The culture of cheese

The Romans, great producers, extended the consumption of cheese throughout their empire.

The Romans perfected their cheese making methods and popularised its consumption throughout their vast empire. They used various techniques to curdle milk, not only with a substance that they found inside the stomachs of animals, but also with the sap of the fig tree or wild thistle, and invented tools such as the press to squeeze the moisture out of the curd.

_{Aquileia Pecora}

The result was a type of cheese that lasted longer and could be transported to the furthest Roman provinces from the farms of the capital, some of which had special rooms to produce cheese, a job that was carried out by slaves. During the time of the empire, cheese was exported and imported, as were techniques for its preparation, resulting in the popularisation and diversification of the universe of cheese.

_{Cheese press}

Europe’s monks invented techniques of affinage and applied them to local varieties.

Based on the knowledge developed by the Romans, the monasteries and abbeys of medieval Europe took the lead in the evolution of cheese.

_{Taccuino Sanitatis, Casanatense}

Numerous in number, these religious establishments became selfsufficient economic powerhouses that made profit from selling their surpluses.

 Every monastery was an authentic innovation laboratory that perfected its own cheese making technique, adapting processes to its climate and combining basic methods with other forms of production of nearby farms and ingredients typical of its area.

_{Munster Ermitage}

The cheese produced was of a higher quality thanks to the introduction by the medieval monks of sophisticated methods such as affinage: controlling the action of the enzymes to hone the final taste, flavour and texture.

Munster is the name of a cheese with medieval origins from eastern France (Alsace). The name comes from the Latin term ‘monasterium’.

Each region or area gave its name to a cheese (today known as PDO).

Cheese production improved and diversified throughout Europe. Throughout the High Middle Ages and Renaissance, unique varieties of cheese emerged. Notable examples included Cheddar, whose name was first recorded in 1500; Emmental, in 1542, and Parmesan, in 1579.

They were cheeses with their own name, usually linked to a specific monastery or region.

_{Cheddar, Emmental y Parmesano.}

Nowadays, they are known as Protected Designations of Origin (PDO).

In light of such an extensive and delicious panorama, a doctor and writer, Pantaleone da Confienza, travelled across the continent to gather information from farmers and cheese producers about the making of different kinds of cheese, livestock care, tools used, etc..

Louis Pasteur discovered that heat could destroy bacteria.

A discovery by Louis Pasteur marked a watershed moment in the history of cheese. From a commission by the French viticulture sector to find a way of preventing wine from decomposing and becoming sour like vinegar, the scientist discovered in 1864 that heat could destroy the bacteria that spoiled French wines, a principle that was also valid for milk.

In his honour, the process of applying controlled heat to eliminate bacteria and microorganisms is called pasteurisation.

_{Louis Pasteur, Dôle, 27-12-1822
Marnes-la-Coquette 28-9-1895}

In the making of cheese, pasteurisation not only ensures that the product is safe for human consumption, but also helps to shorten the production process, which would become a key factor in the industrial era.

Factories were the main producers of cheese: they made it in industrial quantities.

Like many other consumer goods, cheese making methods changed significantly during the Industrial Revolution.

Although many handcrafted cheeses retained their traditional techniques, most of the cheese consumed came from an assembly line.

_{Gruyere, Switzerland 2014.
Production of factory cheese during Industrialisation.}

The pasteurisation of milk and standardisation of the processing stages made it possible to standardise results and increase production.

Cheese with stable quality, taste, flavour and texture are part of the usual diet of all households.

New means of transport, such as the train, are also protagonists in this transformation: milk can travel more quickly to factories and the cheese produced can be distributed to a much larger area in record time.

Boost to consumption with new developments, trends and flavours. Cheese culture as a gourmet experience.

The world of cheese is a mature market. Consumers love its great diversity and seek new and unique taste sensations to enable them to fully live the cheese experience.

In response to this demand, new flavours emerge, consisting of unusual combinations with original ingredients that expand this universe of sensations.

_{Basiron cheeses}

A commitment to innovation that manifests itself as a more general interest in experimentation and creativity in the field of gastronomy.

With this trend, a fascinating path is opened up to explore daring fusions of flavour, in which spices, fruits, and other ingredients, such as honey or tomato confit, provide quality cheeses with contrasting flavours or the most exciting synergy.

Cheese continues to win over devotees who appreciate its richness and increasingly seek new varieties in line with their values, such as the BIO range.

Cheese is a product that naturally combines values of tradition and innovation, two aspects in perfect synergy in the BIO range, which grows day by day in line with the current interest in a healthy lifestyle.

The entire process of making these cheeses is carried out with scrupulous respect for the natural, faithful to the principles of sustainable production and the promotion of biodiversity, as endorsed by EU certificates.

The cows, sheep and goats that provide the milk graze in the fields of organic farms. And in the different stages of production and ageing, all chemical substances and additives are absent.

The result is high quality cheese with high nutritional value, and the exceptional richness of flavour typical of traditional food.