Official Tourist Information Site of Imola's Area
Squacquerone di Romagna
Squacquerone di Romagna (Squaquarò, in the local dialect) is a fresh soft cheese made from pasteurised whole cow’s milk. Cows are bred in stock farms located in the typical production area. Its delicate taste resembles stracchino cheese but it differs for its characteristic flaking. This is achieved through a specific technique which aims at reducing the loss of water. Squacquerone is typically rindless and pearly-white coloured. After a short ageing, it acquires a distinctive creamy texture which makes it suitable to be spread on piadina romagnola or crescentina (a type of leavened and fried bread). It is also matched with untreated comb honey of acacia or citrus fruits. Its unusual name derives from its tendency to melt easily (“squagliarsi”, in Italian). It is usually served on a dish because it does not maintain the shape of the mould. Its texture also depends on the number of curds. Squacquerone’s fat content (with respect to dry substance) varies from 46 to 55% while its moisture content (in relation to total weight) ranges from 59 to 69%.
Legal reference:
Traditional products were established by Decree-law 173/98. An application to include Squacquerone in the list of the traditional products has been submitted to the European Community.
Preparation techniques:
Milk is pasteurised at 72°C and cooled down at 40°C. A variable percentage of lactic ferments is then introduced. The mass is left to rest to reactivate ferments and then rennet is added. A series of other stops and curds take place until cheese is poured into moulds to solidify. After resting in fridge for 12 hours, it is immersed in brine solution and stored again in fridge at 40°C. Squacquerone is produced using stainless steel tanks and plastic moulds. Production, conditioning and packaging areas comply with the hygienic and sanitary rules provided by the law. Processing areas are wide and well-lit with a constant temperature of 35°C and pressurised air. Temperature in cold stores ranges from 7-8°C to 4°C according to the processing stage.
Production area :
Production and processing areas include the territory of the provinces of Ravenna, Forlì, Rimini and Bologna.
Wine matches:
Hand-stretched fresh cheese like mozzarella and scamorza or fresh soft cheese like crescenza marry well with young, fruity, light and perfumed white wines. Squacquerone, however, can also accompany a young red wine like Barbera.
Historical and Geographical Information:
In February 1800, Cardinal Bellisomi, who was Cesena’s Bishop, was in Venice for a conclave. He wrote a letter to the General Vicar of Cesena’s diocese asking information about the squacquerone cheese he ordered from Italy. As he could not leave the meeting, he attempted to enliven his stay with a taste of his land’s specialities. Squacquerone is also mentioned by Antonio Mattioli in his Romagnolo-Italian Dictionary which was first published in 1879. More recently, several Romagna-born authors such as Luigi Pasquini and Aldo Spallici wrote about this typical cheese. In the early 20’s Spallici was the founder of a journal called “La Pié” (piadina, in local dialect).
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