Roland Barthelemy, President of International Cheese Guild – Serbia to take part in Tours cheesemaking competition

Cheese is eaten in Serbia for breakfast, lunch or dinner, with wine, as a snack... It could be white or yellow cheese, soft or hard – Serbs are not too picky, as long as it's there. This love of cheeses seems to be written into the people's genetic code, but Serbs are not alone in this. The French share the same passion for cheese.

It is therefore not surprising that the news that the International Cheese Guild has accepted members from Serbia has been welcomed in the country. On this occasion, Belgrade was visited by Roland Barthelemy, one of the world's leading cheese experts. In his interview with eKapija, he reveals some of secrets related to cheese, and as he says, his love of cheese dates back to his childhood, spent in France's central region.

– My love for cheese dates back to my earliest childhood, since I was born in a farming family in France's central region. As this is a very poor region, cheese has always been the main food. Those first memories can make a bond with something for life. Sometimes, as is the case with me, it can become your fate – Roland Barthelemy begins his interview with eKapija.

eKapija: How does one become a cheese expert? How much time and work is needed to be able to say that you're a cheese specialist?

– Firstly, in order for someone to become a cheese expert, they need to have a very large number of meetings. All those meetings lead to certain jobs one has to do, after which they are recognized by their colleagues. Finally, since there are cheesemasters who are very happy to transfer their knowledge and experience to others, you spend another 15 days learning from them. It is only then that you can become a cheesemaster yourself.

eKapija: Most people associate cheese primarily with France. When did this connection become so close and what makes French cheeses special?

– It's important to note that cheeses are not just a special feature of France. This is a basic food which has enabled humankind to develop on the Earth. Still, we can say that France was lucky that, in the 12th century, certain abbeys were established in which monks lived who made cheese, while at the same time being literate. Their recipes therefore reached other parts of France and Great Britain, but they didn't stop there. They spread their cheesemaking knowledge and skill throughout Europe. I have recently visited a Benedictine abbey near Vienna, which used to be very dedicated to cheesemaking.

eKapija: Are there data about what the oldest variety of cheese is?

– Recently, only a few years ago, a mummy was found in the Gobi Desert, and carbon dating showed it to be 10,000 years old. A lump of casein was found on its neck, indicating that the lump used to be cheese once. For now, that is the oldest trace of the presence of cheese.

eKapija: You run a world-famous cheese shop in Paris. What do you take into consideration when your clients ask you which cheese to buy for which occasion?

– If a client is so kind as to ask me for advice, I certainly take into account what they need and want and recommend the best cheese for that day and that season. It's important to note that cheese is very dependent on the season. In other words, there are exact periods when a given type of cheese can be eaten and this must be honored. I will always recommend well-rested, perfectly ripe cheeses to my clients. It's also important to take into consideration whether the client prefers stronger or milder cheeses.

(Photo: Zoran Petrović)

eKapija: How does cheese go with other types of food and which drinks should it be combined with?

– As for pairing cheeses with other foods and especially drinks, it's always important to consider the habits of the nation in question. For example, I've noticed that rakija is drunk before a meal in Serbia. Cheese should then be consumed along with a shot of rakija here.

eKapija: What makes for a quality cheese?

– Good quality milk, the production of which takes into account the environment and the animal's well-being, is a crucial ingredient. The animals must be fed high-quality grass or animal feed. The better those ingredients are, the better the milk is, and we already know that quality milk makes for quality cheese.

eKapija: You are the head of the International Cheese Guild. What is your mission?

– The mission of the Guild is two-fold. We seek to bring together all participants in the dairy sector, regardless of which level they're on. The other mission of our Guild is to transfer that knowledge and skill to others. We therefore want to enable young people in Serbia who are looking to become expert cheesemakers to be trained in France or some other country and to make progress. Both missions can be succinctly put into two words – gather and transfer.

eKapija: This is not your first visit to Serbia. You have already had the opportunity to taste some of the country's specialties, cheeses included. What are your impressions?

– The cheeses in Serbia are absolutely extraordinary. More precisely, Serbian cheese have evolved, as there is a long tradition of cheesemaking in Serbia. There are now cheeses with cooked and pressed dough, which mature for four months. I'm talking about the Selecta cheeses produced at Mlekoprodukt. They preserve the fruity flavor of milk, are especially soft and leave a long aftertaste.

eKapija: Cheese is inevitable in Serbian households and we can say that our products are of very high quality. What can we do to best promote our cheeses in the world in order to make them more popular?

– We will try to do something big for Serbian cheese this June. A cheesemaking competition is organized in Tours, a city located 150 kilometers away from Paris. This is a world contest and fair and we will try to set a Guinness Book record there, serving the longest cheese plate. The plate will be 160 kilometers long and feature 1,001 varieties of cheese. The International Cheese Guild, which I represent, will showcase Serbian cheeses at its stand. That's not all. We will also include your cheeses on the plate. The Serbian flag will therefore fly for the first time at this world contest. This will also acknowledge Serbia as a cheesemaking country.

Dragana Obradovic

Mlekoprodukt ad Zrenjanin

International Cheese Guild

Roland Barthelemy

Selecta cheese

cheese expert

French cheese

cheesemaster

Serbian cheese

promotion of Serbia cheese

Tours cheesemaking competition