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Private Notes
India produces more milk than any country in the world. In this predominately Hindu society the cow is revered as a holy beast. Will travels to the bustling old city of Kolkata during the Holi festival to learn about the origins of India's most popular cheese - Paneer. After visiting the ancient cheese market he discovers how curd is used to make Paneer and the city's distinctive Chennai sweets. After being invited to join his hosts for some very colourful family celebrations he visits a typical buffalo dairy for an extraordinary lesson on how to make Mozzarella, Indian-style.
The land lying between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean sea has been recognised for its deep spiritual significance since the beginning of modern civilisation, it also has a long history of cheesemaking. Will visits the old city of Jerusalem before driving to the Judah hills where he is introduced to Shey Saltzer the godfather of the new artisan cheese movement. After visiting an Arab Israeli family who make traditional Ewes' milk cheese at home, he travels to Galilee to look at one the oldest marinated cheeses in Israel before heading South to the stunning beauty of the remote Negev desert to meet some very unusual goat cheesemakers.
The remote, isolated Kingdom of Bhutan measures its economy on Gross National Happiness. In Bhutan butter is important for both cooking and ceremonial purposes. Will visits a small farm to see how the locals churn butter by hand and samples the local cuisine before being invited to visit one of the oldest monasteries in this devoutly Buddhist country, where he lights candles to guide the souls of the dead. After sampling a cheese and chilli dish, Will travels high into the Himalayas for a lesson in how to milk a yak. He makes cheese the traditional way, in a smoky mountain hut, before enjoying a game of archery with his hosts.
The Republic of Turkey lies at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. One of the legacies of its rich history of invasion is a variety of regional cheese, many of which are rarely found outside the country. Will visits the ancient spice markets of Istanbul before driving to Cannakale to learn about this country's most popular marinated cheese Ezine Peynir, and a hard cheese called Mihalic. Then it's on to Anatolia to visit a small dairy near Kars making one of the finest artisan examples of Turkey's most popular hard cheese Kasar. Here he gets a lesson in how to make the rare blue string cheese and finds Tulum, a traditional cheese matured in animal skin.
Over the past two centuries the Trappist order of Cisterian monks has been responsible for creating some of the most famous washed rind cheese names in France. But today a rapidly dwindling number of monks means that cheese making in the monasteries is in danger of becoming extinct. Will travels to the abbey of Mont des Cats in Normandy, Citeaux in Burgundy, and Tamie in Savoie to discover how the last examples of Trappist monk's cheese are being made. He looks at what the future holds for these classic benchmarks.
Traditional cheesemaking is strictly seasonal in the alps of North Eastern Italy and production is very limited. Will travels to the foothills of the alps to meet the oldest cheese maker in Italy. He is shown how Asiago d'allevo was once made over a wooden fire, before travelling to the Perenzin family's dairy to learn about their famous Montasio and 'drunken' cheeses. Will then travels to the beautiful Dolomites where he meets an affineur whose cheese cellar is an old pre-war bunker. He also discovers a farm still making a very rare grey cheese, and beautiful handmade butter.
The French consume more butter per head of population than any country in Europe, but traditional cultured butter gently churned in a barratte is very hard to find unless you know what to look for. Will travels to Normandy, and the Charentes-Poitou to visit the two oldest cooperative dairies still making butter the traditional way. After looking at why they are so different in taste and texture he meets Yves Bourdier at La Maison du Buerre in Brittany and discovers the secrets behind the art of the Malaxer. Then an old friend offers to show him how easy it is to make delicious fresh cultured butter at home using crème fraîche.
Over the past two decades Catalonian chefs have been responsible for an extra ordinary revolution in Spanish cuisine. The region has also led a renaissance in artisan cheesemaking which virtually disappeared during the Franco era. Will visits the beautiful city of Barcelona to meet author Enric Canut before travelling to the hills to learn about the revival of traditional Mato and Tupi cheese and a relative newcomer named Garrotxa. After a demonstration from several chefs on ways to use the local cheeses Catalonian style he heads to Menorca, the island of cheese, to see how traditional Mahon is still made.
