Pit open after fermentation
Cheese stacked after disinterment
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The cheese going to be pitted is made of full-cream ewe's milk or added with full-cream coagulated cow's milk (max. 50%) - whether pasteurised or not. Its weight normally ranges from minimum 600g to maximum 1,800g. Before being pitted, cheese is allowed to mature for at least 30 days. The pitting period lasts 80 to 100 days. Some days after the pit closing (pits must be filled completely), oxygen disappears. This starts the process of anaerobic fermentation and the degradation of the lipid fraction with consequent formation of fatty short-chain acids and fermentation of the lactose, another essential element of the unique organoleptic characteristics of the "fossa" cheese.
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