Formaio Embriago

Product A fresh, unsalted cheese with an uncooked paste. Origin: It is a food product of extremely ancient origin, having been created by colonies of refugees from northern Greece and Albania that were established in the area around Reggio Calabria. The cheese can now be obtained only on request from shepherds living in some of the communities on the Ionian slopes of Calabria, such as Gallician˜, Condofuri Superiore, Bova Superiore, Roghudi, Roccaforte, Corio di Roghudi and Palizzi Superiore.

Milk Sheep's and goat's milk from two milkings.

Processing Since it is a traditional cheese, the procedures used in preparing it are still fairly rudimentary. After the milking, which is carried out manually, the milk is left overnight in a pail hung up outside the stalls. The milk of the following morning is added to the evening's output by the farmer, who himself prepares the cheese. The milk is then filtered through an extremely fine sieve and put in copper or aluminum caldrons where it is brought to a temperature of 35 to 38 degrees C. (95°-100° F.). Rennet is then added, whether in paste or from a kid's stomach, and mixed into the milk with a wooden implement. The curdling of the cheese requires about one hour. The curds are allowed to solidify for about seven minutes and are then broken up into pieces about the size of grains of rice with a wooden device, shaped something like a rowel, that is known as a ruppi caglijata (curd-breaker). At that point, the caldron is removed from the heat and the curds are allowed to settle before they are removed and shaped by hand into spheroids. The cheeses are left to purge their whey for five to 10 hours.

History The cheese is typically consumed during the Easter season. It gets its name from the wooden forms, known as musulupare, in which it is pressed. The mold is richly inlaid with allegorical figures, which are probably linked to the traditions of the Greek Orthodox Church.