Culture Magazine

C H E E S E+ 202 2 culturecheesemag.com 47 newborn calves that suckle their mothers for up to 10 months—a system called "calf at foot" that is becoming known as "ethical milk." In another advantage over some European cattle breeds, their milk has no A1 beta casein, a protein that is more likely to cause intolerance than A2 beta casein. Camila and her husband Eduardo, a veterinarian, have spent years selectively breeding the herd, cloning a prize-winning bull, and genetically testing the milk, which is used unpasteurized to make the farm's range of 12 cheeses. "When you pasteurize milk, you lose everything: the bacteria, the terroir," explains Camila. "I want the cheese to reflect the taste of the milk. To have excellent cheese you need excellent milk, and to be unique, it has to be raw milk." The taste of the mountains isn't just in the milk. Camila incorporates other local ingredients in delightfully daring ways. A Christmas favorite is the Taiada Silvania, a semi-cooked cheese studded with peanut-sized içá ants, which fascinated the judges in France at the Mondial du Fromage, she says. A delicacy in the surrounding valley, the ants make a mass exodus from their nests with the first torrential rains of summer, sending the locals into an ant-collecting frenzy. The Primavera, which won Gold at the Mondial du Fromage, is a firm, slightly crumbly cheese made with a hint of lavender oil. I watch as the small rounds are sprinkled with edible flowers—hibiscus, calendula, jasmine, roses, and chamomile, all grown nearby—before being vacuum sealed to age for a month. Plans are under way to turn the bucolic farm setting into something wilder—all of the pasture will soon be developed into native forest. The benefits are broad, from increased animal productivity and biodiversity to conservation of natural resources. "We're going to plant fruit trees," Camila enthuses. "The fruit will provide a return, too. I plan to make jam and fruit sweets to put in the yogurt. We've already planted 4,000 trees and are going to plant around 5,000 more." Camila plans to have the cattle roaming among the trees on the 148-acre farm in just two years. It's one of the many things I love about Brazil—that nature in this tropical climate can bounce back so fast. If land can be productive for farmers and also restore ecosystems, it's a glimmer of hope in the fight against climate change. "People think that in Brazil it's all deforestation. But there are lots of people who do the right thing. When you win an award like [Mondial du Fromage], you show another reality. It's good not just for us, but for Brazil." And for cheese lovers. c Tasting Notes FAZENDA ATALAIA Tulha Milk: pasteurized cow Tulha was Fazenda Atalaia's first foray into matured cheese, and it put the farm on the map when it won Gold at the World Cheese Awards in 2016. A parmesan- style cheese matured for 12 months, it is firm and lightly acidic, with crunchy tyrosine crystals and lightly sweet, salty, and fruity notes. Alvorada Milk: pasteurized cow Penicillium roqueforti is the starter culture added to uncooked curds to create this delicate, blue-veined cheese that is soft without being oozy. Ma- tured for two to three months, the result is a crave-worthy blue that is only lightly salted and mild enough to have a broad appeal. ESTÂNCIA SILVÂNIA Primavera Milk: raw cow A Gold award-winner at Mondial du Fromage in 2021, this cheese matures for a month in a colorful coating of edible organic flow- ers. The floral infusion doesn't overpower the sweet nuttiness of the farm's milk, making this a versatile cheese that goes with almost anything. Serrinha Cerveja Milk: raw cow Another gold award winner at last year's Mondial du Fromage, Serrinha Cerveja is a playful twist on the farm's popular soft Serrinha cheese; this version has a Brazilian macadamia nut ale added to the curds, and the rind is washed three times in beer during the 45-day maturing process. Not surprisingly, it pairs very nicely with a glass of ale. Estância Silvânia's Taiada Silvania cheese is studded with large içá ants, a local delicacy

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