In the quiet town of Pomerode, Santa Catarina, Vermont Queijos has become a tourist attraction thanks to its award-winning and delicious cheeses.
Pomerode is a quiet town. Located in the European Valley of Santa Catarina, the city of German colonization has just over 30 thousand inhabitants. It is a tourist attraction especially along the Enxaimel road, with its small colonial houses. But there is something else that attracts more and more tourists: the facilities of the Pomerode Food – which is the company behind Vermont Queijos. After all, it is the brand behind the award-winning Morro Azul Cheese.
It is a cheese that captivates with its appearance. Cut the cap of the delicacy, found for about R$ 30 in some supermarkets, and eat the creamy cheese inside. “It is a white mold cheese,” Juliano Mendes, one of the current partners of Pomerode Alimentos and cheesemaker, told Paladar, along with his other partner and brother, Bruno Mendes.
Last week, Paladar visited the Vermont Queijos factory in Pomerode. In addition to the company’s hard and semi-hard cheeses, such as the delicious Vale do Testo, the press visit offered a glimpse into how Morro Azul, a global cheese competition winner, is made: from receiving the milk to packaging.
How is Morro Azul cheese made?
It all starts with the arrival of the milk. There are 4,000 liters of cow’s milk per day – in addition to sheep’s milk – that go directly to the Pomerode production line. There are two rooms: on the left side, the production of semi-finished products; on the other side, the cheeses such as the creamiest pasta.
It is on the right side, therefore, that Morro Azul comes out. The milk received daily is placed in tanks where it is mixed with a coagulating agent. Little by little, the cheese is separated from the whey, which can be used to make ricotta, cattle feed or even to make whey protein. Therefore, at the end of the complete process, the whey is discarded and only the solid and coagulated milk remains. “Making cheese is taking the water from the milk,” explains Juliano Mendes, during the visit.
In fact, this milk, which gives rise to the final product of Pomerode Alimentos, travels for about two and a half hours to reach the town of German origin. When it arrives there, it is put into tanks and goes directly to the production line. “We don’t standardize the milk. We don’t add anything,” explains Juliano. “We use the milk as nature offers us.”
After this separation of the whey and coagulated milk, cuts are made that will separate this almost gelatinous product, like a panacotta. Once all this is done, the product is placed in small moulds, the size of the Morro Azul, and subjected to salting, which can last from 25 minutes to 2:30 hours, depending on the type of cheese and the goal of the cheesemaker.
After all this, with a more cheese-like appearance, Morro Azul is placed on racks to dry for up to three days. “We continue to extract the water from the milk,” explains Juliano. At this point Morro Azul receives an oak belt to give it structure. If it were not for this, the cheese, which is very creamy, would fall apart. Only then can it take shape.
From there you have to wait. Morro Azul matures for seven days. This is how the white mold, which is placed directly into the milk, begins to act on that mass and transform the milk, in short, into the delicious cheese that arrives on our tables. “The mold breaks down the proteins and makes the mixture creamier,” explains Juliano. So, pack your bags and go.
* The journalist traveled at the invitation of the Association Visit Pomerode (AVIP).
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
