“The cheese it is the leap from milk to immortality” Clifton Fadiman once said, and we couldn't agree more with the American author and publisher.
For this reason, November 3 had been marked by fire on our calendar for months, since it was the day he returned one of the most anticipated cheese events: the World Cheese Awards, which this year has celebrated its thirty-third edition.
The contest, organized by The Guild of Fine Food , has taken place in Oviedo , inside of the Asturias Natural Paradise International Cheese Festival 2021 , directed by the Cheese Institute in collaboration with the Principality of Asturias and the City Council of Oviedo.
After postponing the event for a year due to the pandemic, this year's competition has been the largest and most international to date , since it has had a record of participation, with more than 4,000 confirmed applications, from 45 different countries.
cheeses from India, Guatemala, Japan, Colombia, Israel and Ukraine have lined up alongside the wheels and chocks of the most celebrated cheese nations in the world waiting their turn to be blind tasted by the jury at the Palace of Exhibitions and Congresses.
During the morning the prizes have been chosen Bronze (Bronze), Silver (Silver), Gold (Gold) and Super Gold (Super gold) and later it has gone on to debate live on the 16 best to select this year's World Champion Cheese.
The absolute winner of the World Cheese Awards 2021, and therefore best cheese in the world , it was the cheese Olavidia, from the cheese factory Cheese and Kisses , located in Sierra Morena (Guarromán, Jaén).
The International Cheese Festival 2021 will last for days November 4, 5 and 6 and will offer a most complete and tasty agenda with activities such as the celebration of the first 'Forum for Dairy Cheese Innovation' as well as tastings and tastings open to the public.
Olavidia: the best cheese in the world.
OLAVIDIA: THE BEST CHEESE IN THE WORLD
“It is the oldest form of fermentation; It is made with the lactic acid bacteria present in milk. This type of bacteria acts on lactose (milk sugar) and degrades it to lactic acid” they explain on the Quesos y Besos website about Olavidia.
“In these cheeses, the wretched (the loss of part of the whey contained in the milk) occurs Spontaneously ”, they add.
The cheese Olavidia it is completely made craft soft pasta made from slow pasteurized goat's milk.
It is a cheese lactic coagulation square shaped, matured with molds and charcoal (has a rind of white mold under which there are an ash coating) , And contains a line of edible ash running through the center of the cheese.
Its flavor is intense and milky notes predominate with some hints of nuts. Have a maturation time of 15 to 20 days and it comes in units of approximately 250-300 grams.
Once opened, consume between 3-4 days because It does not contain any type of additive or preservative..
Only six people work at the Quesos y Besos cheese factory , whose representatives, the couple formed by Silvia and Paco, upon receiving the award, had no words to describe their happiness: "It's fantastic!" they exclaimed.
“Our families have been working with goat milk for a long time. three and four generations , both with the sale of milk and with the production of goat cheese. a family tradition that we have inherited as a young married couple, driven by the love of the countryside and artisan products” , Silvia and Paco say in the biography of the Quesos y Besos website.
Olavidia.
Life took them through other paths and cities, until in 2016 they returned to their land, Andalusia: "We wanted to reconnect with the rural world and teach our children everything we knew in our childhood."
In addition, they were always clear that they would bet on lactic coagulation cheeses because they love them and they are a less elaborate type of cheese in the area.
“The Malaga goats of our family are grazing in the southern mountains of Jaén, a wonderful rural area that is very close to the concept of paradise for livestock. And in those conditions, the goats could only give milk of exceptional quality with which we make various types of artisan cheeses”.
Olavidia cheese, the best in the world in 2021, already has several awards to its credit (in addition to the title of best cheese in the world that they have just received): the gold medal in the category of soft pasta and with the first prize of the 9th Gourmetquesos championship of the Salón Gourmets as Best Cheese in Spain 2018.
FOR THE LOVE OF CHEESE
4,079 registrations –which represent an increase of 7.2% compared to 2019 entries–, 45 countries from the five continents, 825 participating companies, 230 judges of more than 35 nationalities , 10,000 visitors and 100 exhibitors are some of the overwhelming figures for the 2021 World Cheese Awards.
Contestants submit their cheeses from all over the world to be judged, in a blind tasting and in a single day, by teams of technical experts, buyers, retailers and food journalists.
Judges work in teams of three to identify the cheeses worthy of the Gold, Silver or Bronze award. To do this, they carefully analyze the characteristics of each of the cheeses, paying special attention to aspects such as the rind, the body, the colour, the texture, the consistency and, above all, the flavour.
Next, each of the teams nominates an exceptional cheese as Super Gold your table, which becomes part of the exclusive group of the best cheeses in the world and is judged for the second time by the "Super Jury" of internationally recognized experts, each of which selects a cheese to be champion in the final round of judging.
The Super Jury evaluates the final cheeses in front of a rigorous direct consumer, and, finally, chooses the ultimate winner.
In addition to competing for bronze, silver, gold and super gold , the contest also distributes country and cheese specific prizes.
THE INTERNATIONAL CHEESE FESTIVAL
The International Cheese Festival , intended for both consumers and merchants, will take place from Wednesday, November 3 to Saturday, November 6 at Oviedo.
In it we can find an international cheese market (Cheese Market), an exhibition to display the best food and drinks in Asturias, a cheese comedy poster (Gastro Cheese Comedy) and a diverse range of forums and presentations to examine the past, present and future of cheese.
In addition, the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium , sponsor of the World Cheese Awards 2021, will organize an online auction of a wheel of 21-year-old Parmigiano Reggiano cheese , whose profits will go entirely to solidarity projects adopted by the Parmigiano Reggiano consortium.
The wheel will remain on display during the World Cheese Awards and the auction will be held between October 27 and November 6 here.
Thus, The Guild of Fine Food and the Cheese Institute join forces to stage one of the biggest cheese events ever seen, and at a time when the cheese community has finally been able to come together again after a period defined by uncertainty, resilience and innovation.