PIAVE PDO

DESCRIPTION, HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PDO
The production technique for Piave DOP cheese has been handed down from generation to generation in the Belluno area and its origins date back to the end of the 19th century, when the first mountain “turnarie” dairies in Italy were established.
The idea of bringing together the small farmers of the town to process the milk “in turns” (or shifts) at a single farm, thereby reducing production costs and increasing profits, became popular during those years in every small town in the Belluno mountains. It made a decisive contribution to the birth of local dairy and cheese-making traditions and of that cheese which will then be codified with the name “Piave”. An important name that evokes profound suggestions linked to the Belluno legendary river.
Piave is a hard, cooked DOP cheese made in the province of Belluno the northernmost part of the Veneto region in north-eastern Italy exclusively from the finest quality raw materials. It is distinguished by its flavour: sweet and intense, never spicy, with a full aroma reminiscent of Alpine herbs and flowers. Piave DOP contain no lactose and it is naturally gluten-free.
There are five types of Piave DOP cheese: Piave DOP Fresco (from 20 to 60 days maturation), Piave DOP Mezzano (from 2 to 6 months maturation), Piave DOP Vecchio (over 6 months maturation), Piave DOP Vecchio Selezione Oro (over 12 months maturation), Piave DOP Vecchio Riserva (over 18 months maturation).
The milk used for the production of Piave comes exclusively from the province of Belluno and over 60% is collected in the municipalities of the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park. Territories characterized by mountain environments unique in the world, where the great richness and rarity of the flora was one of the main scientific reasons for the creation of the Park. As envisaged by the Production Regulations, the milk used to make Piave DOP cheese comes exclusively from the province of Belluno in the Veneto region of Italy and at least 80% is produced with milk from breeds of cattle typical of the production area: the Bruna Italiana, the Grigio Alpina, the Pezzata Rossa Italiana and the Frisona Italiana.
The breeding methods are based on traditional criteria, characterised by the link between the breed of cattle and the territory: free housing is often practised, sometimes with grazing in mountain pastures during the summer months, and feeding using the cheapest and most abundant local staple, stable multi-grass meadow fodder, mostly grown wild, supplemented with excellent quality cereals and grains.
Fresh or mature, Piave DOP is a genuine food, easy to digest and with a high energy value, a vehicle for important nutritional elements that are essential for all ages.
– It is a genuine product due to the natural ingredients, consisting of fresh milk, milk enzymes, rennet and salt.
– It is a complete product from a nutritional point of view because it contains essential amino acids, calcium and phosphorus.
– It is easily digestible because biochemical changes during the ripening process make fats and proteins easy to assimilate.
– it is rich in essential minerals such as calcium, an essential nutrient that contributes to the formation and maintenance of bones and teeth, the conduction of nerve impulses, blood coagulation and muscle contraction. The calcium contained in the cheese is distinguished not only by its large quantity but, above all, by its high bioavailability it is easily absorbed into the metabolic processes.
– Piave cheese can be enjoyed on its own as table cheese
– It can be a basic ingredient in traditional recipes such as “formai frit” – fried cheese with cornmeal mush (polenta) and sauerkraut
– Fresh Piave represents a perfect ingredient for rich salads
– Mature Piave is an excellent grating cheese
– Fresh Piave cheese can be tasted with young white wines, with more aromatic white wines or red ones in the case of more seasoned cheese