Castronno - "I Started with Three Goats": The Story of Paride Peloso and His Formaggella - Varese Laghi - Varese News
An abandoned farmhouse and three goats: this is how the story of the Caprivalcuvia Farm began, founded by Paride Peloso in 1985. Goat farming was virtually nonexistent at the time, and goat cheese was held in low esteem. Peloso, however, decided to focus on what would later become one of the area's finest products: Formaggella del Luinese DOP , today the only goat cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) designation in Italy.
Peloso, a guest at the "Aperialbuio" evening organized by Materia , brought with him a 40-day-aged formaggella. " It's a cheese with a delicate flavor that becomes more savory with aging. It can be enjoyed on its own, although it also excels in cooking, " he explained, "such as in the classic risotto with pears and formaggella, or paired with acacia honey ."
For Paride Peloso, it was important from the beginning to focus primarily on milk processing, which he believes is where the quality of the product lies : " Our milk is raw, fresh, processed immediately after milking: it's alive. The animals feed on local forage and pastures, and this makes the real difference compared to more standardized products. Forty years ago, I started with three goats—Trotinette, Juditte, and Tulipe—and now I have forty ."
In 2006, the Luinese cheese obtained DOP recognition at the national level , and in 2011 it also received European recognition. Peloso adds: " With the CNR in Milan, we have developed a native ferment extracted from our milk . We want to combine tradition and science. Our next project is a nutraceutical cheese , lactose-free thanks to its long maturation and attentive to cardiovascular health ."
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