Robiola Rocchetta

Robiola Rocchetta is a “triple crème” cow, goat, and sheep milk cheese from Piedmont, Italy. It’s mild and creamy, buttery and tangy, and runny at peak ripeness. The rind is edible, soft and wrinkled.

History of the Cheese

Robiola dates back to about 1000 AD in Italy but is most likely Celtic in origin due to it being made from goat milk. Robiola is the umbrella term for cheeses made in the Piedmont region that are soft-ripened and not too aged. Traditionally made with goat milk, it’s now common for robiolas to be made with the addition of sheep and cows milk.

How It’s Made

Robiola is made from spring to late summer when cows, sheep, and goats produce a lot of milk. Before pasteurization, the milk is stored at temperatures that enhance native flora in the milk to improve flavor. Then, lactic acid forming cultures are added to create the curd. The curds are hooped, drained, and matured. It’s typically aged for 7-10 days.

To Serve

Bring to room temperature one hour before serving to allow the cheese to soften and the aromas to enhance. Serve with honey, baguette or crackers, and salted meats. Pair with sparkling wines, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Nero, and rosé.

Why We Chose an Italian Cheese for our Côte d’Azur Box

You might ask why we chose Robiola, a cheese from Piedmont, Italy and not one from the region. We did for a few reasons. First of all, Cote d’Azur only produces a few types of cheese: Banon (which was included in our September 2023 box) and Brousse du Rove (an unpasteurized cheese made from goat’s milk and hard to source in the US). See the problem?

But actually, it does make sense. Cote d’Azur’s cuisine is heavily influenced by Italian cuisine because of its close proximity to the northern regions of Italy. For instance, chickpea flour is used for panisse and socca crepes.

In fact, Nice was actually sort of part of Italy.

To protect herself from the attacks of Provence, Nice joined the House of Savoy in 1388, which eventually became the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia which became Italy. Along the way, Nice was shuffled back and forth between France and Savoy seven times. France would take Nice by force and then she was given back to Savoy in a treaty. Repeat. Finally, Nice became French by voting of their own free will — though some wanted to become an independent state. That’s in a nutshell. Because obviously this went on for hundreds of years.