Nostrano Valtrompia 
Nostrano Valtrompia is an extra-hard, half-fat cow's milk PDO cheese from the Val Trompia in Brescia, Lombardy. It is made from partly skimmed raw milk with a little saffron, ripened at least twelve months, and produced by only six certified dairies.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Italy |
| Specific Origin | Trompia Valley, Brescia Province, Gussago, Quarone and Civine |
| Protection | PDO (2010) |
| Milk Type | Cow's milk (90% Brown Swiss), up to 10% other breeds or hybrids |
| Milk Treatment | Raw |
| Fat Content | Medium-fat |
| Moisture Content | Maximum 36% in the fresh matter |
| Rind | Hard |
| Texture | Very hard |
| Flavor | Full and intense |
| Aroma | Full and intense, faintly pungent after very long ripening |
| Colors | Straw yellow paste tending to yellow-green |
| Forms | Whole wheels or cut portions |
| Age | Minimum 12 months |
What is Nostrano Valtrompia Cheese?
Nostrano Valtrompia takes its name from the Val Trompia in the province of Brescia, Lombardy. Cheesemaking there is documented from 1484, with the methods and the dairy herding written down in detail, and a document dated 1490 already forbade outsiders from working the alpine pastures. Steep slopes, narrow valley meadows and pastures above 1,800 metres kept the producers small and blocked industrial dairying, so herders have always been the cheesemakers and the affineurs as well. The cheese entered the EU register of protected designations of origin in 2012, following an application filed in 2011.
At least 90 percent of the milk must come from Italian Brown cows entered in the herd book. The herds graze valley or mountain pasture for at least 60 days between June and September, depending on the weather. Grass or hay makes up at least 75 percent of the dry matter of the daily ration, half of it from the designated area, and maize silage is not allowed.
Production runs all year from partly skimmed raw milk with saffron added at 0.05 to 0.2 grams per 100 kilograms of milk. Without it the paste would take on an excessively green cast from the skimming and the local green fodder. During ripening the wheels are brushed with linseed oil to stop them drying out, which would damage enzyme activity and the flavour. Minimum ripening is twelve months, and the whole cycle from milking to the end of salting covers thirteen.
The wheel is cylindrical with almost straight sides, 30 to 45 centimetres (12 to 18 inches) across, 8 to 12 centimetres (3 to 5 inches) high, and weighs 8 to 18 kilograms (18 to 40 pounds). Oiling leaves a hard rind coloured yellow-brown to reddish. The paste is hard but not overly grainy, straw yellow tending to yellow-green, and may show medium, evenly spread holes. Fat in dry matter is 27.5 to 45 percent and moisture reaches at most 36 percent.
Flavour and aroma are full and intense, with no sour notes at all, and very long ripening brings a faintly sharp edge. Cheese made in the summer months smells stronger thanks to the aromatic plants on the pastures. It is sold whole or in portions large enough to show part of the origin mark stamped on the side, and portions may be vacuum or gas packed. In 2023 output was a little over 6 tonnes, worth 112,000 euros.
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