Tolminc

What is Tolminc Cheese?

Tolminc is a Slovenian cow's milk hard cheese with a protected designation of origin. Its area of origin is Zgornje Posočje, the Upper Soča Valley, made up of the municipalities of Kobarid, Tolmin and Bovec and their 34 settlements, bordering Italy to the west. Mediterranean and alpine influences meet in the valley, which is the wettest part of Slovenia because humid air from the sea rises against the barrier of the western Julian Alps. In Tolmin the mean annual air temperature is 11 °C, with about 1 °C in January and above 18 °C in July.

The herding cycle behind the cheese is still widely practiced. Cattle move up to the lower alpine pastures in spring, then to the high pastures at the end of June, where they graze and cheese is made until early September. The herds return to the lower pastures and stay until the first snowfall. Cows are fed mainly pasture grass, hay and silage from the area of origin, which must supply at least 75 percent of the dry matter of the daily ration.

Tolminc is made from cow's milk produced in the region, either raw or pasteurized at 57 to 68 °C, with at least 80 percent coming from Brown Swiss cows. The cheesemaker starts with milk ripened for at least 12 hours and may add fresh milk before coagulation, along with homemade or industrial starter cultures to speed up fermentation. After the rennet goes in, the milk sets for 25 to 35 minutes at 32 to 34 °C. The curd is cut first into large cubes, then down to hazelnut size, and dried by heating to 44 to 48 °C under constant stirring. Pressing and turning take 6 to 12 hours, which drains the whey faster, spreads the moisture evenly and gives the wheels a more regular shape. Salting follows in brine for 24 to 48 hours, and ripening lasts a minimum of two months with regular turning, wiping and cleaning.

The round wheel stands 8 to 9 cm high, measures 23 to 27 cm across and weighs 3.5 to 5 kg. Its rind is smooth and straw yellow. Inside, the paste is elastic and yellowish with a few holes the size of lentils or peas. The smell is characteristic and the taste sweet and piquant. Fat content is at least 45 percent in dry matter and moisture no more than 40 percent.

Each wheel is marked after salting with the date ripening began or a batch code. For traceability, wheels also carry the producer's details, the Tolminc name and logo, the corresponding EU symbol and the national quality mark. The label has to state whether the cheese was made from raw or pasteurized milk. Producers may add that it ripened longer than two months, that the milk came from cows fed without silage, or that it was made in a mountain dairy.