Description
The Svecia PGI is a semi-hard cheese, obtained from milk taken from the two most famous cattle breed in Sweden: the breed Swedish Red and White and the Swedish Holstein Friesien.
Production Area
The production area of the Svecia PGI is located in the entire Swedish territory.
Production Method
The milk used for the production of this cheese is pasteurised and, successively, rennet is added to obtain the curd. The curd is broken, then mixed once, heated and finally mixed again following the addition of salt. The compound obtained is cut and placed in moulds that allow air infiltration, which is responsible for the small irregular holes that form on the surface of the cheese. Then, ripening lasts at least two months.
Appearance and Flavour
The Svecia PGI is a semihard cheese with a cylindrical shape, a diameter of 35 cm and weighs 12 kg or 15 kg. The colour of the cheese verges on a uniform yellow. It has small irregular holes, which are evenly distributed. The paste is creamy and soft, the taste is mildly acid.
History
The production of the Svecia PGI can be traced back to the 13th century, even though the name to distinguish this product was only established in 1920, and derives from Suecia, the Latin name for Sweden. Svecia was never produced outside of Sweden.
Gastronomy
The Svecia PGI should be kept in a cool place, and if already sliced, it should be replaced in the refrigerator wrapped up in aluminium foil. The Svecia PGI is consumed fresh as appetizer, as main dish or as ingredient in salads.
Marketing
The product is sold as Svecia PGI, and can have various ripening periods and varying fat contents. It is marketed whole or in pieces; the pieces are vacuum-packed or inside a controlled environment.
Distinctive Features
The climatic characteristics of Sweden do not allow the cows, whose milk is used for the production of the Svecia PGI, to stay in the open for long periods of time. As a consequence, the animals are kept inside the stables for at least 8-10 months per year, which entails a nutrition based on fodder and dry feed, which is almost similar throughout the territory. This leads to the fact that the organoleptic properties of the milk produced and then used for the production of the Svecia PGI are common throughout Sweden.
