The Cooking Diva Blog: Original Tropical Creations by Chef Melissa De Leon

Artisan Cheese Making in Ecuador

Cheese making was a skill passed down from generation to generation and cheese was a simple food made at home with the most basic of ingredients and tools.

In Ecuador, specifically in Nanegalito, an Ecuadorian town in the beautiful Andes, the artisan cheese makers use milk from their own animals mostly, an easy way to control the process of cheese making since the beginning. In other words, traceability of the source of the precious main ingredient: milk is implemented. All of the animals are grass-fed, a practice that results in a more rich and flavorful organic milk.

Sometimes they pasteurize the milk, and others work with the raw milk, which in this case is carefully supervised to have low bacterial content. It is interesting to note that the big corporations that process milk commercially are also present in these little towns in the Andes. They purchase the milk from the small dairy farms, test it for bacterial content and then put it all together and send it to a big city where it is processed and becomes the various products for mass consumption domestically and internationally.

Another essential characteristic of these traditional artisan cheese makers is that they do not hurry the process and will give their cheese the right length of time to mature. They do not treat their cheese with enzymes to speed the aging process, although the fresh cheeses are more common and widely sold.

Since they prepare cheese and other dairy products in small quantities, is a real delight to visit those small shops and purchase a yogurt, fresh cheese, and dulce de leche that you know were prepared the same day or the day before.

A work of love and dedication is the key for an excellent product. There is nothing more enticing that to chat with an artisan that is so proud of the product and invites you to see the whole process. The tour in the small kitchen is as rewarding as the first bite to one of the cheeses and the mouth watering fragrance of the dulce de leche in preparation.

I think that I gained a few pounds just by visiting, but each of them were worth it.

After a night full of rain, an electrical storm caused the burning of the small artisan cheese making shop. I learned about it the day I was coming back to Panama. It broke my heart in a hundred pieces, but I KNOW that they will be operating again by the time I go back. If not, I have decided to help them. People like them, with so much talent and love for food and their work should continue sharing with the world their gifts.

Particulary this artisan cheese-maker caught our attention, because he is also the only veterinarian in the town and consultant to most of the dairy farms of the area. Knowing myself and how I am when it comes to cleanliness, this one was my pick. It was actually the only place I drank raw milk and ate dairy products. It will continue to be so I guess, until I start making my own cheese of course!

If you happen to be in the area and would like to have a tour of the kitchen, or need advice on managing a dairy farm, this is how you can contact him:

Productos Lacteos El Pedregal

Nanegalito, Quito, Ecuador. Tel.: 211-6089

Dr. Ivan A. Sivisaka

Hugs,
Melissa

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Tags: raw milk, food blogs, cookingdiva, chef, panama, dairy, food & drink, food, ecuador

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by Chef Melissa - CookingDiva · February 24, 2006 · 12:00 PM
Permalink · Comments (10) · TrackBack (0) · Categories: Ethnic Cuisine: Ecuadorian / Andean / Cocina Ecuatoriana / Cocina Andina · Food & Drink · General

MMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Quesito fresco! Yo quiero un poco! jeje

Comment by: Antonio Touriño • Feb 24, 2006 2:54:21 PM

Todo el que quieras :)

Comment by: melissa_cookingdiva • Feb 24, 2006 2:56:32 PM

Yum, yum, YUM! I LOVE cheese!
-Kelly

Comment by: kelly • Feb 24, 2006 6:30:02 PM

Melissa, I dearly love dairy in any form but it really doesn't like me. I so miss eating cheese and ice cream. I haven't had a glass of milk in 15 years, but I am still fasinated by the whole cheese making process. Great story about the cheese makers!

Comment by: Vickie • Feb 24, 2006 6:49:53 PM

One of my favorite things to eat is cheese and I particulalry love to try artisan cheese. Love your blog Melissa, it has so many layers to it!

Comment by: Sher • Feb 25, 2006 1:08:51 AM

This is so interesting & I LOVE cheese too. Many years ago we still had a dairy in our area where you could get raw milk but not anymore with the regulations the way they are. Would like to try making cheese sometime.

Comment by: Fran • Feb 26, 2006 12:20:35 PM

Melissa, It's Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesy & YUUUUUUUUUUUUM :) Happy cooking!

Comment by: Lera • Feb 26, 2006 10:10:32 PM

Fresh artisan, or aged cheese are indeed a delicacy. I am dying to prepare my own cheese, just for experimenting and having fun, AND of course for a step by step homemade cheesecake! I'll keep you posted. Hugs,
M

Comment by: melissa_cookingdiva • Feb 28, 2006 9:23:46 AM

Hey,

I've been reading up on your Ecuadorian posts - I'm from the Uk and have just got back from a short business visit there. They truely do have some fantastic food and the people there were so friendly.

I'm doing an International Cuisine Series on my blog http://onceuponathyme.wordpress.com/ and I will be sure to make a few classic dishes that I had out there, especially empanadas and secos de chivo (if I can find any goat!)

Great post,
Andrew

Comment by: Andrew • Jun 16, 2008 5:23:39 PM

Congrats on your new blog! I am heading over to your blog now--- Have a tasty week!
Melissa

Comment by: melissa • Jun 22, 2008 8:40:31 PM