QUARTIROLO LOMBARDO  DOP

DESCRIPTION, HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DOP
The Quartirolo Lombardo DOP is a soft table cheese, made from raw or pasteurised cow’s milk from at least two milkings. The milk from the first milking must be used whole. The milk from the second or subsequent milkings may be used whole or partially skimmed. The production area of Quartirolo Lombardo DOP includes the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Milan, Monza-Brianza, Pavia and Varese. It means that milk used must exclusively come from these areas of production, and all operations, from cheesemaking to maturing, must take place within this geographical area.
Quartirolo Lombardo cheese has the shape of a quadrangular parallelepiped, with sides of 18-22 cm, heel height 4-8 cm and a weight from 1,5 to 3,5 kg.
The ageing period lasts from 2 to 30 days for the “fresh” cheese, while after 30 days the product is marked as Quartirolo Lombardo “matured” (or “aged”).
The cheese is uniform and compact, with a light colour ranging from white to straw, softer under the rind. The rind is thin, soft and a natural pinkish colour.
The taste is distinctive, slightly acid-aromatic in the fresh cheese and more aromatic in the matured cheese.
The Quartirolo Lombardo DOP can be recognized by the mark of origin, impressed on one of the cheese’s flat surfaces, containing the letters “QLLQ”. As a guarantee to the consumer, at the time of purchase, its authorized and granted to the user companies by the Consortium logo is noted on the Quartirolo Lombardo wrapper.
The Quartirolo Lombardo cheese was recognized as DOP in 1996. The DOP production regulations guarantee the consumer a high-quality product, both in terms of the origin and provenance of the raw materials, and in terms of its production and food safety.
The Quartirolo Lombardo DOP has an history that intertwines with the seasonal cycle and with agricultural customs of a very specific part of Lombardy, located between the Po valley and the pre-Alps valleys between Bergamo and Lecco.
The origin of Quartirolo Lombardo DOP dates from the tenth Century A.D. and has to do with the ancient tradition of transhumance, when Lombard bergamini (dialectal name for cattlemen) were staying cattle in the mountains during the summer, and then came back to the valley just before autumn.
In late september the valley offered to the cows the last blades of grass of the end of the season. These grew after the third cut of hay, and this kind of grass was so-called “quartirola” (from “quarto” that in Italian means “fourth”). The milk that came was very aromatic and was made into cheese, called “Quartirolo Lombardo” as a tribute to the last few blades of fresh grass of September’s meadows.
You can relish the Quartirolo Lombardo DOP not only by itself or as a complement to salads and cold dishes.
The Quartirolo Lombardo DOP is unique and ideal for the modern cooking for his original taste, lightweight and suitable for a healthy diet, and stands out for its versatility.
Among the food combinations are particularly recommended those with nuts, olive oil, grapes, apples and honey, as well as precious ingredient in the preparation of pastas and salads.
It goes well with Lombardy’s typical wines, as long as not too aged. It can be accompanied also by sparkling wine.
It keeps well in the refrigerator, between 0° and +6° C, wrapped in aluminium foil or, better, in a slightly damp cloth; to exalt the full flavour and aroma, however, it is better served at room temperature.