Description
The Bianca Modenese breed
A bit of history
The earliest evidence of the Bianca Modenese breed dates back to the first half of the 19th century: Along with the Rossa Reggiana breed, rearing of Bianca Modenese cows soon became closely linked to the production of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Caseificio Rosola is proud to be at the forefront in the endeavor to recover and enhance the Bianca Modenese breed, since allowing it to become extinct would be tantamount to losing a significant part of our culture, our history – and to giving up a raw material of indisputable quality forever.
In the recent past
Along with the Slow Food Movement and the Provincial Association of Breeders, the Modena Province Department now promotes an important initiative focused on the protection of animal biodiversity, which closely concerns the Bianca Modenese breed.
The first Parmigiano Reggiano cheese wheel made entirely from the milk of Bianca Modenese cows dates back to April 4, 2005, when it passed all the quality controls with excellent results. In 2006, the Slow Food Movement decided to establish one of its Arks of Taste to protect the breed – and not just one product in particular.
Consortium and Product Specification
Shortly afterwards, the breeders of Bianca Modenese cattle – with Caseificio Rosola in the lead – decided to form a Consortium for the development of the Bianca Modenese cattle breed, the main intention being to create a short supply chain able to guarantee quality and equally fair costs for both producers and consumers.
The Specification states that the cattle must only feed on natural, GMO-free products. Silage, fodder and feedstuffs requiring pH variations for their preservation are not allowed, neither is the unifeed technique. Fortifying the feedstuffs with mineral salts and vitamins can only be done when prescribed by a veterinarian.
