This mild cow’s milk cheese is a simple table cheese with a relatively mild flavor. Like the Ak-Mak crackers I ate it with, its origins date back to Roman times. It’s got two varieties: young and aged. I haven’t seen the sweeter, younger variety here in the states, but it appears everywhere in Piemonte, often “under oil”. Thanks to its PDO status, you can read more about this cheese here. In case anyone reading is interested in what PDO means, here’s some text I grabbed from Wine Country.it.
- PDO (Protected Designation of Origin)
The products under this designation are the ones that are affected mostly by the place where they grew and/or were produced, or the French concept of terroir, that is, a sense of place identifiable in the flavor, perfume and/or texture of the food. PDO products must be produced, processed, and prepared in a specific region using traditional production methods. The raw materials must also be from the defined area whose name the product bears. The products’ quality or characteristics must be due essentially or exclusively to their place of origin, i.e., climate, the nature of the soil, and local know-how. Examples are Kalamata olives, Prosciutto di Parma, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
(In Italian this designation is DOP for food and DOC for wines).
While reading about its provenance tonight, I learned that toma is made in many Piemontese provinces, including: Novara, Vercelli, Biella, Turin, Cuneo and several towns located in the provinces of Asti and Alessandria. I remember spending a few days with Massimo and his crazy actress girlfriend in Novara many years ago. We attended a Slow Foods dinner in Gattinara, a small town known for its wine. That meal was particularly memorable not only because it was shared with about 100 people (mostly old men), but also because it was the first time that I had honestly appreciated and understood the synergies of food-wine pairings. It’s been a really long time since I felt those sensations. I wonder if I could plan a “Slow Food” meal myself …
