The name does not seem Italian. German maybe. Perhaps Romanian or Hungarian. It kind of makes me think of U Thant, former Secretary-General of the U.N. whom I know only from Trivial Pursuit and a reference in a Tom Hank's movie (That Thing You Do). Strachitunt, pronounced strak-ee-TOONT, is made from raw cow's milk in the Val Talaggio region of Lombardy, home of a great Italian cheese, Taleggio. The deep veins seem to reflect the needles of injected mold used to seed the milky cheese with culture but again make me think of the vampire's kiss and a Romanian origin. Unusual, rich, and complex are the first words that came to mind while sampling. Worth checking out.
Name: Strachitunt
Type of Milk: cow's, unpasteurized
Type: blue, semi-soft
Produced in: Italy
Date Purchased: 6/16/2007
Date Eaten: 6/20/2007
Purchased Where: United States, online, Artisanal Cheese
Price: $18.50/lb.
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COMMENTS
Strachitunt is not German... the name comes from the local dialect of the Brembana Valley where the cheese is produced, a dialect that is quite far from current italian.
Strachi (italian: stracchino) is used to indicate a class of cheese that comprises Gorgonzola and Taleggio - soft texture, strong flavor (not necessarily mouldy, though).
Tunt (italian: tondo) means round and defines the shape of the cheese wedge.
The moulds derive from the fact that the Strachitunt is produced mixing the evening curd with that of the following morning. The uneven texture between the two curd leaves air bubbles that allow moulds to grow.
Moulds are not inoculated - such practice is forbidden by the Strachitunt production charter.
Posted by Andrea | October 20, 2007 2:20 PM
Posted on October 20, 2007 14:20
Andrea, don't take everything so literally. I think Kirk was being a little sarcastic and humorous as he can be from time to time if you read the blog regularly. I think he tries to give more his impression of a cheese than boring, dry facts.
Posted by Trevor | October 20, 2007 8:56 PM
Posted on October 20, 2007 20:56
Since I discovered the fabulous Strachitunt about 2 years ago, it is rarely absent from my shop. I have had the opportunity to introduce it to many of my customer's and now I am being asked to ship it out to them and their friend's. I constantly refer to it as my favorite all-time cheese!!!!!!
Posted by Susan Morris | April 21, 2008 3:20 PM
Posted on April 21, 2008 15:20