The Magic of Milk and Cheese! Tradition, Nature and Authenticity.
“Everything begins again with spring, when the sun warms the earth and makes tender, juicy grass sprout!”
This is how Ulisse begins his story about milk and cheese production, which he and his wife Sandra started around 30 years ago when they founded Podere il Casale. For herbivores, this is a time of joy. Just watch the sheep and goats in the pastures: they run, jump, and move with contagious energy. Spring, a symbol of rebirth, not only brings light and nourishment, but also activates the natural reproductive cycle of sheep. In nature, the female seeks the male, and vice versa, while in farming, it is the shepherd who introduces the ram to the flock, thus managing the breeding. Each ram is placed in a group of about 40 ewes, and the shepherd carefully monitors the mating process, which follows the 21-day estrus cycle of the ewes.
About five months after mating, the first lambs are born. During this period, the ewes begin to produce milk to feed their young. At Podere il Casale, we allow the lamb to stay with the mother for at least a month, avoiding immediate separation that could cause stress and post-birth trauma. After this period of lactation, weaning begins, and milking starts for cheese production.
Unfortunately, in some farms, the separation between mother and lamb occurs immediately, with the sole aim of optimizing milk production. The lambs are fed powdered milk, while all the ewe’s milk is used for cheesemaking. This causes strong trauma to the ewe, which as an animal is very sensitive and also lives as stress the lack of food, water, excessive heat or loud noises.
The shepherd’s job is to protect the flock as much as possible so they can graze and live in harmony. This care will be repaid with healthy ewes and good milk production.
“A stressed animal cannot produce good milk, and without good milk, there can be no good cheese!” says Ulisse.
What is meant by “good milk”?
Milk is a living product, rich in lactic bacteria, the true protagonists of fermentation and the development of cheese flavor. In nature, we find billions of these bacteria, identified in 400 species worldwide, referred to as “Probiotics.”
What are these organisms for?
These microorganisms are crucial for cheese production, creating the difference between a fresh cheese, which will be sweeter for its milk flavor, and a matured cheese, which, year after year, develops a stronger and spicier flavor. Therefore, it is the microorganisms in the milk that are the main protagonists!
In addition to the microorganisms in the milk, what else is needed to produce cheese?
The essential ingredients for cheese production are: Milk (almost 100%), Rennet, Salt.
What is the role of rennet?
Rennet is an enzyme that coagulates milk and is naturally found only in the last of the four stomachs of newborn mammals, helping them digest mother’s milk. In cheesemaking, this process is replicated in a vat. Traditionally, calf, lamb, or kid rennet is used. When we talk about rennet, we must think, as already mentioned, that the stomach can be used in the form of pasta (chopped and preserved with salt) or in a water solution with salt.. There are also plant-based alternatives, such as the flower of milk thistle, used in Val d’Orcia until about 40 years ago.
Whatever choice the cheesemaker makes regarding the type of rennet to use, it impacts the aroma and texture of the cheese.
What is the purpose of salt?
In addition to adding flavor, salt dries the surface of the cheese wheel, creating a rind that protects it from bacteria, yeasts, and molds in the environment that settle on the cheese. These organisms influence the development of aroma but only on the “surface,” while “internally,” it is the “lactic bacteria” that do the real work. After about 60 days, the lactic bacteria have completed their life cycle, and other fermentation processes based on the decomposition of casein and fats take over, contributing to the characteristic aroma of matured cheese. Of course, the “place” where the cheese is stored greatly influences its aging, as well as temperature, humidity, and ventilation.
Returning to the initial concept of “good milk,” it is important to understand that the term “natural milk” means “unprocessed.”
Truly natural milk is unprocessed.
Natural milk is milk that has not been altered, and its taste and quality vary based on the animal’s diet and the environment in which it lives. The pasture, consisting of aromatic herbs, clover, and wild grasses, is influenced by the soil, climate, and humidity. All of these factors change day by day, season by season, making the milk a unique and unrepeatable product. In fact, milk produced in the morning is different from that produced in the evening! In short, there is no one type of milk but millions of variations. This helps explain why cheese is the food product with the most variables in the world.
Raw milk vs Pasteurized milk
Raw milk cheese is a “live” product in continuous evolution that often surprises the cheesemaker. The art of raw milk cheesemaking is helping the rennet and microorganisms develop good cheese. Therefore, it cannot be said that the cheesemaker “makes” the cheese, but rather supports a natural transformation process of the milk.
In contrast, pasteurized milk cheese is made from “dead” milk, devoid of natural bacteria, to which “starter cultures” or “selected lactic cultures” are then added to obtain a uniform and standardized product. This helps explain why raw milk cheese is unique: each wheel is different from the other, carrying with it the history of the place, the seasons, and the cheesemaker’s craft.
In conclusion, we must never forget that cheese is not just a food but the result of a perfect balance between nature, tradition, and care for animals. Each wheel of cheese encapsulates the history of the land and the work of the cheesemaker and shepherd, making it unique and unrepeatable. Choosing raw milk cheese means savoring the genuineness of a living product in continuous evolution. And it is precisely this authenticity and unpredictability that make it so special!
