Bread and Cheese Soup 🥣🧀 – The Traditional “Shepherds' Soup” from the Alpine Pastures
A warm dish, poor yet rich in history, perfect for warming both body and heart with the authentic taste of the mountains ⛰️🔥
The bread and cheese soup, also known as shepherds' soup, is one of the oldest and simplest recipes in Alpine tradition, prepared in the pastures during summer grazing. Made with stale rye bread, aged Bitto cheese, and meat broth, this soup tells the story of essential cooking, made with what was available, yet capable of offering a full and comforting flavor. A unique, rustic, and genuine dish, perfect for enjoying in the cold seasons or when one craves a dive into tradition 🧑🌾🍞
📝 Ingredients for 4 people
- 150 g of aged Bitto cheese
- 1 stale rye bread
- 1 liter of meat broth (preferably homemade)
- Butter to taste (optional, for enrichment)
👩🍳 Step-by-step Preparation
- Heat the meat broth until it reaches a boil.
- Slice the rye bread into thin slices.
- Cut the aged Bitto into strips or flakes.
- In individual bowls or a large soup pot, alternate layers of bread and cheese.
- Pour the boiling broth over, ensuring all ingredients are well covered.
- Let it rest for a few minutes so that the cheese softens and the bread absorbs the broth.
- If desired, you can add a curl of butter on top for a richer flavor.
💡 Rustic Tips:
- You can gratin it for a few minutes in the oven for a golden crust on top.
- Perfect when paired with a glass of Valtellinese red wine and a seasonal salad.
📸 The image of the dishes is purely indicative and does not necessarily match the recipe exactly
