The aroma of original ricotta cheese as a pleasant starter

Salignön (or salignoùn) is a ricotta cheese with a creamy fat texture and a spicy hot flavour, obtained from the whey left over when making cheese enriched with milk or cream. Mixed with salt, pepper and chilli pepper (which gives it its pinkish hue), it is further seasoned with mountain herbs (cumin, juniper, etc.)..

Once upon a time, its short maturing process took place near the fireplace so as to convey a slightly smoked flavour to the product.

It is found more frequently in the municipalities of the lower Aosta Valley.
Salignön is a true delicacy, but it is not easy to find: you can only purchase it in a limited number of shops and some dairy farms. Unlike other cheeses, usually eaten at the end of a meal, Salignön is served at the table mostly as a starter or used as a filling for the typical local “miasse” (thin and crunchy rectangles of corn flour).