We all know sweet dreams are made of cheese – but did you know there are more than 2000 varieties of our favourite snack?
No one really knows who made the first cheese, according to ancient legend it was created accidentally by an Arabian merchant who put his supply of milk into a pouch made from a sheep’s stomach as he set out on a day’s journey across the desert.
The world’s oldest cheese is Bitto Storico from the Valtellina Valley in Italy, which can be aged for up to 18 years, considerably longer than any other cheese on the market.
Cheese the day with four more fun facts and four venues to visit to get your cheese on:
•Greeks eat the most cheese in the world, on average each person consumes around 27.3 kg of cheese per year, with 75% of it being feta.
•Cheese production around the globe is more than the combined production of coffee, tobacco, tea and cocoa beans.
•Cheese can be made from a variety of milk including cow, buffalo, goat, horse and even camel.
•Pizza Hut is the largest cheese-using fast-food giant, going through 136,077,711 kg annually, mostly on pizza.
Handmade cheese from Victoria’s High Country is what you’ll find at Milawa Cheese Company on Factory Lane. For more than 30 years this family business has been producing delicious farmhouse cheeses, inspired by European methods, from locally sourced cow and goats’ milk; visit the cheese shop, where you can purchase perfectly ripe and ready cheese direct from the cheesemaker.
Milawa’s aged blue cheese is ideal for your next grazing platter.
Milawa’s aged blue cheese is left untouched in a temperature-controlled cool room for up to six months before making it to your antipasto platter; the blue veins are created early in the ageing process when the cheese is spiked with rods to let oxygen circulate and encourage mould growth.
Find Australia’s only fully licensed cheese train in the heart of Geelong West at Splatters Cheese Bar on Pakington Street. Just like a sushi train only cheesier, jump on board and go for a ride with more than 20 different tasting plates on offer each day, as well as local wine, cocktails and beer. Enjoy as many plates as you like on limitless Thursdays, or visit during the weekend and listen to live music in the alfresco Garden of Edam.
Just like a sushi train, only cheesier…stop into Splatters Cheese Bar for a fix.
From an ever-changing menu, chow down on plates like mac ‘n cheese – a blend of Gruyère, Red Leicester and blue cheese, topped with cheddar and mozzarella; perhaps order a delicious grazing table for your next event, or hire the food truck with packages to suit all occasions.
Super fresh produce, great value and good old-fashioned customer service are what you’ll find at local greengrocer Lancefield Providore on High Street. This Lancefield one-stop shop nestles in a cottage-style building where potted plants and fresh blooms grace the front door; while inside is a Pandora’s box of premium fruit and vegetables, along with a range of grocery and specialty products sure to tempt family and friends.
Lancefield’s one-stop shop is the place to go for fresh produce and tasty cheese.
Build your own grazing platter with cheese such as blue, brie, cheddar, Grana Padano, feta or Meredith goats’ cheese; along with quince paste, relish, chutney and a variety of salami, prosciutto and olives.
Ballarat foodies seeking a one-stop authentic Italian shop head to Carboni’s Next Door Italian Deli & Pasta on Eureka Street. The only artisan producer of fresh pasta in the region, this is much more than just a coffee shop – there’s freshly-baked bread and pastries, cannoli, charcuterie, cheese, wine, beer and all manner of temptations from extra virgin olive oil to housemade sauces.
Authentic Italian products, pasta and cheese can be found at Carboni’s Next Door Deli.
Perhaps pick up a readymade maccheroni and cheese for dinner, or fresh bucatini pasta, housemade puttanesca sauce, pecorino Romano to be shaved on top and a panino roll; don’t forget to grab a bottle of red from the wine wall to complete the meal.
