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What is bettelmatt?
Bettelmatt (battelmatt) is a summer mountain cheese typical of Northern Italy.
It is produced in the Valle Ossola Superiore, in the province of Verbano - Cusio - Ossola, on the border between the Piedmont region and Switzerland; the area is called Alpe di Formazza.
The bettelmatt is a cheese made from whole cow's milk or partially skimmed, raw, of a single milking and produced in the summer period; acidity is naturally induced by microbial fermentation. It has a semi-cooked paste, pressed, and a minimum maturing of 40-50 days, up to a year. The consistency is hard or semi-hard and shows a thin and homogeneous eye.
Bettelmatt belongs to the II fundamental group of foods - milk and derivatives - as a nutritional source of high biological value proteins, specific minerals and vitamins. It has a considerable caloric intake, coming mainly from fats. In the next section we will go into more detail.
The young bettelmatt lends itself to being eaten alone, as a table cheese, especially little seasoned. The more mature forms are excellent ingredients for some recipes and are used grated over pasta. The organoleptic and taste characteristics change significantly depending on the seasoning; less based on the area of the mountain pasture and the dairy. All the bettelmatts present the typical scent of grasses and flowers of the pastures.
The bettelmatt enjoys the recognition of Traditional Agri-food Product (PAT) and on the rind shows the characteristic brand in focus, with the date of manufacture, the name of the production mountain pasture and the EEC stamp number of the dairy. The trademark has been regularly registered since 2003, although its fame began as early as 1810, when the canonical Nicolao Sottile awarded him the first quality license subsequently confirmed by the Jacini Inquiry.
Nutritional Properties
Nutritional properties of bettelmatt
Bettelmatt, as a dairy product, belongs to the II fundamental group of foods.
It has an energy supply and a very significant level of fats, which increase with the prolongation of aging - the lipid percentage rarely falls below 20% on the dry substance.
Calories are provided mainly by fatty acids, followed by proteins and, possibly, by few carbohydrates - in poorly seasoned forms. The lipid chains are mainly saturated, the peptides with high biological value - they provide all the essential amino acids in the right proportions and quantities with respect to the human protein model - and any soluble / simple carbohydrates - lactose disaccharide.
The bettelmatt does not contain fibers; it is instead rich in cholesterol. Increasing the seasoning loses water, the lactose is degraded by the bacterial microflora, and is enriched with histamine. The quantity of purines, as for the other foods of the same food group, is very limited. It does not contain gluten.
The vitamin profile of bettelmatt is characterized by its abundance in riboflavin (vit B2) and retinol or equivalent (vitamin A 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.
Diet
Diet and bettelmatt cheese
The bettelmatt, being a very caloric food and rich in fat, does not lend itself to the weight loss diet against overweight - low calorie and normolipid. Aged and hard pasta, grated on first courses, it can be included in the customary diet in quantities of 5-10 g at a time, once or twice a day.
The prevalence of saturates on the total fatty acid profile and the abundance of cholesterol make the bettelmatt not recommended in case of hypercholesterolemia.
Containing high biological value proteins, bettelmatt 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, specific malnutrition, chronic malabsorption and increased needs - for example during pregnancy or by practicing extraordinarily intense and prolonged sports. However, the use of cheese as a nutritional source of high biological value proteins / essential amino acids is limited by its less desirable properties which require moderate portions and a low consumption frequency to ensure a balanced diet.
Lactose, of little importance in itself due to lactic fermentation, can still be annoying for the most sensitive intolerant; on the other hand, statistically speaking, adverse reactions to seasoned bettelmatt can be considered very rare. An increase in the concentration of histamine is to be reported, especially in the more aged forms, which makes it inappropriate in the case of specific intolerance. Free of gluten and poor purine, it is instead pertinent to the diet against celiac disease and hyperuricemia.
Given the wide range of water-soluble vitamins of group B, which mainly perform the task of cellular coenzymes, bettelmatt can be considered a useful food to support the metabolic processes of various tissues. In the bettelmatt abound the liposoluble vitamin A and / or the equivalents (RAE), necessary to maintain the visual function, the ability to reproduce, the cellular differentiation, the antioxidant defense, etc., to be integral.
Considering the high percentage of sodium, bettelmatt should be avoided or strongly limited in the preventive and / or therapeutic diet for 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 : for bone health it is also necessary to guarantee the supply of vitamin D. In pregnancy, for hygienic reasons, it is advisable to avoid raw milk-based cheeses, if not cooked - for example on the griddle.
Bettelmatt cheese is not allowed in the vegan diet. 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 bettelmatt cheese - as a dish - is less than or equal to 1-2 times a week, while the average portion corresponds to about 80 g.
Description
Description of the bettelmatt
Bettelmatt is a cow's dairy product; the cows are brown Italian. It is a cheese made from whole or partially skimmed milk, raw, coming from a single milking in the summer, between June and September, directly on the mountain pastures - when the cows graze between 1800 and 2400 m of altitude; the acidity of the cheese is natural, induced by microbial fermentation. The bettelmatt pasta is semi cooked and has a minimum maturing of 40-50 days, up to a year.
The forms of bettelmatt have an average diameter of 50-60 cm. The barefoot is about 10-15 cm. The logo is burned on one of the faces, while the date of manufacture, the name of the production pasture and the EEC stamp number of the dairy are identified laterally. The rind is thin, yellow.
The bettelmatt paste is semi-hard or hard-pressed - light yellow, with thin and homogeneous holes. The aroma is full of the olfactory characteristics of mountain pasture milk, and therefore especially of herbs and flowers. Many know how to distinguish the color and scents of the mutellina or mattolina - Artemisia umbelliformis, one of the species locally called Genepì, with which it also produces a very characteristic typical liqueur. The taste is initially soft, sweet - especially the young forms - and then intense and decisive.
Kitchen
Bettelmatt in the kitchen
Bettelmatt is a fat or semi-fat dairy product that, especially when matured, is suitable as a table cheese - as an appetizer, a second course or a dessert.
More mature, it is instead destined to be grated or melted in the first courses - for example various polenta recipes - or in certain dishes.
The winemaking combination of bettelmatt mainly includes red wines; Recommended: Alto Adige Pinot Noir, Breganze Cabernet, Chianti Classico, Gattinara, Nebbiolo d'Alba, Rosso Piceno Superiore, Torgiano Rosso Riserva and Valtellina Superiore.
