Development and regeneration: these are the key words of the 14th edition of Cheese, which came to a close on Monday, September 18.

These concepts resonated through the streets of Bra, the Piedmontese town where exhibitors from across Italy and 14 other countries have shared the wonderful diversity of raw milk cheese. The hundreds of herders, cheesemakers, experts and researchers, institutional representatives, anthropologists, veterinarians and filmmakers here find common ground in their shared efforts to save permanent meadows, native animal breeds and cultural landscapes.

And they take inspiration from the pastoral way of life, characterized by the way herders manage their animals, care for the land they love on, and the products that not only provide a livelihood, but a reason for living.

Cheese is politics

Franceso Sottile, Slow Food board member: “The message that has come through loud and clear over the four days of the event is that there’s a need to change the narrative regarding the world of pastoralism. We must see the prospective progress in it, from an economic and social point of view, and support those who invest in both culturally and politically. This is not a bucolic or nostalgic vision; quite the contrary. It’s forward-looking and progressive. Herding is a profession linked to tradition, but it also provides ecosystem services, and represents a balanced relationship between humans, animals and the rest of nature that is more vital than ever.”

Further reading

cheese.slowfood.it