A TurinEpi19 cheese tasting

Besides getting to share Turin with our guests and their online followers, every year there is another special reason to join the Turin Epicurean Capital bunch: 2019 was special as it had 2 big events and the cheese tasting at historic Latteria Bera was definitely one nobody could miss out on.

*Chiara Franzoso owner of Latteria Bera in Via San Tommaso 13

As many of our guests are often on a tight schedule, Chiara did the impossible to accommodate as many requests for our Turin Epicurean Capital cheese tasting so that everyone would get to try the delicacies produced on the Piedmont Alps and hills and conveniently sold at her shop.

Given Turin was struck the Europe heat wave, Chiara's flexibility was a godsent because at least some of us could enjoy her cheeses and her famous whipped cream in the cool of the air conditioning.

For those of us who followed the regular schedule... well... it turned out to be the most romantic cheese tasting of the summer. As the power went out due to the city's electric grid surcharge, we enjoyed our white gold at candlelight!

the Latteria Bera's Piedmont tasting for TurinEpi19: for the ultimate romantic gourmets

The cheese was not alone, it was happily paired with Dolcetto, Ruché and Barbera, three symbolic red wines from Piedmont and some special cured meats too.

But first things first: the cheeses!!

* the TurinEpi19 cheese and cured meat tasting

• Primo sale - having just the first amount of added salt, made with cow milk
• Sairass di capra - Goat Sairass made with 100% raw milk, so all the scents and hues of the grass and flowers the goats grazed on are enhanced
• Fior di Tiglio - linden flower made with 100% raw cow milk
• Sairasot seasoned in thyme, made with 100% raw milk
• Montebore from the Slow Food presidium in Valborbera, made with 70% sheep milk and 30% cow milk. The Montebore sheep are endangered but you can adopt them at distance too
• Blu di Bufala or Blue Buffalo cheese - silver medal at the World Cheese Award in 2018
• Toma Raschera d'Alpeggio or made in the summer while the cows are grazing free on the high mountain pastures. You will never buy twice the exact same flavor!!
• Robiola di Latte Reale - Robiola made with Royal milk, 100% raw cow milk AND 21 different herbs!!
• Robiola di capra - goat robiola made with 100% raw milk, this is the only cheese, besides Parmigiano Reggiano to be curdled in copper vats 😎 Special note goes to this goat: camosciata delle Alpi. In fact her coat is reminds the one of the chamois
• Blu del Moncenisio - Moncenisio blue cheese was on the celery

*capra camoscita from Capra Regina

As for the luscious cured meats, we had:

• Salsiccia di Bra or Bra sausage - originally made only with raw beef but now containing also some pork fat
• Salame cotto di Cavour battuto a punta di coltello or cooked salami from Cavour, hand sliced
• Salame cotto di Cuneo or cooked salami from Cuneo
• Prosciutto crudo di Cuneo DOP or our Piedmont pride and joy, our first DOP of cured meats: from the Cuneo area: our very own prosciutto!!

Lucia had a low lactose content cheese tasting with:

• Cremino di capra or extra creamy goat cheese
• Sairass di capra
• Sairasot al timo
• Caprino di Castagneto Po or goat cheese made in Castagneto Po
• Robiola di Ceresole di pecora al latte crudo or raw sheep milk cheese in robiola fashion, produced in Ceresole 
• Blu di bufala
• Greek yogurt

Jake had a full Piedmont cured meat tasting with:

• Salsiccia di Bra
• Prosciutto crudo di Cuneo DOP
• Salame cotto di Cuneo
• Pancetta al Barolo or cured in Barolo wine pancetta
• Salame battuto a punta di coltello di Cherasco or hand sliced salami produced in Cherasco

at one point the power came back but just for a few minutes

Traditional grissini rubatà were served in cute old-fashioned milk can-like containers and our cheese tasting ended with a glorious spoon of whipped cream and a far too small amount of the artisan chocolate and hazelnut spread Chiara produces. Needless to tell you, this chocolate spread must be eaten by the spoon... pure!

the Latteria Bera whipped cream is a cloud of happiness 😍

Needless to tell you that we all had a very merry cheese tasting, laughing a lot and trying to breath in the moment we were savoring all these delicacies.

.... and naturally Chiara's artisan hazelnut chocolate spread won everyone's heart and got purchased with devotion to be shared in extremely small doses only with the dearest family and friends overseas!


To enjoy our TurinEpi19 tasting:
- DM Chiara on Instagram @latteriabera - she can speak English too!
- go peek around Latteria Bera in Via San Tommaso 13, near Piazza Castello
- give her a call or a text: +39 328 0166 854
- e-mail Chiara: latteriabera@gmail.com

... and you'll be planning another visit  soon😉



A very special THANK YOU to Chiara and her mom Bruna for going the extra mile to accommodate us despite the extreme heat and the lack of power. Your historic shop is like your house: you always welcome everyone with a warm smile and we all do feel very cherished 🙏  GRAZIE MILLE!






*Photos by Alberto Bonis