Çuç di Mont

The local economies of Carnia, Val Canale, Canal del Ferro and all of the Friulian Dolomites, up to the mountainous Livenza area, have always been closely connected to high-altitude livestock farming.
Summer pasturing, with seasonal migration from the valley floor up to the Alpine meadows, has been practiced for millennia. The first evidence dates back to before the year 1000, with documents from the Patriarchate of Aquileia defining precise rules for the use of pastures.
Historically, mountain pastures were assigned on a rotation basis and it was hard for a farmer to have the same pasture for multiple years. Along with the seasonal migration of livestock, for generations the families passed down the technique of preparing formadi di mont, traditionally known as çuç in Friuli. These days, the cheese is little known or valued.
The cheesemaking technique involves mixing the milk from the previous evening (raw and partially skimmed) with fresh milk in a cauldron. When the temperature reaches 32-36°C, calf rennet is added and the resulting curd broken into small pieces, the size of rice grains. The curd is then heated to 44-47°C for around 30 minutes.
After a resting period in the cauldron, the curds are removed by hand, with the help of a linen cloth, and placed in molds. The forms are pressed and turned a number of times, then in the evening they are immersed in brine, where they are left for 24 hours. Lastly the forms are left to dry on wooden boards. During their aging, the cheeses are cleaned and turned every day. The minimum aging period is 45 days, but çuç di mont only reaches its peak after a year.

Season

Produced from the end of May to the end of September. Minimum aging 45 days.