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Masters from
the 14th century
The Rossini family, direct descendants of the Mengozzi family, has been carrying on the tradition of Formaggio di Fossa® with love and passion for 28 generations.
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Discover how Formaggio di Fossa® was born.
"The Mengozzi family produces the best cheeses in Romagna."
Giovanni Pascoli, 1895 - Letter to his cousin Emilio David
Origins
One of the main problems faced by the population in the Middle Ages was the need to preserve food, such as wheat and cheese, in anticipation of long winters and potential calamities, famines, and sieges. Various methods for food preservation can be observed, and placing food supplies underground in grain pits or ice houses was one of the most common in the Romagna region. These pits were primarily used for storing wheat, although cheese and other foodstuffs were sometimes added.
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However, this method had limitations when it came to preserving cheese, as, although more slowly, the cheeses continued to age and harden. The production of caciotte in the areas surrounding Sogliano was high and required a different, more effective process.
The pits for the cheese
It is not exactly known when this technique was first developed, but we know it is the result of decades of experimentation. Given the large quantity of cheese to be preserved, the idea was to completely fill a pit with cheese. The continuous use of the pit in this "unconventional" way led to the formation of a special microbial flora inside the pit, which began to transform the cheese.
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The special sandstone of Sogliano al Rubicone, an ancient seabed, provided the perfect environment for this microbial flora, which came from the cheese itself. This flora remained thriving inside the pit between each cheese aging cycle and began to ferment the cheese by depriving the environment of oxygen.
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With this new process, not only were excellent results achieved in terms of preservation, but it was also noticed that the cheese acquired new characteristics, giving it a special aroma and taste.
(If you want to know more about the production itself, check out the page "Production").
Pitting: a public service
This method of transformation and preservation was a success from every point of view. Therefore, the Malatesta family of Rimini, who ruled over the Sogliano area, decided to dig several more pits of the same size and make the aging of cheese in pits a public service. Our family was entrusted with this task for anyone wishing to transform their cheese into Formaggio di Fossa.
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The dwelling where the cheese pits were located thus became a "House of Abundance," an institution of the Malatesta family that provided a public service.
From the Middle Ages to the present day
The Malatesta codes of the 14th century, the statutes of Rimini from 1334, and the statutes of Sogliano al Rubicone from 1400 clearly show that, even at the time, the techniques of cheese aging in pits were regulated and controlled.
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When the Malatesta dominion over Sogliano al Rubicone ended in 1640, our family continued the profession of cheese pit diggers, preserving the tradition unchanged to this day. If our ancestors had not continued this work uninterrupted and passed it down from father to son, we would not be aware of this tradition today, as the documents that mention it—often with different terminology—are extremely rare.
Historical anecdotes and curiosities
Year 1736: the seller of Formaggio di Fossa
In a notarial deed from 1736, the Sogliano merchant A. Onesti committed to supplying two merchants from Faenza with 30,000 pounds of cheese (more than 100 quintals) at the cost of 2.95 scudi per 100 pounds, with the description "the cheese that is currently made and will be made in Sogliano."
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Given the very high price for the time, it can be inferred that this was Formaggio di Fossa®.
Some of our historic ambassadors
The lovers of our Formaggio di Fossa who made history.
