Mountain Cheese Olympics

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Mountain Cheese

The International Mountain Cheese Olympics is a cheese festival and competition that has been ongoing for over 18 years. Cheesemakers from all over the world, including Switzerland, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Italy and many others compete to have the most exceptional quality of artisan mountain cheese. In previous years, the festival was held in Appenzell, Switzerland, and was originally intended to help promote the economic interests of the mountain regions of Switzerland. Currently, the festival is held in Galtür, Austria, a small ski resort village. Some popular tourist attractions in Galtür include hiking, biking, and open-air thermal spas regularly enjoyed by tourists and natives alike. [1] Many people love the mountain air and crystal-clear lakes, but it is high-altitude sunlight, not snow, that is the new obsession. The festival will celebrate its 25th edition in September 2019.

Mountain cheeses are particularly important to this festival and differ from mass-produced cheese sold all around the world. The festival focuses on "mountain cheese" because they have separate and more distinct qualities that other kinds of cheese don't. Mountain cheeses are most often made from sheep or goat milk, and tend to be softer than most types of cheeses. This cheese, focused on in the International Mountain Cheese Olympics, can also be known as Alpine cheese. [2] The term "Alpine cheese" simply means any cheese indigenous to the Alps, the European mountain range marking the borders of Switzerland, France, Austria, and Italy. These cheeses have achieved global fame and replication, however, because of the centuries-old recipes and methods that make these cheeses so special. This particular group of cheese is made from animals, such as sheep and goats, that have grazed in the high elevation pastures. This type of cheese is important because it has a rich and complex flavour, which is why people from around the world come to compete for the best mountain cheese. The cheesemakers allowed to compete in this event have to be cheese artisans, [3] making cheeses at altitudes over 600 m (1,970 ft), with prizes for taste and quality.

The 2021 International Mountain Cheese Olympics will be held in Galtür, Austria, which is a small, well known ski resort village located in the upper Paznaun valley in the state of Tyrol. [4] The Mountain Cheese Olympics were founded in 2002 "to promote the mountain region economy", and the festival itself consists of many events. This annual celebration allows festival visitors to purchase all different types of mountain cheeses by the competitors and explore international cuisine. The competition is the main highlight of the entire annual event, centering around how the mountain cheese is shaped and displayed, as well as taste. [5] According to experts, the cheese industry is affected by several factors; economic factors like marketing and sales, and cultural factors related to the areas where the cheese is manufactured. This is why, at first, Switzerland started this competition to help their economic interest and allow individuals from all around the world to share their appreciation for mountain cheese. Though it was started primarily by Switzerland, France and Italy happen to dominate its awards, and there are typically over 100 entries, from all over the world, including Japan, Mexico, and Ethiopia.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swiss Alps</span> Portion of the Alps that lies within Switzerland

The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main physiographic regions. The Swiss Alps extend over both the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps, encompassing an area sometimes called Central Alps. While the northern ranges from the Bernese Alps to the Appenzell Alps are entirely in Switzerland, the southern ranges from the Mont Blanc massif to the Bernina massif are shared with other countries such as France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vorarlberg</span> State of Austria

Vorarlberg is the westernmost state of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest population density. Two thirds of the state are situated above 1,000m. It borders three countries: Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. The only Austrian state that shares a border with Vorarlberg is Tyrol, to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silvretta Alps</span> Mountain range on the Austro-Swiss border

The Silvretta Alps are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps shared by Tirol, Vorarlberg and Graubünden (Switzerland). The Austrian states of Tirol and Vorarlberg are connected by a pass road. The majority of the peaks are elevated above three thousand metres and are surrounded by glaciers. Thus, the area is also known as the "Blue Silvretta".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montafon</span> Valley in Vorarlberg, Austria

Montafon is a 39 km long valley in the westernmost Austrian federal state of Vorarlberg.

