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- It will be in 2022 when the world cheese meeting is held in the Castilian city of Zamora.
It will be in 2022 when the world cheese meeting is held in the Castilian city of Zamora.
The event will not stop there, since the project is conceived to become a biennial event that will bring together the most relevant players in the cheese sector on a global scale.
The objective of the fair: to turn Zamorano cheese into a world reference
The architects of this congress are the Provincial Council of Zamora and the Zamora cheese sector, which have promoted this project of the world cheese fair with the aim of making the Castilian province “A reference in the sector”.
As announced by the president of the Zamora provincial institution, Francisco José Requejo. Requejo has specified that the intention is that:
“The fair lasts at least 3 days and it will be necessary to determine, in collaboration with the sector, the most suitable date for its celebration. Likewise, it is intended that it be maintained over time and that it be carried out every two years ”.
The project aims to stimulate direct contact between professionals from the private sector and the public, while involving the educational sector, especially the University of Salamanca.
In addition, it represents a milestone in the commitment of the Zamora Provincial Council for the creation of new formats to promote the productive fabric of the Castilian province; a project that joins similar initiatives already in force and serves as a showcase for Zamorano products.
Qualities and distinctions that characterize Zamorano cheese
Among them, the Zamorano cheese, which has a solid international recognition. This cheese is made and cured in the Spanish province of Zamora, from milk produced by sheep of the region’s native Churra and Castilian breeds.
The quality of the product makes it a popular cheese in Spanish cuisine. Along these lines, since 1992 it has had the protection granted by its qualification as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).
The strength of Zamorano cheese is so formidable that it already has 9 cheese shops and 25 types of cheeses within this Castilian province.
Some brushstrokes of the historical cheese-making tradition of Zamora
Cheese is one of the most ancient foods that make up the human diet. Its elaboration in the province of Zamora could begin with the beginning of the cattle activity of its first sedentary settlers.
Vestiges of this cheese tradition are the Bronze Age encellas, used to mold and drain the cheese, which are preserved in the Museum of Zamora.
This artisan tradition developed over the centuries in the province of Zamora. References to its history are the treatise on Columella which, in the time of Roman presence, relates the usual procedures for the elaboration and conservation of cheese.
There is also information in the feudal agrarian contracts, which stipulated the delivery of cheeses as part of the personal benefits that the vassal has with his lord.
If we talk about its presentation at the table, a recommended option to prepare a suitable pairing with Zamorano cheese is to serve it with wines of the same designation of origin.
In this way, both products will mix beautifully. Other options are full-bodied reds or even dry whites from neighboring regions, such as those from Bierzo or Ribera del Duero.
One idea that usually generates delight when serving (and enjoying) it is to place it on a good cheese board, in the company of nuts, grapes and bread.
Keys to Zamorano cheese as the main reference in the sector in Castilla y León
The deputy delegate of economic initiatives in Zamora, Emilio Fernández Martínez, considers crucial “position Zamorano cheese in the market ”, which by the way represents more than 40% of all the production of Castilla y León.
This ambitious bet has to do with the fact that Zamorano cheese is the only denomination of origin of the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León, so much so that Fernández himself has explained that the driving idea that guides this project is to promote exports Zamorano cheese:
“To many active countries, in order to promote the World Fair, having large national cheese companies, as well as many small producers in the province.”
This initiative is part of the Zamora 10 project, designed to promote the city of Zamora and its province, while committing to society to value the strengths of this region, in addition to integrating and benefiting all business actors and institutional that make up the productive and social fabric of the Castilian city and province.
In the presentation of the project, held on July 16, the vice president of the International School of Dairy Industries Foundation, Luisa Marcos, also spoke, who thanked the Zamora County Council for promoting this project, as well as the manager of Zamora 10 , Francisco Prieto, who highlighted the step forward taken by the Zamora Provincial Council, while expressing his conviction that this project “it is an example of public or private collaboration ”.