Coming down from the mountain at the Cows’ Ball
We love hearing from Mariana Veiga because she has traveled all around the world and she tells us about the fabulous places she has been. Who could forget her trip to Mongolia in 2017?! (click here)
Mariana and Gantumar making cheese in Mongolia
Now she lives in Slovenia, a country with a cheese culture we didn’t know much about until Mariana sent us this story:
Cheese Making in Slovenia, the Sunny Side of the Alps
By Mariana Veiga
Mariana with her husband, Edison and son, Francisco at the Cheese and Wine Festival in Bohinj
A recent nation with centuries of history
In order to understand the cheese itself, we must understand the national context.
Slovenia, a country in Central Europe, is rather recent, seeing it was officially established in 1991. But, a long time before that, the people already had a local identity, their own traditions, and language. For many centuries it was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and, later, of Yugoslavia.
During the second half of the 19th century, a Swiss cheese maker came to the region of Bohinj and taught local people the recipe for Emmental cheese.
Emmental-style cheese for sale in Bohinj
Some decades later, in 1918, the Slovenes helped to establish a new state, which was later named Yugoslavia.
For 45 years, Yugoslavia was a socialist country with all its perks and downsides. Due to international trade restrictions, Yugoslavians had to be creative and live with their own version of international products.
That’s when Bohinj cheese became a popular option for people who were looking for dairy products.
Bohinj cheese
Current dairy production
With the separation of Yugoslavia and the creation of the independent state of Slovenia, a local business tried to bring this tradition to a larger scale, nonetheless couldn’t go far. But 12 years ago, a local family bought it and started a new successful store, with a wide range of products like kefir, yogurt, butter, sour cream, and buttermilk.
A mix of producers from Bohinj
Lard. Tastes amazing with bread!
Nowadays, Slovenia is a democratic young country that preserves many interesting traditions. The dairy production in the Bohinj region is a very good example: most of the local producers have small free-range herds and run family-based businesses. This adds extra charm to their cheese making tradition, surrounded by stunning views of the Alps and the turquoise colored rivers and lakes.
Lake Bohinj
Bohinj
Bohinj (something like “bo-heen”) is a picturesque town in Slovenia on the Julian Alps. It is mostly known for a lake with many activities in the summer and very charming in the winter. But aside from the tourist attractions, the region is locally known for its dairy production.
The Cheese and Wine Festival
This year, Bohinj held the 6th International Cheese and Wine Festival, an event that gathered Slovene and other European cheese makers who proudly showed their products and spoke about their herds.
Cheese from Serbia
The main goal of the festival is to bring producers together so people from different countries can showcase their cheese and wine.
Organic cheese from a Slovene dairy farm called Mlekarna Celeia
Tourists benefit from this by tasting new things that don’t get distributed by mainstream channels. Such productions are so small – and exclusive – that they don’t make it to supermarket chains or are traded overseas. Going to events like this one is the only opportunity to try them and to chat with producers.
Menu of the dishes sold there. 3 chefs took turns. Note that every option has some type of local cheese. 7 Euro each ($8).
The first dish – tartar. My husband ate it and loved it.
From the second chef – stuffed pasta. A-MA-ZING
One of the main attractions was the mohant cheese, a local creamy and slightly acid cheese with European PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) made of cow’s milk. Visitors could buy it and take it home or try it as an ingredient of delicious dishes made on food stalls by local chefs.
The festival had other very interesting products, like the kajmak, a fresh and soft cheese, popular in Serbia and other neighbor countries. Just salt is added to the milk and the slow heating and chilling process does the trick.
Cheese from a Serbian farm called Zlatne Rudine-Zlatibor
Another Serbian cheese
Yet another cheese from a Serbian producer
Contrasting to the traditional cheeses, we found one that is much more recent but with an interesting and clever history: Bled cheese.
Bled is a town in Slovenia near Bohinj with one of the most charming lakes in the world. Located in the foot of the Alps, it also has its beautiful herds, mostly of cows and sheep.
But, about 15 years ago, local producers were not happy with the price of the milk and decided to do something with higher aggregate value. That’s when the Bled cheese was created in a cooperation venture
It is a medium-hard cow’s milk cheese, aged for about 3 months in a cave near the lake. It goes well plain but recently I found that it makes a great match with Emmenthal for the perfect homemade fondue!
The Cows’ Ball
Following the Cheese and Wine Festival, Bohinj hosts the Cows’ Ball, a beautiful tribute paid to the cows that give us milk and are the foundation of the local economy.
During the warmer months, the cows are taken to the mountains where they have free access to green pasture. The herdsmen also move with their families to cottages and keep working on their regular chores, like milking and the making of cheese and butter.
When winter approaches and they must go back down the hills, the city throws a big party to thank the animals and the families, welcoming all back to town.
Carrying butter making equipment
In a certain moment, everyone stops to watch the parade of cows decorated with flowers and the herdsmen dressed in typical clothes.
The most beautiful animals are awarded with a ribbon.
Award for “Best Teats on the Mountain”
Side trip to Italy
The day after the ball, we started a very cool road trip around Italy. It was 2,200 miles long (almost as long as Route 66, one of the most desired trips of my current bucket list, by the way).
In Italy, it is very common to find a type of place called a caseificio. It is a dairy-only shop. I took some pictures from one we visited in Altamura. This town is known for its bread: the modern fermented bread as we know it was probably created there since there is a mention of it on a Horace poem from 37 BC.
Ham-filled mozzarella
Burrata and smoked salmon on a stick
Being in touch with my own food – and with the ones that make it possible
Many of you grew up surrounded by nature, pastures, and animals. So, the relationship with animals and even the process of cheese making may not be a big deal. But I spent the 32 first years of my life in a huge city, the biggest one in the Southern Hemisphere.
Living in São Paulo, Brazil, I did not have much access to farms except for when my family took me to “farm hotels” that were much more hotels than actual farms.
Sao Paulo, Brazil (stock photo)
However, against all odds and to our friends’ absolute shock, my husband and I decided to take a huge step and move with our son to the countryside of Slovenia. We now live in Bled (the one I mentioned above with the stunning lake) surrounded by nature, clean air, fireflies, rainbows, unicorns, mermaids and all the magical things that make a life happy and near perfect.
Since we are currently in “honeymoon mode,” I think that all the celebrations have a different meaning for us. Everything is new, charming, and unique. The concrete gray is now replaced with nature green and the busy life makes room for people handling their animals with respect and neighbors treating each other with vegetables from their gardens.
Lake Bled
For a city girl, this is excitingly beautiful. I hope I remain amused for good since I found home here in Slovenia and don’t plan to move anywhere.
Contact Mariana: marianapintoveiga@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theveigas
Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_veigas
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCguobB5tiXH2zconTIxuK3w
