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Cheese, the international cheese exhibition
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An "open air dairy" in which one can savour the cream of Italian and international cheeses. Every two years, the Piedmont town of Bra, Italian base of the Slow Food movement, becomes a meeting point for artisan-produced Italian cheeses and derivatives.
Cheese, forms of milk has been the sector's most important exhibition since 1997, with a variety of dairy products to be tasted in the town's streets or squares. It is a meeting with flavour in which the market's top-rated DOP products participate along with lesser known cheese. The 2005 edition kicks off on 16 September and will see cheeses such as raw milk caprino amongst its protagonists; this last being a type of cheese which is finding increasing popularity throughout Europe as well as on Asian and Oriental markets.
The fair will take place alongside a cultural initiative aimed at promoting the Slow Food philosophy. As with Cheese, initiatives such as Terra Madre and Il Salone del Gusto aim to promote the tradition of artisan produce, reclaiming the right to indulge in the pleasures of eating with healthy, sophisticated products. |
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CHEESE FEATURES A CALENDAR PACKED WITH THEMATIC EVENTS |
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Starting with the Taste Laboratories, where all the varieties of cheese are paraded in a composite sequence, from exotic New Zealand cheese to products made with raw milk from Ireland and the United States.
Production techniques are illustrated by the very same shepherds that arrive in Bra with their wealth of centuries-old knowledge. The fair will feature 149 DOP cheeses, to which the products included in the Via Lattea section should also be added. This last (literally The Milky Way) is a showcase dedicated to the most flavoursome derivatives of milk such as ice-creams, yogurts, milkshakes and chocolate.
Children are also invited to rediscover the delights of dairy products with Cheese Bimbi, a fun laboratory where little "budding chefs" can learn the art of cooking whilst playing. Amidst educational demonstrations and a Comizio Agrario (an agrarian meeting that looks into farming techniques), the main attraction of the exhibition is the Grande Mercato del Formaggio (Great Cheese Market) which unfolds through the streets of old Bra. Here the cheese-making sector lends itself to imaginative combinations: soft cheeses are tasted with fine wines, cider, honey and mostarda. |
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THE CHEESE PALIO, A MOUTH-WATERING RACE |
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| An eight-hundred metre long race whilst carrying a whole Parmigiano Reggiano cheese weighing over 35kg on one's back: The Cheese Palio is held every year, generally in September, in areas of the region of Emilia where the cheese producers that make the prized cheese are based. Those participating in the competition are employees of the cheese producers and a number of figures from the sports world including rugby, football and judo athletes. It is a challenge that aims to promote consumption of Parmigiano Reggiano by means of these unique participants. Celebrations for those crossing the finishing line culminate with free tastings for those present and a demonstration of the techniques used for cooking Parmigiano Reggiano according to the ancient method using firewood. Children can run amongst the stands of the Fattorie Aperte (Open Farms) where the presence of the animals leads to a sensation of finding oneself in the countryside. Thus the Palio turns into a large travelling fete held in numerous piazzas throughout the provinces involved in producing Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, staging performances and folk dancing. |
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 Cheese, forms of milk
When: from 16 to 19 September 2005
Where: Bra (CN)
Info: Slow Food, Via Mendicitą Istruita 14, 12042 Bra (Cuneo)
Tel: +39.0172.419611
Fax: +39.0172.421293
Contact: info@slowfood.it
The Cheese Palio
When: in September
Where: province of Parma and other municipalities in the region of Emilia
Info: www.paliodellaformaggia.it
Contacts: info@fierereggioemilia.it
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