Not a Baaad job!

On our day out up in Val Germansca not too long ago, we stopped by to visit some organic cheese producers whose cheese we had reveled in and were delighted to find they were so very local. The sheep cheese that we had was smooth and tasty with just enough of a bite to make it memorable and worth seeking out.

I find it comforting that Italy still clings to the old ways of lovingly looking after their farm animals and producing  traditional foods with integrity and flavor that only small production can produce. It helps that the sheep, goats and cows spend their summer high up in the alps, with their farmer or shepherd grazing on alpine grass and wildflowers that imparts a unique flavor and character to alpeggio, (pasture)  cheese.

As the snow recedes from the peaks of the entire stretch of Europe's alps, farmers take their animals up to feed on natures gift of grass and spend the summer away from home giving new meaning to the saying "when the cows come  home". It's a time honored tradition here too that seems to be gaining popularity again as people turn to the former old ways in an attempt to create work and a livelihood in these uncertain times.  

I have worked throughout the alps in not only Italy, but also Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland and there is nothing quite like coming across a herd of sheep or cows with the tinkling bells letting the shepherd know where his herd has wandered off to and then finding where they are making the cheese or serving it for a welcome treat of fresh made cheese. I have enjoyed this experience on many occasions and it never fails to impress me. The setting, the animals, the life of the shepherd, the work of milking and making cheese away from the farm. It's all quite fascinating. 

These folks are part of a cooperative of farmers who have pooled their resources together to build a couple of different "caseifici"or alpine dairies where they are able to bring their animals to the mountain meadows graze them on the grass while it lasts and milk them daily and then produce their cheese all in a sanitary environment. Some of the places I worked, they milked the cows and carried the milk in large containers down to the dairy every day in order to not have their hard work go in vain, as there wasn't any sign of electricity in the high country. Quite a feat indeed. 

This dairy in Val Germansca and the other they built in upper Chisone was quite a slick operation. The sheep had plenty of room to graze all day and when it came to that time of the day time to be milked the sheep were lining up practically stepping all over each other to get into the milking stall as quick as they could. The shepherd opened the gate and in they trotted single file. Then I realized the why of their eagerness. There was food for them to eat while the shepherd hooked them up to the milking machine and eased the milky burdened mamas of their pay load. Then off they scampered to continue the cycle of eating and bleating in the the mountains of their summer home. 

The shepherds wife then had her work cut out for here to heat up all the collected milk and do her magic to produce the oh so tasty,Toma di pecora cheese that we had enjoyed before.  

It is a modest and clean operation in a setting that was pleasantly tranquil. 

Not baaad work if you can get it. 

Slow Food's "Salone del Gusto" and "Terra Madre" 08 has arrived!

It's a very exciting time in Torino at the moment that only rolls around every 2 years.
Yes, it's the Slow Food 's Salone del Gusto extravaganza. For those of you not familiar with this movement, it was born here Piedmont in the town of Bra, also famous for it's Cheese festival.
The 62 founding members met in Bra in 1986 to establish the Slow Food organization with the philosophy that sates.

"We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to pleasure and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that make this pleasure possible. Our movement is founded upon this concept of eco-gastronomy – a recognition of the strong connections between plate and planet".........read more

"Terra Madre"
opened it's third edition today with Prince Charles making the opening statements along with many other dignitaries from around the globe.
Terra Madre..

" brings together food producers and workers from around the world, giving them the opportunity to discuss the major themes of food production. Together they share and compare the diverse and complex issues that underlie what “high-quality food” means to them: issues of environmental resources and planetary equilibrium, and aspects of taste, worker dignity, and consumer safety."

Click here, here and here for a couple of posts from the 2006 edition.

The event opened today and always make national news here.
Fabrizio and I will be heading over on Saturday. Fabrizio will be helping out our friends the Bernards with their booth,(Pavillion 2 booth#B246) where you will be able to sample and buy their famous "elixirs", most notably "Genepy des Alpes" and the family's well kept secret recipe, "Barathier". Stop by and say hello and naturally, sample the wares!
While Fabrizio will be working hard at the booth, me? Well, I'll be working the pavilions checking out what's on and what's new or not. Sampling whatever strikes my fancy or what I can get close to. Hopefully, I'll have my timing down this year and to not get squeezed out during the afternoon crush and enjoy a bit more of the evening mildly cruising crowds. I'll be adding some updates later on.

See you there!

Cheese every which way

Calling all cheese lovers!
If you have a special place in your heart for all things creamy, sharp, pungent, smelly, gooey, crumbly, unusual and downright intriguingly tasty; then the Slow Food Festival of Cheese, held in Bra, Italy every other year, is for you!
We enjoyed the extravaganza of cheesey offerings this festa had to offer. If you could wade through the mob to get to the samples, there was plenty to keep you wondering just how there be so many variations on such a simple list of ingredients, milk, cow, sheep or goat, a curdling ingredient or two, some flavoring from the vast array that nature has to offer and only seems to be limited by one's imagination or sheer necessity. The depth and breadth of the types of cheeses makes me proud to live in a country and region in particular that takes it's food so seriously. It is certainly a celebration of diversity.
It was a great day out and we made a sweep down to the Barolo wine region to see a bit more around, and add a few richly flavored Piemonte wines to compliment all of the wonderful cheeses after our outing. Nothing like the Barbera, Nebbiolo and Barbarescos wines to help balance and digest all those rich cheeses. Piedmont has so much to offer.

One other highlight of the day was getting to meet Rowena of the always interesting blog,
Rubber Slippers in Italy, her charming husband and the adorable and very photogenic Maddie. Rowena even was wearing the famous Hawaiian style slippers of the blog. It was all too brief trying to meet and play tour guide to my family in a very crowded festival. Perhaps we'll meet up again sometime when we're on our own.

So mark your calender for 2009 for a not to be missed edition of "Bra Cheese Festival'!