Casera - Casera DOP by R.Borgacci

What's this

What is Casera?

Casera is a Valtellinese cheese - province of Sondrio, Lombardy - based on partially skimmed cow's milk, with semi-cooked pasta and semi-hard consistency; "casera", in the local dialect, means "dairy".

Dairy product to all effects, Casera belongs to the II fundamental group of foods: nutritional sources of high biological value proteins, mineral salts and specific vitamins of milk and derivatives. It also contains saturated fats, cholesterol, sodium and histamine - the seasoned one - in abundance. It is suitable, in the recommended portion and frequency of consumption, to the ordinary diet of healthy people; instead it has restrictions in the nutritional regime against some metabolic pathologies.

The production of Casera dates back to 1500, when most of the cheese makers organized themselves into cooperatives and shifts to optimize resources - logistics, technology, etc. - indispensable for cheese processing. By combining milk production and collaborating, they managed to guarantee not only the availability of Casera on the market throughout the year, but also a quality standard that centuries later would have allowed it to earn the DOP title - Protected Designation of Origin.

The DOP recognition confers greater value to the cheese but, at the same time, it binds it to a rigid production disciplinary which regulates both the origin of the milk and the various stages of cheese making. The milk, strictly of brown cows fed on pasture or with hay, must come from farms limited to the area defined by the regulation. Note : the processing of Casera, a time almost exclusively in winter and performed in the casere, arose in completion to that of Bitto - instead exclusively of pasture and worked in the summer.

The shape of the Casera DOP is cylindrical, regular, with both flat faces, 30-45 cm in diameter, on which an identification label is applied. On the rind, about 8-10 cm high, the symbol and the name of the DOP Casera are printed. The shapes have an indicative weight of 7-12 kg.

The crust of the Casera DOP is thin but consistent. The pasta, white and almost tender in young or straw-yellow cheese and more tenacious in the more seasoned one, is elastic with thin holes, medium close and uniform. It is a semi-fat cheese - lipids no less than 34% on the dry substance - with a typically milky flavor and a sweetish taste in the young type, which goes well with various local recipes such as buckwheat dishes, pizzoccheri and sciatt. The ripe one, on the other hand, has more marked shades of hay and dried fruit, and is a highly appreciated table cheese - as an appetizer, a dish or a dessert. The average humidity at two months of seasoning is around 40%.

Nutritional Properties

Nutritional properties of Casera

Casera is a product that belongs to the II fundamental group of foods - a source of high biological value proteins, specific vitamins and minerals, especially riboflavin, calcium and phosphorus.

Casera brings many calories, mainly from fatty acids - tend to be 20% higher on dry matter - most of which is saturated. Follows a marvelous quantity of high biological value proteins - that is, that contain all the essential amino acids in the right proportions and quantities - and, in young cheese, traces of lactose - soluble disaccharide glucide.

Casera, free of dietary fiber and gluten, instead contains abundant cholesterol levels. With maturation it tends to lose water and lactose - which is hydrolyzed by the bacterial microflora - and to enrich itself with histamine. The quantity of purines, as for milk and all derivatives, is very limited.

As for vitamins, Casera is characterized by its abundance in riboflavin (vit B2) and retinol or equivalent (vitamin A or RAE). The other water-soluble factors belonging to group B 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.

Note : the table is incomplete but, given the composition and the dairy methodology, it is likely to assume that most of the nutritional profile can be shared with other similar cheeses.

Diet

Diet and cheese Casera

Casera is a very caloric and fat-rich food, therefore it does not lend itself to the weight loss diet against overweight - which requires being low-calorie and normolipidic.

The prevalence of saturated fatty acids on the global lipid profile and the abundance of cholesterol make Casera not recommended in hypercholesterolemia.

Rich in high biological value proteins, Casera is an excellent source of essential amino acids and can be recommended in all circumstances that require an increase in the intake of these nutrients - generalized malnutrition, protein deficiency, chronic malabsorption, increased need for specific amino acids such as pregnancy or the practice of particularly intense and prolonged sports. Note : it must be emphasized that the use of cheese as a source of high biological value proteins / essential amino acids is however limited by the less desirable nutritional characteristics.

