Puzzone di Moena

Puzzone di Moena / Spretz Tzaorì is a semi-cooked, washed-rind cow's milk cheese produced in the Fiemme, Fassa and Primiero–Vanoi valleys of the Province of Trento and two municipalities in the Province of Bolzano. Its defining characteristic is a periodically washed, unctuous rind that develops an ochre-yellow to reddish-brown colour and an intense, penetrating aroma with a hint of ammonia.

About this designation

Registered as a PDO under file number PDO-IT-0950, with EU protection dating from 8 February 2012 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000014297), Puzzone di Moena / Spretz Tzaorì is produced from raw cow's milk drawn from two successive milkings and partially skimmed by natural surface skimming. Permitted breeds are Bruna, Frisona, Pezzata Rossa, Grigio Alpina, Rendena and Pinzgau, and their crosses. The milk must come from cows whose diet consists of at least 60 % forage — permanent pasture hay and/or grass grazed or consumed directly on the pasture — originating from the defined production area. The use of silage, mixtures and the unifeed method is prohibited, as are rapeseed-cake, grape-pip or citrus-pip meal, dried fruit and vegetable by-products, sugar-industry by-products, dried fermentation by-products, and dried vegetables and fruit. The entire production process, from rearing and milk production through salting, treatment and maturing, must take place within the defined area, which comprises named municipalities in the Province of Trento and the municipalities of Anterivo and Trodena in the Province of Bolzano. The minimum maturing period is 90 days; after 150 days the cheese may be designated 'stagionato'. Fat content expressed as a percentage of dry matter may not exceed 45 %; moisture content ranges from 34 % to 44 %, measured when the cheese is at least 90 days old. The cheese weighs from 9 to 13 kg, with a diameter of 34 to 42 cm and a heel height of 9 to 12 cm. Authenticity is confirmed by the wording 'PDO Puzzone di Moena' stamped repeatedly on the rind and printed on label bands, together with the dairy's number or reference code and the production batch. The applicant body is the Consorzio Volontario per la tutela del Formaggio Puzzone di Moena/Spretz Tzaori DOP.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 8 February 2012 under file number PDO-IT-0950 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000014297).
• The specification prohibits the use of milk from cows fed on any kind of silage, mixtures, or by the unifeed method.
• At least 60 % of feed for lactating cows must be forage originating from the defined production area.
• After 150 days of ripening the cheese may be labelled 'stagionato'; milk from cows kept exclusively on mountain pastures may carry the designation 'di malga'.

Tasting notes

Trentino "stinky" cow's milk washed-rind cheese, aged 90+ days with regular salt-water washing. Reddish-brown rind, ivory paste, intensely pungent aroma with farmyard notes, paradoxically mild creamy savory flavor on palate.

HoReCa use

Centerpiece of a Trentino cheese course; melted into polenta concia; paired with Teroldego wine; served with chestnut honey.

Packaging

• wheel-full-9-10kg
• wheel-half-vacuum-4-5kg
• wedge-vacuum-500g
• wedge-vacuum-250g