, saturated fats and sodium - which, in a balanced diet, require the use of moderate portions and a low frequency of consumption.
Lactose, in itself scarce due to the effect of lactic fermentation - greater, as we have said, in younger forms - can still be annoying for hypersensitive intolerants. It is also to report an increase in the concentration of histamine, especially in aged forms, which makes it inappropriate in the case of specific intolerance. Gluten-free and poor in purines, it is instead pertinent to the diet against celiac disease and hyperuricemia / gout / tendency to kidney stones (renal lithiasis) from uric acid.
Given the wide range of water-soluble vitamins of group B, which mainly perform the function of cellular coenzymes, the stinker of Moena can be considered a useful food to support the metabolic processes of various tissues. The fat-soluble vitamin A and / or equivalents (RAE) abound in the stinker of Moena, necessary to maintain the visual function, reproductive capacity, cellular differentiation, antioxidant defense, etc., intact.
Due to the high percentage of sodium, the stinker of Moena is allowed in the preventive and / or therapeutic diet the sodium sensitive arterial hypertension.
The richness of calcium and phosphorus is a very useful feature to ensure the balance of skeletal metabolism, a very delicate process in fetal development, in the growth phase of the child and in the third age - due to the tendency to osteoporosis. Notes : it is good to remember that for the health of the bones it is necessary to guarantee a correct intake of vitamin D or adequate sun exposure.
For hygienic reasons, being made from raw milk, it is advisable to avoid the stink of Moena in pregnancy. It is not a blue cheese, so it should not have a high risk of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes ; nevertheless, being made from raw milk, it is advisable to avoid it or cook it.
The stinky Moena cheese is not allowed in the vegan diet. Moreover, due to the presence of animal rennet, it must also be excluded in the vegetarian and Hindu religion. It has no contraindications for the Muslim and Jewish religions. The opinion of observant Buddhists can be contradictory.
The frequency of consumption for a healthy subject of the stinky Moena cheese - as a dish - is less than 1-2 times a week, with an average portion of about 80 g.
Kitchen
Puzzone di Moena in the kitchen
The puzzone di Moena is a table cheese. To appreciate its organoleptic and taste characteristics, it is recommended to use it as an appetizer, a dish or a dessert. Alternatively, it can constitute more complex recipes such as canederli in cream of puzzone di Moena, or simple like polenta grilled with Mozzarella puzzone fondue. Note the sauteed pasta and some creamy risottos. Less common, but excellent, meat dishes accompanied with heated cheese.
Description
Description of the stinker of Moena
The shapes of the stinker of Moena are cylindrical, with faces about 34-42 cm wide - on which the label is generally applied - and a 9-11 cm high heel; the weight is approximately 9-13 kg.
The puzzone di Moena is a raw cow's milk cheese that can mature for 3 to 6 months; the duration of maturation can affect the nutritional content and the organoleptic and taste characteristics.
The rind is greased superficially, smooth and not very wrinkled, orange in color and very compact. The dough is soft or semi-hard, of medium elasticity, straw-yellow in color and provided with not completely uniform "eye of partridge" holes; the one produced in the malga has larger holes and the more intense pasta color. To the sense of smell the intensity of the perfume that some define penetrating is clearly perceptible; on the palate it is equally persistent, spicy, of medium sapidity, bitter aftertaste and soft and melting consistency.
Production
Production of the stinker of Moena
The puzzone di Moena is produced with cow's milk from the day, coming from pastures in the pasture. This is heated to 35-40 ° C and curdled with starter and calf rennet. The curd is broken up to the size of a corn seed and cooked in copper pots at 47 ° C. Left to rest, the curd settles on the bottom from which it is taken and drained in cotton sheets. It is then cut again and placed in the molds, pressed by hand and left to drain completely. Further mechanical pressing follows, followed by wet salting, which takes place over 4 days of immersion in brine. The seasoning varies from 90 days to 6-7 months and, less frequently, a year. The rind is washed daily by hand.