Lactose, in any case scarce due to the presence of lactic fermentation, can be annoying to the most sensitive intolerant; Cases of hypersensitivity to Casera linked to the concentration of lactose are very rare. With seasoning an increase in the level of histamine takes place which makes it inappropriate in the event of a marked food intolerance to this molecule. It is relevant to the nutritional regime against celiac disease and hyperuricemia.

Given the richness in water-soluble vitamins of group B, which perform different tasks in the role of cellular coenzymes, Casera can be considered useful for supporting many of the cellular metabolic processes. The fat-soluble vitamin A and / or equivalents (RAE) are also abundant, necessary for visual function, reproductive capacity, cellular differentiation, antioxidant defense, etc.

The considerable level of sodium coming from the salt used during cheesemaking makes Casera unsuitable for the preventive and / or therapeutic diet sodium hypertension. The richness of calcium and phosphorus is instead useful to support bone metabolism, very important in the period of fetal development, growth in the child and also in the third age - especially in women, due to the tendency to osteoporosis. Note : we remind you that, for bone health, it is also necessary to ensure the supply of vitamin D - calciferol.

Casera cheese is not allowed in the vegan diet; moreover, due to the presence of animal rennet, it must also be excluded in the vegetarian one. It has no contraindications for the Muslim and Jewish religions. The opinions of observant Buddhists are conflicting in this regard.

The frequency of consumption of Casera cheese - as a dish - is less than or equal to 1-2 times a week, while the average portion corresponds to about 80 g.

Kitchen

Casera in the kitchen

Casera is mainly consumed as a table cheese. Young or more seasoned, it is a much appreciated starter, a dish or a dessert.

Especially the not very mature one, lends itself to compose typical recipes of the area, even buckwheat, like the pasta called "pizzoccheri" and the fritters known as "sciatt". The famous stuffed gnocchi, the four cheese spatzle and the roasted sliced ​​polenta with melted Casera are also excellent. Fondue, with cream and possibly other cheeses, is excellent on polenta with a spoon.

The food and wine pairing of the Casera is typically with: young Barbacarlo, or Sassella or Inferno, of young aging.

Production

Production of the DOP Casera

The Casera has earned, in 1995, the recognition of Protected Designation of Origin (DOP). It is a cheese that is available today all year round but which, in the past, to complete the production of Bitto - from summer pastures - had an almost exclusively winter processing.

Casera PDO is obtained from semi-skimmed cow's milk obtained from two or more cow's milkings - above all of the Bruna Alpina breed, around 60% of the total - raised and fed - on pasture or with hay - in the area delimited by the specific regulation of production - Valtellina.

The curd is obtained initially by inoculation of selected lactic starters; only a small part of the Casera contains spontaneous bacteria, therefore with a heterogeneous composition. The coagulation is therefore initially acidic due to the release of lactic acid deriving from the bacterial metabolism. It is completed, later, with the introduction of calf rennet rich in enzymes that perform an intensely presamica function.

The curd is then cooked, or rather half-cooked at a specific temperature of 40-45 ° C. Later it is broken and crushed into small grains the size of a corn seed. It is extracted and stored in special circular strips, to drain. Salting follows, dry or in brine, and seasoning

The maturation, of at least 70 days, typically takes place in the casere at a temperature of 6-13 ° C. Finally, the shapes of Casera are labeled and marked.

Description and Features

Description and Characteristics of the Casera

The shapes of Casera are cylindrical, with a diameter of 30-45 cm, with an 8-10 cm high heel. The weight varies from 7 to 12 kg. The faces are flat and house the label of the manufacturing company. On the rind, on the other hand, the name and symbol of the product - the Consortium's trademark - are printed.

The Casera crust is slightly rough, straw-yellow in color, 2-4 mm thick. The dough has a compact, medium elastic consistency, with fine and evenly distributed holes; it is melting on the palate. The color ranges from white to straw yellow, depending on the seasoning. The taste is sweetish; the characteristic but delicate flavor is typical of milk in young forms and of hay with hints of dried fruit in the more seasoned ones.