Cevrin of Coazze: a nobel prize goat cheese

This week cheese is Cevrin or also Cavrin di Coazze
Its names means caprino in Italian or goat cheese, Coazze is a tiny village up in the Alps near Turin.

Piedmontese cheeses, Cavrin is among them!

In this map below you can see where Coazze is located in the Turin province in Piedmont.

Coazze

Camosciata goats

As it happens with other cheeses we've already presented, Cevrin is made at least in part with goat's milk of the local "camosciate" goats. These goats are a small version of rock goats and look like small chamois - camoscio in Italian, from which they take their name. They are very common and easy to breed, with a frugal diet, strong body, they are very adaptable to the climate and the land.

Back in the past, up in the valleys of the Turin province, where Cevrin has been produced for centuries, it was the only locally produced cheese. Back then, it used to be carried by mules down the valleys to be sold in the towns. Slow Food has made it a presidium in the effort of preserving its recipe, making process and to diffuse it outside of Piedmont. Even Nobel prize in literature in 1937, Luigi Pirandello tried it and loved it while spending his vacation in Coazze!

Cevrin facts

- it's traditionally produced from the Spring to the fall
- because the chamois goat's milk has a very strong flavor, it's get blended to cow's milk to soften it
- to this blend, veal rennet is added and a long clotting process follows
- Cevrin ages for at least 3 months during which it gets turned upside down and salted every day!
- its rind is brownish, rough and wrinkly, its outer color is due to the natural molds developed while maturing
- its paste is brittle with very few holes, its color is straw yellow
- its scent is pungent, wild
- its flavor is intense and spicy with hues of hazelnut and butter

bruschetta

What to eat with Cevrin?

Besides eating it on its own and with some special whole grain breads, honeys and jams, you can savor cavrin virtually in any dish: quiches and local recipes, vegetarian raviolis, pumpkin risotto, gnocchi with cured meats and in sauces for your potatoes and meats too.

As for the wine any medium bodied local red wine will match Cevrin the best!

Cevrin is the protagonist of the Rural Festival or Festa Rurale that takes place in Coazze every October. This is a great area where to hike or cycle in the summer and to do all sorts of winter sports! 

Coazze