{"id":7408,"date":"2019-10-26T13:37:27","date_gmt":"2019-10-26T11:37:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pestofresco.eu\/brigasque-sheeps-milk-cheese\/"},"modified":"2019-10-26T13:37:27","modified_gmt":"2019-10-26T11:37:27","slug":"brigasque-sheeps-milk-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pestofresco.eu\/en\/brigasque-sheeps-milk-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"Brigasque sheep’s milk cheese"},"content":{"rendered":"

Produced in the border area between Liguria, Piedmont and Provence from Brigasca sheep’s milk, Toma di pecora brigasca is a Slow Food Presidium supported by the Region of Liguria.
\nAn exquisite cheese made using techniques and tools linked to the age-old tradition of transhumance by a few passionate producers who often work under difficult conditions.
\nFind out more in our news!<\/h2>\n

Friends of Pesto Fresco, our journey among the Slow Food Presidia of Liguria<\/strong> continues, and in this news we want to tell you about Toma di pecora brigasca<\/strong>.
\nBrigasca derives from La Brigue<\/strong>, a French village in Val Roya known for having been in past centuries the most important pastoral center in the entire border area between Liguria, Piedmont, and Provence<\/strong>.
\nThink that La Brigue over time has been French, then Italian, and then French again.
\nBrigasco, a dialect understood in both France and Italy, has always been spoken here and is descended from the ancient language of Oc.<\/p>\n

The Brigasque Sheep<\/h3>\n

The Brigasca sheep is indigenous and most likely originated from the frabosana strain.
\nIt is hardy, endowed with muscular limbs and strong, dark claws suitable for grazing in inaccessible areas.
\nIn fact, traditional breeding involves a period of seven to eight months in alpine pasture and about four months in bandia<\/strong>, the coastal area where the mild climate allows outdoor grazing to be maintained even in the winter months.
\nThis breed of sheep was a primary source of income for small local communities, and chronicles tell of disputes over ownership of the best pastures.
\nThe establishment of political and administrative boundaries in 1947 made it more difficult to move livestock, and there was an initial decline in herd numbers.
\nThe depletion of livestock has had very negative effects on the landscape, as well as on the economy of these mountainous areas.
\nBy the beginning of the 20th century, 60,000 cattle were being raised in the entire brigasca range.
\nToday little remains of the ancient flocks. About 1,800 head<\/strong> still graze in Liguria<\/strong>, particularly in the border areas, and 800<\/strong> are raised in the French<\/strong> Val Roya<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

Toma di pecora brigasca: how it is produced<\/h3>\n

Specifically, on the Italian territory, Toma di pecora brigasca is produced in the province of Imperia<\/strong> and in some municipalities in the province of Savona<\/strong> and Cuneo<\/strong>.
\nThis special cheese with an irregular square shape<\/strong>, also known as Sora<\/strong>, is made from the milk of the Brigasca sheep and with techniques and tools related to the thousand-year tradition of transhumance.
\n<\/strong>Rennet is added to the milk from the evening milking added to the morning milk.
\nAfter coagulation, the curd is broken with the rubat\u00e0<\/strong>, the classic wooden spino, and allowed to settle.
\nWith a coarse cloth (raireura) the clot is collected and formed into a kind of bundle on which a large stone is placed.
\nFears are born this way: after about 12 hours, the mass is removed from the cloth and cut into many squares.
\nSea salt is used to salt the tomes, which are then placed to mature in cool places on wooden boards for a minimum of 60 days.
\nBut it is not finished! Whey is recovered from cheesemaking and, by bringing it to a temperature close to boiling, a ricotta cheese<\/strong> is produced that, if left to ferment for at least 10 days, becomes brus<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

Toma di pecora brigasca: the Slow Food Presidium<\/h3>\n

The Presidium is supported by the Region of Liguria<\/strong>, which wants to promote the Brigasca breed raised in the few remaining mountain pastures on the watershed that marks the border with France.
\nIt also wants to support the crucial role of herders<\/strong> in protecting<\/strong>and preserving the natural environment.
\n<\/strong>The Presidium wants to help producers improve working conditions<\/strong>, who are forced to move grazing flocks in often difficult situations.<\/p>\n

Have you been familiar with the Brigasca Sheep Toma cheese? Have you eaten it?
\nTell us about it!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Source and photo: fondazioneslowfood.com<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Produced in the border area between Liguria, Piedmont and Provence from Brigasca sheep’s milk, Toma di pecora brigasca is a Slow Food Presidium supported by the Region of Liguria. An exquisite cheese made using techniques and tools linked to the age-old tradition of transhumance by a few passionate producers who often work under difficult conditions….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[581],"tags":[1274,553,1105,1272,1273],"class_list":["post-7408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ligurian-culture","tag-brigasque-sheep","tag-fresh-pesto","tag-presidium-slow-food-liguria","tag-toma-brigasca-en","tag-toma-di-pecora-brigasca-en"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t