The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Foreign drinkers rescue Spanish bubbly Posted: 24 Nov 2012 04:20 PM PST  Two glasses clink in toast as sparkling wine is poured. Bubbles in the golden liquid, champagne, cava, alcohol, party. — Afp pic There are independence stirrings in Catalonia as it approaches snap elections for November 25, with regional president Artur Mas seeking a mandate to call a referendum on "self determination". Many Spaniards resent the threat of a breakup, however, and wine producers are hoping they will not be penalised. In 2005, a nationalist debate led to a boycott of Catalan products and Cava sales dropped 7.27 per cent from the previous year. "It worries us but we will carry on working at what we know, which is Cava," said Pedro Bonet, head of communications for market leading Freixenet. "We are Catalans, Spaniards and Europeans and what we are interested in is making the best Cava possible and selling it, fortunately, in 140 countries," he said. In the Segura Viudas Cava operations, in the mist of the Penedes vineyards some 30 kilometres from the Catalan capital of Barcelona, the grape harvest is over but the machines are humming. Up to 12,000 bottles, labeled and packaged, stream every hour out of this winery, part of the market leading Freixenet. The peak season is approaching: an average 35 million bottles of Cava will be uncorked between Christmas and New Year, according to the Cava Regulatory Board. Nevertheless, sales have lost their fizz. Last year, Cava sales were down 8.7 per cent from 2010 as the country suffered recession and soaring unemployment. Luckily, there is a rescue line: exports. "We sell 76 per cent as exports, against 24 per cent for the Spanish market," Bonet said. Cava exports climbed 2.07 per cent in 2011 from the previous year to hit a record 152.2 million. "In this difficult period of economic crisis, it is very positive to be able to say that Cava sales hit a record in foreign markets," said Cava Regulatory Board president Gustavo Garcia Guillamet. The big asset is a small price. At Segura Viudas, 20 million bottles lie in dark, dusty cellars 14 metres below ground. They are sold for €5 to €7. "The bottles ferment and age here in these cellars. Depending on the type of Cava we want to sell they age for between 12 months and three or four years," said Jordi Guilera, spokesman for Cava Segura Viudas. The production process is similar to that of champagne, the end result is just much cheaper. Germans are especially fond of Cava. In 2011, they downed 40 million bottles, followed by Britons guzzling 32 million bottles and the Belgians 23 million bottles. "Belgium is certainly a small country but since the crisis broke out the Belgians seem to be looking for good value for money, like Cava," said Freixenet's Bonet. Today Spain is the second largest producer of champagne-style wine after France. With the economic crisis battering all of Europe, Cava has even made a dent in the French market. Sales in France hit four million bottles last year, up eight percent from 2010. — Afp-Relaxnews |
| Ancient Czech cheese thrives as stinky EU delicacy Posted: 24 Nov 2012 04:11 PM PST  Cakes, pies, rolls and pancakes filled with Tvaruzky creamon are pictured in Tvaruzky sweetshop. — Afp pic Its popularity has inspired a novelty Tvaruzky "sweetshop" and even vending machines. Gourmets and average Czechs alike throng to its home in Lostice, a sleepy provincial town about 200 kilometres east of the capital Prague. Neighbouring Slovakia is a major export market along with Austria, Germany, Hungary and Poland. Lostice is the only place on Earth where Tvaruzky is made. A factory founded in 1876 has a well-stocked shop, while a nearby cafe offering "Tvaruzky tiramisu" and Tvaruzky with ice-cream is pushing the culinary limits of this pungent honey-and-butter coloured treat. There's even a Tvaruzky vending machine at a local pub for clients who enjoy it with beer. Miroslav Stefanik from the eastern city of Havirov carries two bags stuffed with Tvaruzky delicacies as he strolls across the town's sprawling central square. "I make regular trips to the factory shop. I've bought Tvaruzky and other cheese for about 500 koruna (€20, RM79), for myself and the family," he says after making a detour of almost 100 kilometres on his way home from a business trip. The AW Lostice factory, whose 140 staff annually churn out up to 2,000 tonnes of Tvaruzky in an array of shapes and sizes, uses a blend of various types of curd to create this stinky delicacy with a slimy surface. "The length of the ripening period depends on what you prefer. Some want a curd-like core, while gourmets prefer well-ripened cheese," says production manager Miroslav Zemanek, adding experts can tell how ripe the cheese is by poking it. With just one per cent fat and less than half the calories of the standard product, Tvaruzky made with skimmed milk is just right for calorie counters, Zemanek says, and insists it's like eating steak. "It's pure protein. Meat eaters might just as well eat Tvaruzky instead," he says. 'And the cheese stands alone' Tvaruzky's smelly origins stretch back to the 15th century when farmers started making it to use up extra milk. It was even a currency in the 17th century, when the going rate for well diggers was "one golden coin and 120 pieces of Tvaruzky for six feet," according to a historic script on the company's website. Then, villages across the region made Tvaruzky, with five major producers surviving until the 1980s. Now, Lostice is the only one left. Tvaruzky was awarded its protected geographical indication in 2010. The European Union's PGI safeguards traditional, regional products by banning imitators from using their name as a brand. PGI labels assure consumers the product is an original, and protect the interests of local farmers and producers. But Zemanek complains strict EU regulations on milk purity are wreaking havoc with Tvaruzky's notorious smell. "The purer the milk, the purer the curd. The pressure for meeting international standards and boosting hygiene is growing and at the end of the process we find that Tvaruzky is no longer as aromatic as it used to be," Zemanek said. He enjoys his Tvaruzky with Czech beer, a popular combo in this nation of beer-drinkers which boasts the world's highest per capita consumption. Just round the corner from the central square, Zdenka Postulkova and her husband recently opened a Tvaruzky "sweetshop" selling cakes, pies, rolls and pancakes filled with Tvaruzky cream, some of them sweet. "We invented the products gradually. Most of them are based on Danish pastry," she says as a faint smell of Tvaruzky fills the shop that also sells Tvaruzky hotdogs, with Tvaruzky sticks taking the place of the sausage. Outside, Lostice pensioner Marie Volkova says she prefers Tvaruzky "fried, or with freshly baked bread, fresh butter and beer." "Of course, when I go somewhere and say I'm from Lostice, everybody knows," she adds proudly, in the region's unmistakable accent. — Afp-Relaxnews |
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