• Strachitunt, which in the local dialect means “round stracchino", belongs to the “Stracchino” family. It is thought of as Gorgonzola’s great ancestor and is traditionally produced in Upper Taleggio Valley, in the area between Artavaggio, in the province of Lecco, and Reggetto di Vedeseta, in the province of Bergamo. In the past it was produced in the mountain dairies which offered particularly suitable conditions for maturing soft cheeses. Thanks to the persistence and passion of several producers who wanted to keep the oldest and most typical traditions of the Bergamo area alive, today we can still enjoy these flavours from the past. Strachitund is highly appreciated today for its characteristic taste and flavour and although it is produced on a more regular basis, it continues to be a niche product.
• It is a blue-veined raw cheese, made from whole cow’s milk and it belongs to the Stracchino family. One of its characteristics is that it is made by combining the curds from the evening milking and those from the morning milking. Slices a few centimetres thick are obtained from each of the two types of curds, which are put in the moulds in alternating layers, so that both the lower and the upper layers are composed of the softer morning curds. Thus, the cheese “bonds” better. This is followed by the fermentation process and dry salting of the cheese.
• The cheese must be aged in conditions with an initial temperature of 10 °C and then of 2-4 °C. About 30 days after production, holes must be made on the top, bottom and sides of the cheese, to start the characteristic formation of mould. The product is ready after about three months. Nonetheless, ageing can be continued for longer.
• The cheeses are cylindrical, normally with a diameter of 25 centimetres and a side surface of 15-18 centimetres. Each one weighs about 4-6 kg on average. The rind is rough, yellowish in colour and tending to grey when the cheese is aged. The cheese is compact with creamy stripes, tender just under the rind and characterized by bluish-green veins throughout. The flavour and aroma are characteristic, more or less pronounced, depending on how long the cheese has been left to age.