Bionda dell'Adamello

Bionda dell'Adamello

Conservation status	FAO (2007): not at risk[1]
Other names	Bionda Mustàscia
Country of origin	Italy
Distribution	Lombardy Trentino
Standard	MIPAAF
Use	milk, also meat[2]
Traits
Weight	Male: 70–75 kg[3] Female: 55–60 kg[3]
Height	Female: 74 cm[3]
Wool color	from pale gold to brown
Face color	white facial stripes
Horn status	males horned, females usually so[4]
Beard	males bearded, females usually so[4]
Tassels	present, usually white[4]
Goat Capra aegagrus hircus

Painting from c. 1760 by Francesco Londonio (1723–1786), showing a goat of Bionda dell'Adamello type, with typical coat and facial markings (Accademia Carrara, Bergamo)

The Bionda dell'Adamello is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the Val Camonica in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy in northern Italy.

It takes its name from the massif of the Adamello, part of the Adamello-Presanella subsection of the Rhaetian Alps. It is raised mainly in the Val Camonica, the Val Saviore and the mountains of Brescia; some are found in neighbouring areas of the provinces of Bergamo to the west and Trento to the east.^[2] It was in the past known simply as the Capra Bionda or as the Mustàscia.^[2]

History

The breed appears to be of ancient origin. While it shares some characteristics with the Swiss Toggenburger, notably the "Swiss markings" (white facial stripes, white lower limbs and peri-anal area), it was already established well before the importation of Toggenburg billies to the area, documented from the years before and after the Second World War. A painting from about 1760 by the Milanese painter Francesco Londonio (1723–1786) shows a goat of Bionda dell'Adamello type, with typical coat and facial markings.^[2]

The Bionda dell'Adamello is one of the forty-three autochthonous Italian goat breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep- and goat-breeders.^[5][6] The herd-book was activated in 1997.^[3] At the end of 2013 the registered population was variously reported as 3148^[7] and as 2772.^[8]

Use

The milk yield per lactation of the Bionda dell'Adamello is 303 ± 108 litres for secondiparous, and 361 ± 122 litres for pluriparous, nannies.^[6] The milk averages 3.16% fat and 2.97% protein. It is used mostly to make Mascarpì, a kind of ricotta, and the smoked caprino cheese Fatulì, which has PAT status and is listed in the Slow Food Ark of Taste.^[2]

References

1. Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Accessed June 2014.
2. Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN 9788850652594. p. 321–23.
3. Lorenzo Noè, Alessandro Gaviraghi, Andrea D'Angelo, Adriana Bonanno, Adriana Di Trana, Lucia Sepe, Salvatore Claps, Giovanni Annicchiarico, Nicola Bacciu (2005). Le razze caprine d'Italia (in Italian); in: Giuseppe Pulina (2005). L' alimentazione della capra da latte. Bologna: Avenue Media. ISBN 9788886817493. p. 381–435. Archived 5 October 2014.
4. Norme tecniche della popolazione caprina "Bionda dell'Adamello": standard della razza (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia. Accessed June 2014.
5. Strutture Zootecniche (Dec. 2009/712/CE - Allegato 2 - Capitolo 2) (in Italian). Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali. Section I (e). Archived 4 December 2013.
6. Le razze ovine e caprine in Italia (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Ufficio centrale libri genealogici e registri anagrafici razze ovine e caprine. p. 91. Accessed June 2014.
7. Consistenze Provinciali della Razza 43 Bionda dell'Adamello Anno 2013 (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Banca dati. Accessed June 2014.
8. Breed data sheet: Bionda dell'Adamello/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2014.