Loved your commentary here about the goat herding and all these details. Picking apart certain details and thinking about how they affect the flavour profile but you’ve shown how there are so many things that go into the cheese, from what the goats are eating and their diverse diet, all the way to the slab of marble he uses to weigh it down. Absolutely beautiful. The years of knowledge that has gone into this fairly simple practice, yet someone else trying to replicate the process in another part of the world would get different results. It’s mind blowing how magical fermentation is. Thank you for bringing us into this world. Happy travels!
Cheesemaking, can be simple or complex depending on our chooses lense. I and perhaps you am inspired by the infinite number of variables. It’s humbling.
We will never recreate the painting, but the style and technique can possibly be mimicked. And similar routes of flavor/texture achieved. The possibility of combining these methods from around the world, remixing them into a new collage, is alluring.
2) the water itself may be high in calcium, and perhaps the marble releases calcium as the brine becomes more acidic from whey being pulled into it. Those factors could help the cheese not getting slimy.
3) the natural starters are always in all raw milk anyway. As you pointed out, whatever quantity are already there, are helping provide the results he wants. Added starters provide predictability of acid production, flavor, and scheduling, and came into popularity when milk began being pasteurized in some areas around 1900. That is a longer and far more nuanced discussion than people realize.
1. Great, I am hoping to inspire folks to do just this.
2. Am interesting thought. I didn’t consider Minerals already in the water. Or the possibility of the marble releasing calcium.
3. How would you define added starters? There are bacteria in raw milk, but which ones, and at what levels? The ecology can vary considerably, and often raw milk in the US is like a plowed field. I do advocate for adding starters. It’s like planting seeds. I’d just rather plant heirloom varietals saved by farmers than ones purchased from Monsanto.
I appreciate your response, and it gets to the heart of the matter.
Loved your commentary here about the goat herding and all these details. Picking apart certain details and thinking about how they affect the flavour profile but you’ve shown how there are so many things that go into the cheese, from what the goats are eating and their diverse diet, all the way to the slab of marble he uses to weigh it down. Absolutely beautiful. The years of knowledge that has gone into this fairly simple practice, yet someone else trying to replicate the process in another part of the world would get different results. It’s mind blowing how magical fermentation is. Thank you for bringing us into this world. Happy travels!
Cheesemaking, can be simple or complex depending on our chooses lense. I and perhaps you am inspired by the infinite number of variables. It’s humbling.
We will never recreate the painting, but the style and technique can possibly be mimicked. And similar routes of flavor/texture achieved. The possibility of combining these methods from around the world, remixing them into a new collage, is alluring.
1) I’d take a trip like you mentioned.
2) the water itself may be high in calcium, and perhaps the marble releases calcium as the brine becomes more acidic from whey being pulled into it. Those factors could help the cheese not getting slimy.
3) the natural starters are always in all raw milk anyway. As you pointed out, whatever quantity are already there, are helping provide the results he wants. Added starters provide predictability of acid production, flavor, and scheduling, and came into popularity when milk began being pasteurized in some areas around 1900. That is a longer and far more nuanced discussion than people realize.
1. Great, I am hoping to inspire folks to do just this.
2. Am interesting thought. I didn’t consider Minerals already in the water. Or the possibility of the marble releasing calcium.
3. How would you define added starters? There are bacteria in raw milk, but which ones, and at what levels? The ecology can vary considerably, and often raw milk in the US is like a plowed field. I do advocate for adding starters. It’s like planting seeds. I’d just rather plant heirloom varietals saved by farmers than ones purchased from Monsanto.
I appreciate your response, and it gets to the heart of the matter.
Our neighbor in Serbia makes this type of goat cheese, albeit with less salt than usual. We love it!