Crescenza/stracchino

It’s a shortly aged, soft cheese, originally produced in Lombard region. Fresh, creamy, rich, its name is likely to derive from the Lombard dialect word carsenza which means cake. As a matter of fact, if left to rest for a long time, it forms a superficial crust which tends to crack, the same thing that happens to cakes while raising.

It’s also known as stracchino (from Lombard dialect s tracch, which means stanco, tired). This name comes from the milk of cows “tired” for the transhumance to the valley floor after the summer graze in the mountains.

At room temperature it is soft and ideal to be spread on bread, to prepare delicious croutons and canapés.

Lately it has also been used as ingredient for pizzas.

Once this cheese was exclusively produced in winter, nowadays it is produced also in the warm season.