Kaasmaker / Alpine cheese maker

Описание: In the Swiss Alps an unique traditional product is made: aromatic Alpine cheese.
Swiss Alpine cheese is only produced during the summer months in Alpine dairies.
It all starts with Swiss cows. The milk used comes from cows that spend the summer up on the Alps.
Every morning, fresh milk is poured directly into the copper cauldron and heated over an open fire. Rennet, an enzyme found in the stomach lining of calves, is added to help curdle the milk, as is Lactococcus, a bacteria culture which helps to ferment and age the cheese. As the whey begins to separate itself from the cheese mass, the cauldron is removed from the fire by a heavy wooden swing handle, where it is stirred for 35 to 45 minutes before returning to the fire.

Using a giant tranche-caillé or guitar, the cheese maker cuts the curds into tiny grains.
He inspects the grains constantly until they are the size of a grain of wheat.

The cheese maker dips both arms into the copper pot, scooping out the cheese (which looks more like cottage cheese), leaving the whey behind, and transfers the cheese into a "jarb".
Once the cheese mass is transferred into the jarb, a lid is placed on top and a heavy stone press squeezes the rest of the whey from the cheese grains. After four-to-five hours, the new cheese is wrapped in a linen cloth and submerged in salt water.
The milk from each individual region has its own typical, aromatic taste. This comes from the Alpine herbs on which the cows graze that grow differently in each area. The varying hints in the taste of Alp cheese can come from the wood fire used to heat the milk as well as the particular style of the cheese maker.
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