Gastronomic tour to Pereslavl-Zalessky, with a visit to a private cheese dairy and a tea tasting museum.

On the territory of the Pleshcheyevo Lake reserve, not far from Pereslavl-Zalessky, one of the most beautiful cities of the Golden Ring, in the homeland of St. Alexander Nevsky, there is a private cheese dairy, modeled on traditional European handicraft industries.

In the Tsarist Empire, the Yaroslavl province was the most cheese region in the country, in which there were more than 300 cheese dairies (late 19th century). It was here that a special breed of cows for cheese making was bred - Yaroslavskaya. To this day, alas, not a single cheese factory has survived, and little is known about the recipes of Russian cheese makers of tsarist times. But we will be lucky enough to become guests of people who have made their dream come true - to revive the artisanal cheese-making of Russia. Milk for local cheeses is used from cows of the Yaroslavskaya breed - the very breed that historically gives cheese milk, especially rich in protein and has a high fat content. All the principles of artisan cheesemaking are preserved here: the cheese is cooked by hand exclusively from raw whole milk, and the ripening of the cheese takes place in special cheese rooms, due to which the cheese acquires a special refined taste and aroma. Also, traditional dairy products are prepared at the cheese factory: cottage cheese, sour cream, kefir, yoghurts.

A tour of the cheese dairy awaits us, which will allow us to plunge into the world of artisan cheese making, into the aromas of milk and cheese, look at the holy of holies - cheese ripening chambers (through a special showcase), understand the peculiarities of Italian, Dutch, French recipes, learn about the history of Russian cheese making , observe the production process. In the end, we will have a tasting the best cheeses, which are prepared in a cheese factory (5 types of cheese).

There is a shop at the cheese dairy where you can buy all the products it produces.

After visiting the cheese dairy, we will have a sightseeing tour of the picturesque, fabulous and vibrant Pereslavl-Zalessky - a real miracle city on the shore of the ancient Pleshcheyevo lake. In 1688, Peter I began the construction of a funny flotilla on Lake Pleshcheyevo, and the tsarist boat "Fortuna" has survived to this day, which you will surely see when visiting the Museum "Boat of Peter I".

From the ancient city to the present day, Red Square, an open-air museum, has survived, in the center of which is the pearl and pride of Pereslavl - the Transfiguration Cathedral of the 12th century - the oldest structure of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture. Another remarkable rarity is located nearby - the stone tent-roofed church of Peter the Metropolitan, built in the 16th century. You can escape from the everyday bustle of the city in the unique archaeological ensemble of the Goritsky Monastery of the 17th century, which now houses the Pereslavl Historical and Art Museum. Here you will visit the Sacristy - a collection of masterpieces of Russian jewelry and applied art of the Pereslavl principality.

Well, we will complete our rich program at the Tea Tasting Museum, where an interactive tour with tasting of 3 types of Ivan tea, jam and Guryev porridge awaits us. We will find out what kind of tea they drank in Russia until the 19th century, when Chinese and Indian teas... A herbalist girl will tell you about Russian Ivan-tea, and we will also find out what kind of tea they drank in Siberia and the Far East, and when they learned to ferment it in Russia. We will be told which desserts were served at the table. We will also have a unique opportunity to taste the masterpiece of Russian culinary arts- Guryev's Porridge. It takes six hours to cook in a Russian oven. It was eaten by both peasants and Russian tsars. And, of course, we will visit a tea shop, where you can buy gifts for yourself, family and friends!

A pleasant addition will be the opportunity to take a walk in the "Russian Park" - a cultural, historical, museum and entertainment complex dedicated to the great achievements of the Russian people in science and invention, architecture, arts and crafts, music, fashion and the culture of folk life. Here we can take many colorful and unforgettable photographs as a keepsake!

We visited a small cheese dairy "Italian Traditions", which is located in the building of the All-Russian Research Institute of the Dairy Industry, on November 25, Lyusinovskaya Street.

We were met by a wonderful girl Olga, who led the intricate path to production, and showed everything, and told about everything, and treated us to cheeses. And in general, she was a hospitable hostess of the event!

The room is small, so the declared number of participants - 13 people - is just that. There were 10 children in our group, which is optimal.
Children dressed in shoe covers and prepared caps and aprons, parents - in disposable robes. And we went to production. You can watch and take pictures of everything, touch - nothing! But children are children ... It would be great to give out disposable gloves to children: if any cheese is touched, the harm is minimal.

The workshop is small, the equipment is completely Italian, the chief technologist (Luigino) is also. It was interesting to see how the cheese making process takes place. But today we found only salting.

But they saw the equipment, felt the working conditions: high humidity, persistent smell of milk. We learned a lot of subtleties and nuances. Children from 8 years old listened attentively, they were also interested, the younger ones got bored a little.

The excursion did not last long, about 30 minutes.

Now the time has come for a master class on making Caciotta cheese. The children went through all the stages, from milking the milk. They really liked this lesson!

Luigino talked about the technology, the intricacies and tricks of cooking, the lively translator Madina made the story lively and vivid, for which many thanks to her.

There were also technological breaks, during which we tasted cheeses. We tried 7 types: Asolo, Caciotta, Venice, Mantova, Treviso, Mozzarella and Buratta. Once again we were convinced that the tastes of children and adults are different)) We tasted the freshest cheeses from the heart!

So the cheese is ready. Salting and ripening will be at home, sampling - too. Luigino told in detail what, how and when to do at home, and handed diplomas to young cheese makers.

Unique Cheese Festival at a real Italian cheese dairy farm "La Fattoria Little Italy"! Today you can taste Italy itself!

And not only try, but also cook with your own hands a gastronomic "visiting card" of this amazing country - the world famous Italian cheese of several varieties!

