Bettelmatt Cheese

✔ Shipping 24/48h

✔ Available: We ship all products Mondays and Tuesdays to preserve their freshness and quality and to avoid they stop in warehouses during the weekend. Orders received from Monday to Thursday will be shipped the following Monday. Orders received from Friday to Sunday included will be shipped on Tuesday.

Bettelmatt cheese is surely the most famous and the most appreciated product of Ossola Valley in Italy. Its taste is surprising and unique.

Indeed, it is produced only in few mountain pastures: Alpe Bettelmatt, Kastel, Vannino, Toggia, which are located in Formazza valley, and Alpe Forno, Sangiatto and Poiala, which are located in Antigorio Valley. They all are at an altitude of over 6561 ft a.s.l.

Its name dates back to the XIII century, when it was used as a bargaining chip. Hence, it is nicknamed the "Rolls Royce" (link to Dissapore) of the Italian cheeses.

The paste is yellow with few and well-distributed holes. The mouthfeel is smooth, sweet and intense. Its taste is given by the thin air and by the mountain pastures, which confer this cheese its typical aromas. One of this aromas is "mutellina" or "motellina" in Ossola dialect, a special herb, which is very appreciated by cattle.

Wheels are obtained using 1690 fl oz of milk and weight around 8/11lb each. The cheese processing lasts 3-4 hours and it is done only by 8 farms, which have 400 dairy cows in all.

After that, wheels are aged for 2 months before their sale. It is important they run out before Christmas.