When placed on the market, the ‘Formaggio di Fossa di Sogliano’ PDO cheese has the following characteristics: the exterior of the finished product varies in colour from ivory white to amber yellow.

At the end of the aging process the weight of individual ‘Formaggio di Fossa di Sogliano’ PDO cheeses varies from 500 (five hundred) grams to 1 900 (one thousand nine hundred) grams. The cheeses are irregular in shape, with typical bumps and depressions, and the surface is primarily wet and greasy and in some cases may be covered by butterfat and mould which can be easily scraped off. Small cracks and possible yellow ochre stains of varying intensity on the surface are also typical of the product. There is no or minimal rind. The interior consistency is semi-hard and crumbles easily, and the colour is amber white or slightly yellowish. The smell is typical and lingering, and at times full and pungent, with aromas recalling woodland undergrowth with hints of mould and truffles.

The flavour varies, depending on the composition of the aged cheese, in accordance with the following characteristics:

- the ewes’ milk cheese has an aromatic aftertaste and a fragrant, full and pleasant flavour, slightly tangy to a greater or lesser extent,

- the cows’ milk cheese is subtle and delicate, with a moderately salty and slightly acidic taste with a hint of bitterness,

- the mixed cheese has a pleasant flavour between salty and sweet, with a slightly bitter taste.

There is little difference in the ‘Formaggio di Fossa di Sogliano’ PDO cheese between the rind and the cheese itself and all of it can therefore be eaten without removing the outer part of the rind, although stains or butterfat may be scraped off if they are present.

The fat content of the dry matter exceeds 32 %.

The raw material for the production of ‘Formaggio di Fossa di Sogliano’ PDO cheese consists of ewes’ or cows’ milk from herds located in the defined geographical area. The bovine species used to produce the milk are Italian Friesian, Alpine Brown, Italian Red Pied and cross-breeds; the ovine species are Sarda, Comisana, Massese, Vissana, Cornella White, Fabrianese, delle Langhe and Pinzirita and crossbreeds. The milk used comes from two daily milkings. The cheese must be produced using only the following types of milk: — whole ovine milk: EWES’ MILK — whole bovine milk: COWS’ MILK — mixture of whole cows’ milk (maximum 80 %) and whole ewes’ milk (minimum 20 %): MIXED.

The properties of the milk are:

COWS’ MILK

Fat % by volume = > 3,4

Protein % by volume = > 3,0

Bacterial count UF/ml = < 100 000

Somatic cells/ml = < 350 000

Anaerobic sporigens/litre absent

Inhibitors absent

Cryoscopic point °C = < 0,520

EWES’ MILK

Fat % by volume = > 6,0

Protein % by volume = > 5,4

Bacterial count UF/ml = < 1 400 000

Somatic cells/ml = < 1 400 000

Inhibitors absent

Raw milk is used but the use of pasteurised milk is permitted. The use of additives is prohibited.

The ‘Formaggio di Fossa di Sogliano’ PDO cheese is packaged for distribution to preserve the characteristics of the product in accordance with the following packaging procedures:

A. sold in the aging bags;

B. sold vacuum-packed as whole cheeses or in portions;

C. sold as whole cheeses or in portions in film-wrapped trays;

D. sold as whole cheeses or in portions wrapped in food-grade paper.

‘Formaggio di Fossa di Sogliano’ PDO cheese packaged in these ways may be contained in packs made of cloth sacking or wrapping or wooden or cardboard boxes.

The operations of portioning for packaging must take place in the area indicated in paragraph 4 since after the cheeses have been in the pit there is no clear distinction between the rind and the cheese itself as a result of the anaerobic fermentation which occurs during this stage of the processing, and the cheeses are wet and greasy and liable to become dry or hard. The product must therefore be packaged before commercial distribution in order to avoid the formation of cracks and fissures and to preserve the characteristics of the product.

In addition to the product logo, the Community mark and references (in accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1898/2006 and subsequent amendments) and legally required information, the labels must be clearly and legibly printed with:

the type of milk used (ewes’ milk, cows’ milk, mixed);

the wording ‘da latte crudo’ for cheeses produced with unpasteurised milk;

the name or trade name or trademark and the location of the cheese-maker or cheese-pit and the location of the packager if different from the previous categories;

the identity number of the cheese-pit establishment, with PRM indicating spring (primavera) and EST summer (estate).

No description which is not explicitly permitted may be added. Use is however permitted of brand names provided these have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the consumer.

The logo of ‘Formaggio di Fossa di Sogliano’ PDO cheese consists of a stylised drawing of a pit, the outline of which takes the form of an isosceles triangle and represents sandstone while the inner shape represents the cheeses emerging from the open base of the triangle. In the centre of the pit is the heraldic sign of the Malatesta domain, an elephant. The drawing is in red on a yellowish background. Below the base of the triangle there are two lines of print, the first of which is FORMAGGIO DI FOSSA and the second DI SOGLIANO D.O.P. Around the semicircular upper part of the logo are the words ‘Sogliano al Rubicone, Talamello e Terre Malatestiane’, indicating the historical continuity and link with the territory.

The area covered by the identification logo must not be more than 25 % of the total label area.

The area of production of the ‘Formaggio di Fossa di Sogliano’ PDO cheese comprises the whole territory of the provinces of Forlì-Cesena, Rimini, Ravenna, Pesaro-Urbino, Ancona, Macerata, Ascoli Piceno and part of the territory of the province of Bologna consisting of the municipalities of Borgo Tossignano, Casalfiumanese, Castel San Pietro Terme, Castel del Rio, Dozza, Fontanelice, Imola, Loiano, Monghidoro, Monterenzio and Pianoro.

The area of production of the ‘Formaggio di Fossa di Sogliano’ PDO cheese lies on the slopes of ridges along the Apennines between the Romagna and Marche regions. The geomorphologic characteristics are clay and sand soils, sometimes alternating, resulting from the lower Pliocene and present Quaternary periods. At the cheese-pit sites, the holes are dug in a shape comprising a series of micaceous-feldspathic pits, generally with little cement, of yellow-brown or yellowish colour, in layers varying between 30–40 cm and about a metre thick, with thin alternating layers of grey and blue-grey shaley clay.