CHEESE 2001 – First day: Facts and Figures

The numbers are in from the first day of Slow Food’s third ‘Cheese’ festival. Between 4:00 pm and 9:00 pm, 1,400 visitors crowded the Great Hall of Cheese to taste European DOP cheeses. Among the market stands, the biggest success was sheep’s milk yogurt ice cream. In the Presidia stands dedicated to rare foods – visitors flocked to the Provola dei Nebrodi stand to taste delicate pasta filata cheeses from the Sicilian mountains. Walking along the markets and pavilions of Cheese 2001, participants can admire the wares of over 160 exhibitors (600 types of cheese) and 400 wine producers. The Americans are at Cheese in force, with over 80 different artisan cheeses displayed in front of an enormous red, white, and blue banner. The American presence, coordinated by Slow Food USA, is donating proceeds from the sale of tastings and posters to fund the families of the New York Firefighters who died in last week’s Twin Towers tragedy. They have already collected more than $500.