Cheeses

In the local dialect Testun means “hard head.” This colorful description is also the name of a tradtional cheese from Piemonte in northwestern Italy. When aged Testun can become quite hard and grateable and some rustic forms even take on a round, vaguely head-shaped appearance yet Testun is a cheese that varies greatly from wheel to wheel.

Testun can be made from any milk or mixture of milk, comes in varied sizes from 4lbs to 20lbs, and can be eaten at almost any age from 3 months on. This version, however, made by the family farm La Bottera in Morrozzo, is pure, whole raw cow’s milk from milk from their own herd.

Aged for approximately 4 months in stone aging cellars, the Testun di Grotta is a firm cheese that retains a creamy mouthfeel. The purity of the milk, microflora of the cellars, and currents of fresh mountain air give the cheese a full, nutty flavor.