VISIT OF A TRADITIONAL CHEESE FACTORY
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Legend has it that it was an old Arab who discovered the cheese, while he was crossing the desert. He carried a traditional container, which in Spanish is called “a bota”. They were made of the stomach of an animal and used to transport liquids. In this case it was probably made from a sheep's stomach. While riding through the desert, the milk was stirred and shaken in the rhythm of the steps off his horse and turned into cheese. The poor Arab was very surprised when he wanted to have a good drink - but the concept of cheese was discovered. In the year 59 B.C. Julius Caesar invaded France with blocks of cheese in the provisions. Since these days the production of cheese has developed a lot and nowadays exist more than 400 varieties of cheese, each one with a myriad of textures, aromas and flavours. Maria Isabel - the owner of Naizaloa - is a woman versed in the rich culture and traditions of her rural surroundings and decided to convert the knowledge of cheese making, which generation after generation were developed and enriched by her family into a commercial business. Thus was born the cheese factory Naizaloa in 2003, counting with the help of John, her husband. He takes care of the herd of goats, which are of the autochthonous race of Malaga, to guarantee their perfect condition at the time of milking and the quality of their milk, of which Isabel Maria prepares her delicious cheeses. |
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Depending on the time of the day for which this visit is planned you might even see how they milk the goats and the more daring may try to milk by hand - as it was done for thousands of years - before you see the modern facilities and machinery for the automatic milking, the pasteurization and the curdle of the milk. Then the cheeses are moulded and pressed, to lose all traces of whey. Finally they have to rest for one hour in brine, in order to become the first final product – the fresh cream cheese. Working with traditional recipes, but respecting to the last detail the regulations for health and hygiene standards, this family business offers us a cheese of highest quality with all guarantees of craftsmanship and tradition for all its different varieties. The variety of cheese is determined by the period of time it ripens in the cold chambers. Of course we will taste as well all the cheeses produced by Naizaloa, which are
This activity can be done as a simple visit, lasting approximately 1.5 hours or as workshop, which will take between 3 to 4 hours. In this case, the participants will form and press their own cheese. While they ripen in the brine we taste the different types of cheeses and observe an exhibition of how the cheese was made traditionally and by hand for thousands of years. |
