Preserving traditions and surprising with new products. Grodno became the cheese capital for the 10th time

Without betraying traditions, the 10th anniversary Cheese Festival took place in Grodno, brightly, colorfully and, most importantly, tasty. The initiator and inspirer of the hospitable fest back in 2013 was the General Director of OJSC Order of Labor Glory "Milk World" Marina Anikeeva. Initially, the festival was conceived exclusively for residents of the city above the Neman, but today it has spread far beyond the region, taking place under the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus .

The solemn moment from which the Cheese Festival in Grodno starts year after year is the cutting of a head of cheese. Traditionally - a new type and prepared with soul for all residents of Belarus. "Gubert" has become a new addition to the line of cheeses produced by Molochny Mir OJSC and named after the city of Grodno. The company is already known for its products with names reflecting the connection with the city above the Neman. Cheeses "Grodno Vezha", "Goroden" and "Krones" - all of them symbolize the city spirit, its cultural significance and rich heritage. And Hubert cheese fits into this tradition, making its contribution to the range of products of Molochny Mir OJSC.

The guests of the festival were greeted by the General Director of Molochny Mir OJSC Marina Anikeeva: “We have gathered here to please you and show you what we have achieved. It is rightly said that cheese is the apogee of the entire dairy industry. And the Cheese Festival, one might say, is the main holiday all the milkmen!"

"Sometimes they say that milk is Belarusianoil , then we can say that cheese is Belarusian gold. The difference is that oil is formed as a result of tectonic shifts, and milk is the fruit of complex and painstaking work of hundreds of thousands of residents of the Grodno region, said Vladimir Karanik, chairman of the Grodno regional executive committee. - Same thing with cheese: without love and labor it is impossible to produce a quality product. Salvador Dali once said that “if a country does not have at least fifty varieties of cheese, then the country has reached the end of its rope.” Based on this definition, it can be noted that our country is developing very intensively, because more than 90 varieties of cheese are collected in this area alone."

The central character was the patron of Grodno, Hubert, in whose honor the new product of the Milk World was named. “Once again, our company gave cheese to the city. For the anniversary, the 895th anniversary, we prepared Hubert cheese. The development of a new product was very interesting. We wanted customers to like it, to surprise them with its taste. Therefore, our specialists worked hard on seaming microflora, and also increased the ripening period to four months or more. We hope that the new product will be appreciated and loved in the same way as our other products," said Olga Mikhnovets, Deputy General Director of Molochny Mir OJSC.

The name chosen for the new cheese, the company believes, allows not only to create a recognizable and attractive brand, but also to “anchor” the connection between the cheese and the city of Grodno. This is another step in the development and promotion of urban and rural culture, as well as in drawing attention to the heritage and traditions of the Grodno region. Hubert cheese undergoes a long and careful ripening process, and this period allows the product to fully develop its qualities and reach an optimal degree of ripeness. Hence the perfect balance between texture, taste and aroma. The long ripening time contributes to the amazing complexity of its taste - from pleasant tenderness and light caramel to subtle piquancy and sweetness, creating a harmonious combination of different flavors.

It is noteworthy that at the 10th cheese festival, Milk World presented another new product - lactose-free cheese. So, the company once again took care of people who are lactose intolerant. Now such customers can happily eat not only branded ice cream , but also cheese under the Active Life brand.

Theatrical program, dancing, interactive areas for children, tastings, numerous competitions and sports entertainment... In addition to all this variety of activities, the Milk World enterprise, as part of the traditional Cheese Festival, also organized master classes on preparing pasta in a wheel of Parmesan cheese, San Sebastian cheesecake and coffee with cheese foam. There were more than enough people wanting to learn new recipes for delicacies made from local products.

One of the culminating moments was the resolution of the festival's intrigue. In a solemn atmosphere, the winners and prize-winners of the expert independent tasting were announced. 90 cheese samples from 23 enterprises in nine categories were presented to the experts .

"Milk World" has seven awards to its credit! The leaders were cheeses under the brands "Prince Vitovt", "Rochester", "CHEESE-BUM", "Gruver Special", "Parmesan West", "Belarusian Gold", soft whipped cream cheese. According to the expert jury, the best soft cheeses were also named "Mozzarella Ciliegini" (Verkhnedvinsk Creamery), "Amber" (Rogachev Dairy Plant), "Tilsiter" ("Belovezhsky Cheeses"), "Parmesan DeLux" (Minsk Dairy Plant No. 1, Volozhin Production site), "Madelan" (Kopyl branch of the "Slutsk cheese-making plant"), "Maasdam" and "Aramel with fenugreek" (Kobrin butter and cheese plant).

What is equally important is that all guests of the cheese festival could make their choice. “Over the 10 years of the Cheese Festival, a lot of cheeses with fillings have appeared: with fried chanterelles, onions, seasonings. People are looking for new tastes, they want gastronomic diversity, so such cheeses are in great demand. Among this category, 17 items were presented for public tasting. Our enterprises know how to make mature cheeses with high quality: 12 factories presented their samples to the residents and guests of Grodno,” said the organizer of the public tasting, Andrei Kiriyenko.

And the guests of the festival willingly made their choice. “We can’t do without cheese a single day. Especially for breakfast: it’s very filling, high in calories, it keeps you full all day. My husband and I voted, although our opinions differed a little. But the main thing is that we have the same love for cheese,” shared Nina, a Grodno resident.

“We love cheese. We love our Grodno cheese - “Grodno Vezha”. We buy it all the time, we just enjoy it every time. It’s nice that, in addition to specialist tasters, spectators and consumers can try the cheeses, give their independent assessment, and also find out new tastes and determine by general opinion the most worthy one,” Valentina noted after the tasting.

And among the best, according to public tasters, are the Suluguni Lux cheese (Dyatlovsky branch of Molochny Mir OJSC) and spicy rolls with mushroom flavor and Provence seasoning (Berestovitsa production workshop of Molochny Mir OJSC). The competition once again proved that Grodno cheese makers are real masters, they know how to prepare cheeses skillfully, with high quality, and in a variety of ways.