Delicious Formai de Mut was born in the mountain regions where the cattle are herded to pastures located at an altitude of between 1200 and 2300 meters in late spring. The most famous version of this excellent cheese is made during the summer, when the cows are in the mountain pastures, grazing fresh grass and drinking the clear water of mountain creeks. But this cheese is too good to go an entire season without it, so local cheese-makers have been wise enough to produce it also in winter, down in the valley. Its texture is elastic, firm and smooth; its aroma is evocative of fresh or melted butter, hay, vanilla, meat broth and stable, and gets more intense when seasoned. Formai de Mut has a very balanced taste: it melts in your mouth! Formai de Mut is a cow’s whole raw milk cheese. It is semi-hard and gets seasoned for at least 45 days. If you see a blue label, it means that it was produced on mountain pastures. This is an ancient practice that involves taking the cattle to properly equipped areas (stations) where the animals can rest and shepherds can process the milk to make cheese. From one station to another, the herds reach an altitude of over 2000 meters, then they start to go down again, until they reach the valley in mid-September. If you see a red label, it means that the cheese was produced in winter, in the valley. The production area is strictly limited to the area comprising the twenty-one towns of Upper Brembana Valley, as required by the production regulations.