Conciato Romano is not just one of the oldest cheeses in the world. Conciato Romano is the oldest cheese in the world. Mentioned by Pliny as well as Martial, it has been made in the Caserta region since the days of the Samnites, before they were subjugated by the Romans. But these days it’s not a cheese for everyone, as we are no longer accustomed to such powerful odors and flavors. In fact, because of its value and intensity, we might call it the “white truffle of the South,” as just a little taste is enough to add a special touch to dinner dishes and pizzas. There are countless recipes using Conciato.
Conciato Romano
The name comes from the old tanning technique using oils to tan hides, as in the past the cheese was “cunzato,” or seasoned with oil and vinegar. It was then packed in amphorae to be transported along with Falerno, the wine of ancient Campania. The adjective Roman is due to the later discovery of artifacts related to this cheese in Rome. Today it is made from the milk of sheep, goats or cows and goat rennet. After it is hand pressed, the small cheese molds are salted, dried in a beechwood farmhouse and then given the “tanning” treatment. It’s washed with the cooking water from making pettole, a kind of fresh dough that is a natural antibacterial and allows the seasonings to be absorbed. Later on, the cheese molds were “tanned” or flavored with extra-virgin olive oil (preferably a locally made oil), a regional wine made from the ancient Casavecchia grape, chili pepper, thyme and oregano, as those have always been the flavors found and used in the mountains. Finally, it is left to age for at least six months, either in glass demijohns or in amphorae, to allow them to soak up the flavorings later freed so intensely when opened. It’s always an unforgettable moment, as if the amphora were releasing all those years of history after its aging. In any case, this is the Conciato cheese made by Agriturismo La Campestre, the only one that guarantees total traceability of their product. “I always hope people will come here to check, so they can see how we work,” says Liliana Lombardi.
Agriturismo La Campestre
Liliana Lombardi, one of the two women currently at the reins of Agriturismo La Campestre in Castel di Sassa, wanted to have sheep and eventually won over her husband, Francesco, who had actually grown up with sheep. Of their two children, Manuel, the oldest, always had the clearest idea of his future career with computers, while Fabio, the younger brother, always preferred the land to books. The land created him and then took him away on a day like any other, when he was riding a tractor. After this tragedy, Manuel and his wife, Eulalia, did not hesitate to join his parents, as his brother had done in support of their dream: telling the world about Conciato Romano, doing clean farming and bringing dignity back to working the land. Now La Campestre has rooms and a restaurant (with a Conciato museum coming soon), where they make the food with their products. There are other restaurateurs from Caserta to Los Angeles who get their supplies from the Lombardis, like Rosanna Marziale, one of the first customers, or Maria Rosaria Stellato, who just opened her restaurant.
Where to savor Conciato Romano
Maria Rosaria Stellato has the determination and exuberance of a hurricane in her daily life as well as the delicacy and precision of a surgeon in the kitchen. Her new restaurant in Caserta, Animamia, opened in July 2017. And it is soul (anima) that she puts into what she does – lots of it. Born in 1987, she has always been rooted in the land and its products, especially the Conciato Romano of La Campestre, which is on her menu year round. It appears in dishes like grilled octopus with papacelle peppers and potatoes, where Conciato enhances all the ingredients; or ravioli made from burnt wheat with garlic, oil and chili pepper served over a pumpkin purée. If you want a cheese sampler try the Orologio di sapori (clock of flavors), in which Conciato Romano is paired with dark chocolate. Here you get he two souls of this land.