<i>Kashkaval</i> Semi-hard cheese from the Balkans

Kashkaval is a type of cheese made from the milk of cows, sheep, goats, or a mixture thereof. In Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia, the term is often used to refer to all yellow cheeses. In English-language menus in Bulgaria, kashkaval is translated as 'yellow cheese'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheesemaking</span> Craft of making cheese

Cheesemaking is the craft of making cheese. The production of cheese, like many other food preservation processes, allows the nutritional and economic value of a food material, in this case milk, to be preserved in concentrated form. Cheesemaking allows the production of the cheese with diverse flavors and consistencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Méribel</span> Ski resort in France

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swiss Cheese Union</span> Marketing and trading organisation

The Swiss Cheese Union was a marketing and trading organization in Switzerland, which served as a cartel to control cheese production from 1914 to 1999. To this end, the Swiss Cheese Union mandated production be limited to only a few varieties, chiefly Gruyere and Emmental, and bought the entire production and distribution of cheese at prices set by the Swiss Federal Council. It also coordinated the national and international marketing for these varieties of cheese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Livigno</span> Comune in Lombardy, Italy

Livigno is a town, comune and a special-administered territory in the province of Sondrio, in the region of Lombardy, Italy, located in the Italian Alps, near the Swiss border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lech (Vorarlberg)</span> Village in Austria

Lech am Arlberg is a mountain village and an exclusive ski resort in the Bludenz district in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, on the banks of the river Lech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galtür</span> Place in Tyrol, Austria

Galtür is a village and ski resort in the upper Paznaun valley in Austrian state of Tyrol located in the Central Eastern Alps 35 km southwest of Landeck near the border of Vorarlberg and Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breuil-Cervinia</span> Alpine resort in the Aosta Valley region of northwest Italy

Breuil-Cervinia, officially Le Breuil from September 2023, is a frazione of the comune of Valtournenche, Italy. It is a winter and summer tourist resort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damüls</span> Municipality in Vorarlberg, Austria

Damüls is a village community and popular tourist resort in the district of Bregenz in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine transhumance</span> Seasonal moving of livestock

Alpine transhumance is transhumance as practiced in the Alps, that is, a seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer. Transhumance is a traditional practice that has shaped much of the landscape in the Alps, as without it, most areas below 2,000 m (6,600 ft) would be forests. While tourism and industry contribute today much to Alpine economy, seasonal migration to high pastures is still practiced in Bavaria, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, France and Switzerland, except in their most frequented tourist centers. In some places, cattle are taken care of by local farmer families who move to higher places. In others, this job is for herdsmen who are employees of the cooperative owning the pastures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucerne Cheese Festival</span> Food festival in Lucerne, Switzerland

The Lucerne Cheese Festival is a cheese festival held annually in Lucerne, Switzerland. It was established in 2001 and is normally run on a weekend in the middle of October at the Kapellplatz in the city centre. The next festival is planned to take place on 14 October 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Types of cheese</span> Classification of coagulated milk products

There are many different types of cheese, which can be grouped or classified according to criteria such as: length of fermentation, texture, production method, fat content, animal source of the milk, and country or region of origin. These criteria may be used either singly or in combination, with no method used universally. The most common traditional categorization is based on moisture content, which is then further narrowed down by fat content and curing or ripening methods.

Artisanal cheese refers to cheeses produced by hand using the traditional craftsmanship of skilled cheesemakers. As a result, the cheeses are often more complex in taste and variety. Many are aged and ripened to achieve certain aesthetics. This contrasts with the more mild flavors of mass-produced cheeses produced in large-scale operations, often shipped and sold right away.

References

  1. ↑ Rowlingson, Liz (March 2017). "Skiing, cycling, and a rental income: Austria is attracting investors with a mix of winter and summer pleasures, says Liz Rowlinson" . Retrieved 2021-09-06– via Proquest.
  2. ↑ Hazard, Jessica (2013-09-09). "Style Highlight: Alpine Cheeses". culture: the word on cheese. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
  3. ↑ "City starts countdown to the Cheese Olympics: [Final 3 Edition]". The Times . October 26, 2006. ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved May 8, 2019– via Proquest.
  4. ↑ Deeprose, Jenny (2005). "Mountain Magic". Dairy Industries International. 70 (1). ISSN   0308-8197. ProQuest   222285081 . Retrieved May 7, 2019– via Proquest.
  5. ↑ Kuwait News Agency (October 26, 2009). "Switzerland wins 9 gold medals at Mountain Cheese Olympics" . Retrieved May 7, 2019– via Proquest.
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