Latte crudo

[cinghiale]

I've recently started buying raw milk here. It's sold at little self-serve shacks -- sometimes found standalone in the middle of nowhere, sometimes in grocery store parking lots. They're quite simple to use: You can buy 1 L plastic bottles from a dispensing machine that's identical to those used for snacks (or you can bring your own). Pop in €0.20, and out comes a brand-new plastic bottle instead of a Twix. The milk costs €1/L, considerably less that the going rate of about €1.50/L here. Drop in the coin, and a window opens. Some machines have you hold the bottle under a spigot while filling; with others, you set the bottle on a shelf, the window closes and the bottle is filled (these machines then automatically rinse the dispensing area between each use). There are paper towels available to wipe of any drippage.

Signage prominently advises the buyer of the delivery and expiry dates, stating that the milk should be consumed within 48 hours (I've kept it a day or so beyond that). And there are the usual warnings to boil the milk before consuming, which likely anyone buying it understandably ignores.

The milk is delicious. It makes for a very creamy cappuccino. I used my first L to start a buttermilk culture, which I've kept going for about a month now. With buttermilk, I can make (in addition to the usual suspects) sour cream, which is utterly unavailable here – it's incredibly easy to make and it completely blows away anything I've had from U.S. supermarkets, even the pricey stuff at Whole Foods.

There are over 1,000 of these machines all across Italy. You can find a local distributore at Milk Maps (the map wasn't working too well for me this morning, but then again I'm only getting 28.8 kbps on my dial-up right now).

And FYI: for making buttermilk and sour cream from raw milk, try here.

[piazzola]

To me this sounds like pure marketing milk unpasteurised straight from the udder and warm untreated milk without added water is delicious and not uncommon nor where I live nor in my old country so I do not understand what's the fuss in your neck of the woods.

[cinghiale]

Not a fuss, rather information for those of us who actually live in Italy. Invective really isn't constructive to this or any other dialogue (i.a., in the flour post as well). But next time you're in your "old country", please do have a look about and let us know where we can find the diversity of raw milk options of which you speak. Raw milk (and products made from them) have generally been banned in most of the necks of the woods in which I have lived.

[Man]

To me this sounds like pure marketing milk unpasteurised straight from the udder and warm untreated milk without added water is delicious and not uncommon nor where I live nor in my old country so I do not understand what's the fuss in your neck of the woods.

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That was actually very useful information. It's not that easy for ordinary consumers to find unpasturised milk, not even for those of us living (at the moment) in relatively rural/mountainous areas like Trentino. Anyway, we all agree at least that it is delicious.

[piazzola]

Not a fuss, rather information for those of us who actually live in Italy.  Invective really isn't constructive to this or any other dialogue (i.a., in the flour post as well).  But next time you're in your "old country", please do have a look about and let us know where we can find the diversity of raw milk options of which you speak.  Raw milk (and products made from them) have generally been banned in most of the necks of the woods in which I have lived.

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I see you don't seem to live in the country as I did or have access to farm milk straight from the cows or mucche. Cosa me ne frega, tanto è inutile questo post.

[kellytree]

Not a fuss, rather information for those of us who actually live in Italy.  Invective really isn't constructive to this or any other dialogue (i.a., in the flour post as well).  But next time you're in your "old country", please do have a look about and let us know where we can find the diversity of raw milk options of which you speak.  Raw milk (and products made from them) have generally been banned in most of the necks of the woods in which I have lived.

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I see you don't seem to live in the country as I did or have access to farm milk straight from the cows or mucche. Cosa me ne frega, tanto è inutile questo post.

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True - your (piazzola) post is "inutile" and really has nothing to do with the topic and if you don'ta frega then it makes no sense to take part in the discussion.

Cinghiale's post is actually very helpful for those of us who don't have a cow at our doorstep and would like to buy raw milk so we can make sour cream or yogurt or just enjoy plain milk.

Thanks for the info.

Edited March 7, 2009 by kellytree (log)

[pfunk_49]

Cool, thanks! Too bad I'm only here for another 3 weeks.

cinghiale: word of warning, too much readily available raw milk in your neck of the woods can cause you to rain on everyone else's parade.