This is a member of the Grana family and is the only example to be produced in alpine pastures. “Bagòs” in local dialect means ‘from Bagolino’, a village in the Val Caffaro which is the centre of production for this kind of cheese (and of which, unfortunately, numerous imitations from the plains have spread over the past few years). Saffron is traditionally added to the curd and it is this that causes the characteristic intense yellow colour. The forms are ripened at length, even for more than two years and are regularly oiled with linseed oil. When the forms are cut, the exhalation of air from the tiny honey-comb of holes in the paste produces a faint but long lasting crackling sound like a long lament and, for this reason, it used to be joked that the cheese was “crying…”.
