Cheese 2017 reflects the richness and diversity of Slow Food’s international network of cheesemakers, livestock herders, cheesemongers and affineurs. The celebration of all things dairy features a packed program of events taking place in Bra and Pollenzo between September 15 and 18, 2017. Here is just a small selection of some of the most unique:
- Slovakia: Cheese and Beer, Pastures and Flowers will showcase Ark of Taste cheeses from the central European country: Zázrivský Korbácik, a steamed cow’s milk cheese with an unusual braided whip-like shape; Ovčia Bryndza Liptovská, a sheep’s milk cheese that has been made since at least the 18th century; and Parenica, made with raw milk from local sheep breeds.
- Various Takes on Camembert: Hervé Mons, one of finest French affineurs, will present the best camemberts from Normandy, produced using a range of methods (pasteurized, thermized, raw milk, fermier), to explain the differences between various types of one of the world’s most famous cheeses.
- Mold-ripening is one of the most complicated dairy techniques, especially for those who make raw-milk cheese without using commercial starter cultures. A special workshop will delve into the world of edible molds, with Tyrolean Grey Cheese (Graukäse) and Mountain Pasture Castelmagno (Slow Food Presidia from Italy), Cabrales from Asturias (Spain) and Tcherni Vit from the Bulgarian Slow Food Presidium.
- The breed of an animal, its diet, the altitude and the surrounding environment all result in differences in the final cheese, even when the same production processes are followed. Hard Magic: The Great Cheeses of Europe examines the importance of terroir in cheese production, with tastings of Parmigiano Reggiano (Italy), Gouda (Holland), Etivaz and Gruyere (Switzerland) and Comté and Beaufort (France).
- A workshop will be dedicated to stretched-curd cheeses of all different shapes: squares, teardrops, pears and balls. There will be a selection of Slow Food Presidia products kept alive by the capable hands of cheesemakers: from traditional Caciocavallo Podolico (Basilicata) and Pallone di Gravina (Puglia) to the square Ragusano, made with milk from Modicana cattle (Sicily), and Belìce Vastedda (Sicily), the only stretched-curd cheese in Italy to be made entirely from sheep’s milk.
- Another event will look at washed-rind cheeses, whose surfaces are bathed and scrubbed with brine to eliminate unwanted molds and encourage the growth of bacteria that produce typical fruity, yeasty aromas.
- Nine workshops will explore the world of natural foods and fermentation: natural wines, wild-yeast-fermented Lambic beer, cured meats free from nitrites and nitrates and sourdough bread. One will look in particular at amphora-aged wines, starting in Georgia, the cradle of wine and amphorae, with a 2015 Chardakhi (from the Slow Food Presidium), before moving on to discover some Italian Triple A wines and producers.
- From the Caribbean to Mountain Pastures will investigate the unusual but delightful pairing between natural mountain cheeses and rhums agricoles from Haiti and Martinique. The Pure Single Rhum Agricoles that Velier has been selecting from the finest Caribbean distilleries for over 70 years will be served with specially chosen natural cheeses.
Click here to request press accreditation.
Cheese 2017 has been made possible by the support of companies who believe in the future of the quality dairy sector, including the Official Partners: Cassa di Risparmio di Bra, Egea, Lurisia, Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano, Pastificio Di Martino, Quality Beer Academy and Velier. Official Sparkling Wine: Consorzio Alta Langa.
Cheese, the international biennial event organized by Slow Food and the City of Bra, will be held in Bra (Italy) from September 15 to 18, 2017. Dedicated to milk in all its shapes and forms, the event has led to the formation of an international network of cheesemakers and dairy artisans, and is currently on its eleventh edition.
For further information, please contact:
Slow Food International Press Office
[email protected], [email protected] +39 0172 419 645 – Twitter: @SlowFoodPress
City of Bra
Elena Martini and Erica Asselle, +39 0172 438278, [email protected]
Slow Food is a global grassroots organization that envisions a world in which all people can access and enjoy food that is good for them, good for those who grow it and good for the planet. Slow Food involves over a million activists, chefs, experts, youth, farmers, fishers and academics in over 160 countries. Among them, a network of around 100,000 Slow Food members are linked to 1,500 local chapters worldwide, contributing through their membership fee, as well as the events and campaigns they organize. As part of the network, more than 2,400 Terra Madre food communities practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality food around the world.