Salva Cremasco 
Salva is a PDO washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the central plain of Lombardy, made from full-cream pasteurized milk and aged for months in squared truckles. It came from the habit of saving surplus spring milk, and locals eat it with pickled green peppers.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Italy |
| Specific Origin | Provinces of Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Milan |
| Protection | PDO (2007), PDO (2011) |
| Milk Type | Whole raw or pasteurized cow’s milk |
| Milk Treatment | Pasteurized |
| Rind | Thin, wrinkled, pinkish; molds possible |
| Texture | Compact, granular, with irregular thin eyes |
| Flavor | Mild, fruity, and rich |
| Aroma | Aromatic and fragrant, with marked aromatic complexity |
| Colors | Pale yellow under rind, ivory paste |
| Forms | Square-shaped, 3 and 9 pounds (1.5 and 4 kilograms) |
| Age | At least seventy-five days |
| Rennet Type | Calf |
| Also Known As | Salva, Salva cremasco |
What is Salva Cremasco Cheese?
Salva is a table cheese from the central plain of Lombardy, made above all around Crema, Bergamo, and Brescia, and also in the provinces of Lecco, Lodi, and Milan. Its name comes from salvare il latte, saving the milk. Shepherds from Bergamo brought their cows down to the lowland farms in autumn and led them back up in spring, and the spring milk ran to more than anyone could use, so it went into cheese that would keep through the summer.
The squared profile turns up on decorative truckles of the 17th and 18th centuries, straw-white, thin-crusted, with very rare eyes. A consortium to safeguard Salva Cremasco was set up on 21 November 2002, and the cheese carries protected designation of origin status for its uniqueness and traditional method.
Full-cream pasteurized milk coagulates at 36 °C (97 °F) over 30 minutes. The curd is chopped twice into very small pieces, and the bulky mass then sits in a damp location for 8 to 16 hours. Aging runs either 3 to 5 months or 8 to 12 months, with rare truckles held up to 36 months. The crust is washed with water and salt, and cheeses kept longer are oiled, once with linseed oil, which raises a yellow mildew that works into the crust and pushes the flavour further.
Truckles are parallelepipeds. The plain squared side runs 11 to 13 cm (4.3 to 5.1 in) or 17 to 19 cm (6.7 to 7.5 in), the straight bowed side 9 to 15 cm (3.5 to 5.9 in), and the average truckle weighs 1.3 to 5 kg (2.9 to 11.0 lb). At 3 to 5 months the flavour is aromatic and fragrant. Salva has a lot in common with Quartirolo, but it ages longer and carries more aromatic complexity. Sometimes the crust is flavoured with pomace.
The standard preparation in the Crema area is Salva con le tighe. The cheese is cut into little cubes and served with pickled green Lombard peppers cut into large strips, seeds removed, plus a small amount of olive oil. The dish rests before it is eaten, and too much oil is thought to macerate the cheese. Beyond that, Salva works across a whole meal, from starters to first and second courses to desserts.
How Does Salva Cremasco Cheese Compare?
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