Been to Italy lately? If you have been, you probably bought a piece of cheese to take back to your hotel. Odds are good that your cheese was carefully wrapped in the best possible wrap, used in 80% of Italian grocery stores. It’s called Ovtene. (“Ov” means egg in Italian and “tene” means to preserve.)
This new wrap is made primarily from calcium carbonate and other trace minerals. It creates a natural environment for cheese. It keeps the moisture in, but it let’s gasses from the cheese (a living, breathing entity) pass through. This discourages bacteria (mold) from growing on your cheese while keeping it moist.
The end result is that your cheese lasts 2 and 3 times longer than it would otherwise. It’s like magic!
A Little History
This wrap was invented by a husband and wife team- Salvatore Giglia and Sharon Jorgensen. It took them 5 years to bring it to market in the US, but now, it is being used in 42 Whole Foods stores in the Northeast and in 67 small cheese shops across the United States. It can also be found at Dean & DeLuca shops.
Studies
The company has conducted studies with cheese and other foods to quantify the difference between Ovtene and other wraps. The results can be found in the blog at their website –
Uses
Ovtene can be used with any food to extend it’s life – leftover meat & fish, fruits and vegetables, etc.
Avocado after 9 days! Photo from their Facebook page
