Historical notes on Asiago cheese

A typical product of the Veneto region, Asiago was and still is the most widely-used cheese in the officially-recognised D.O.P. production areas, where it is an old favourite in the local gastronomical tradition. On the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni, a very fertile highland area with excellent pasture in the northern part of the province of Vicenza, it is said that very tasty cheeses were produced in the area around the year 1,000 A.D. In the middle ages, however, local cheeses were produced from sheep's milk. The sheep were also important for their wool, which provided raw material for local artisans and weavers and, later on, for the industrial textiles firms located in the valleys of the Alto Vicentino.Breeding techniques gradually improved in time, and the nomadic sheep farmers accepted and adapted to the increasing use of sown pastures and grassland cultivated for forage. In the early sixteenth century, cattle became the primary source of milk. And during the age of the Republic of Venice many local witnesses and travellers referred to Asiago as an important market centre for wool and cheese, abundant supplies of which were brought down from the surrounding mountainous areas.
Cow's milk eventually replaced sheep's milk and the cheese-making techniques still used in the 'malghe' (Alpine shepherds' cottages in the summer grazing areas) of the Altopiano, were slowly developed. With the aid of modern technology, the techniques were gradually modernised and adopted by many small and medium-sized cheese-making workshops located within the typical production areas. Some of these small workshops and dairy factories were set up when the inhabitants of the plateau were forced to migrate to the lowlands during the First World War.The type of Asiago cheese which clearly represents the oldest local tradition is the 'd'allevo' (matured) variety, the forms of which are cut after many months of ripening. 'Asiago d'allevo' has a sharper, piquant taste, and the degree of its sharpness depends on the technique used and the length of the maturing period. This cheese is sometimes referred to by those who still speak the local dialect as 'pegorin' (Ital. 'pecorino'), a name which, in its direct reference to sheep-farming, bears witness to past traditions (Ital. 'pecora' = sheep). In the nineteen-twenties, local manufacturers began to produce unripened cheeses called Asiago 'pressato'. In this technique, as soon as the forms are produced, they are compacted in manual or hydraulic presses.The technique had already begun to be adopted in the 'malghe' and pasture-land dairies, especially during the early summer period. This 'new' product became popular with modern consumers who prefer sweeter, softer flavours. Owing to the events of the First World War, the production of Asiago cheese, which was prevalent on the Asiago plateau at the end of the nineteenth century, was gradually extended to the lowlands and parts of the upper Po valley, and to the mountainous areas of the province of Trento. Anyone who would like to taste the cheese the local people refer to as 'pegorin' (very mature Asiago), will not have much trouble in finding a supply of it. Various manufacturers in the area produce Asiago d'allevo, the certified, fire-branded forms of which can be easily recognised. This cheese can be considered one of the best matured cheeses available in the international market.