Puzzone di Moena DOP is a semi-cooked and semi-hard cow’s milk cheese aged at least 90 days. It is produced with milk from cows coming from farms located in the production area and belonging to one or more of the following breeds: Bruna, Frisona, Pezzata Rossa, Grigio Alpina, Rendena, Pinzgau and their crosses.
The production area of Puzzone di Moena / Spretz Tzaorì DOP falls within the territory of 26 municipalities of the Autonomous Province of Trento and the municipalities of Anterivo and Trodena in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.
Puzzone di Moena DOP is produced with raw cow’s milk from two successive milkings. The qualitative characteristics of the milk used can be traced back to the high quality of the feeding of the lactating cows, which must be carried out for at least 60% with forage from the production area rich in particular essences, consisting of stable meadow grass, cut grass or consumed directly in the pasture. The heated milk is made to coagulate with calf rennet, after breaking the curd we proceed with the semi-cooking, the extraction of the mass and the shaping. Salting, dry or in brine, follows. Maturing lasts at least 90 days, during which each wheel must be washed manually with a rag soaked in warm, sometimes salty water, for a minimum of 90 days, until it is placed on the market. The treatment of the rind with water creates a greasy layer and favors bacterial fermentation which gives the cheese an intense and penetrating aroma and the unmistakable brick red rind.
Puzzone di Moena DOP has a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 34-42 cm, a height of the side from 9 to 12 cm, and a variable weight from 9 to 13 kg. The rind is smooth and greasy, and with the progress of ripening it tends to take on a darker color starting from ocher yellow up to light brown or reddish. When cut, it shows a full white or straw-colored paste with scattered holes. The flavor is robust, intense, slightly and pleasantly salty and / or spicy, with a barely perceptible bitter aftertaste.
