Cattle breeds
Piemontese

Piemontese – cattle from the region “at the foot of the mountains”

The name of the cattle breed “Piemontese” comes from its region of origin in north-western Italy. Piedmont is derived from Latin (ad pedem montium) and literally means “at the foot of the mountains”. Cattle of the Piemontese breed are correspondingly robust and well suited to the hilly and rather barren landscape. Although they were originally reared as a three-use breed, their meat performance has come to the fore in recent years. They convert grass from meadows and pastures into the best meat. The Piedmontese are characterised by a very high meat yield and a high proportion of valuable meat pieces. Since the meat is fine-grained and tender but also very lean, it can only be sourced directly from farmers or speciality butchers.

Alpine cattle with an Asian touch

One might think that fineness and strong muscling are opposites, but the Piedmontese combine both characteristics. The white-to-grey hair and the black colouring on the tips of the horns and tail as well as around the eyes, ears and mouth give the Piedmontese an elegant look. The animals are affectionate and calm, but also temperamental. The mothers instinctively defend their calves.

It is said that the Piedmontese carry “zebu blood”, as reflected inter alia by the fact that the calves sport reddish hair in the first months of their life. Unlike the European cattle breeds, which are descended from Bos taurus, the Piedmontese also have the genetic make-up and skull structure of Bos indicus.

Sources : Piemontese in Svizzera; www.piemonteexpo.it