We will cook great cheeses on the oldest recipes families of hereditary cheesemakers from the Italian province of Calabria, one of the unspoken "cheese capitals" of sunny Italy.

And the scenery of our magical holiday will be a small "piece of Italy" on the Tver land- a unique farm of a real Italian Pietro Mazza in the village of Mednoe.

This sunny Italian, by the will of fate found himself in Russia in the 90s, did not get lost in the vastness of our vast Fatherland. Together with his beautiful wife from Tver, here, in one of the most environmentally friendly and beautiful corners of the Tver region, on his own farm, he is doing what his great-grandfather, grandfather and father did in Italian Calabria. He cooks Cheese... From the milk of our own, Tver cows, fed with self-raised, environmentally friendly, Tver feed. And he generously shares the magical taste and family secrets of making real Italian cheeses with his guests ...

Today we will have a unique opportunity to learn the basics of "correct" cheese making, taste freshly made cheeses made with your own hands, and then even apply the acquired skills in your own kitchen!

The real cheese ovens an exciting action begins, and we, dressed in aprons and gloves, become the most direct participants in it. And so that you can see, hear and remember better, especially for this tour, we have formed a very small group of tourists.

Today you will learn:

How to prepare milk for making cheese

How is the fermentation process going?

What is a cheese curd

How is the cutting and shaping of the cheese curd going?

You will learn how to make and collect three varieties Italian cheese, even the names of which sound like music: Ricotta, yunkata and kachiotta, and in the process of cheese making you can taste the resulting culinary masterpieces.

The process of making cheeses is not too fast, therefore, in between the stages of its production, the hospitable hosts invite us to real italian feast!

In the colorful hall of the restaurant we are waiting for tasting cheese platter from seven types of cheeses produced on the farm- butyrro, burrata, provola, mozzarella ... You can't try these in Moscow! And the accompanying tasting a story about the secrets of cheese production and the secrets of Italian cooking - this is a real one-man show, temperamental, cheerful and unforgettable.

Puree soup with own parmesanino cheese

Steamed beef with vegetables "spetsatino"

Profiteroli cake with the most delicate cream

Delicious paniotta bread from our own bakery!

A Home wine , which is specially brought from Italy (by the way, the ancient Greeks called Calabria "the Country of Wine") in 14 liter barrels - this is a hot, living Italian sun in a glass! (A glass of red wine (~ 100 gr.) Is included in the price!)

In the pauses between dishes, you can visit the farm's brand shops: buy unique cheeses, wines, olive oil, or real Italian souvenirs - Murano glass, clay handicrafts….

The enchanting end of our delicious and rewarding adventure in the country of Cheese - a walk around the farm and acquaintance with its four-legged inhabitants, including a colorful black boar, beautiful horses and even ostriches!

And our magical holiday begins acquaintance with the beautiful Tver... It is a city of breathtakingly scenic river vistas and beautiful ancient architecture. Catherine the Great loved Tver so much that she considered it second after Petersburg the most beautiful city in our country. You will admire the most outstanding sights of the majestic city.

Since ancient times, Tver was especially famous for its skillful gold seamstresses. Gold embroidery is the most recognizable Tver brand... Today you will have the opportunity not only to admire the amazing golden masterpieces, but also to purchase an elegant handmade Tver souvenir on a unique exhibition of gold sewing.

It was such a magical weekend - useful, entertaining, interesting, and most importantly, very tasty!

Petr Prigara was able to realize his dream. 10 years ago, in Ukrainian Transcarpathia, he built his own small cheese factory. Now his cheese is known far beyond the borders of Ukraine.

We go on an excursion to the cheese dairy.

The owner of the cheese dairy, Petr Prigara:

Khust district Transcarpathian region of Ukraine. Every morning at 7 o'clock the inhabitants of the village of Nizhniy Selyshche bring milk to Peter into the cheese dairy:

Peter accepts surplus from people - as much as they can give. For the production of quality cheese, it is important that they yield today's milk yield, fresh and undiluted.

According to Peter, out of 800 houses in Lower Selyshche, milk was brought to him at least once from half of them.

Peter has a unique quality - the ability to attract human and material resources to implement his ideas. In the 90s, he completed an internship with cheesemakers in Switzerland. And in 2002 he completed the construction of his cheese dairy with funds raised from abroad.

It was vital for production to have access to clean drinking water... Peter managed to organize the construction of a water supply system from a spring located at a distance of 4 km. Now in Nizhny Selyishche, there is spring water in a comprehensive school, kindergarten, an outpatient clinic and a house of culture.

I'll tell you how cheese is made.

The milk, which the residents of Nizhny Selyishche brought in in the morning, is poured into a huge vat and pasteurized. After heating, rennet is added to it and left to curd:

Then the resulting mass is poured into forms:

And they put me under pressure. The next day, the pressed pieces of cheese are placed in a salt bath:

After a salt bath for 3 to 6 months, the cheese will sit on the shelves in the basement of the dairy, occasionally leaving them to wash and remove the mold. For proper storage and ripening, humidity is maintained in the basement with an accuracy of 2-3% and a temperature with an accuracy of 1-2 degrees:

Meet Tatiana. Cheerful mother of four children who works in production:

I asked how she was working with Peter. She replied that she was very pleased. The boss pays a good salary, is attentive and caring to his subordinates. You can always contact him in case of problems.

The Seliska cheese dairy produces three types of cheese. Narcissus of the Carpathians (based on Gruyere cheese), Khust (based on Camembert) and Selisky (based on the Monk's Head). As Peter says, the recipes were creatively reworked - he was not interested in repeating foreign counterparts literally.

Cheese near Prigara is more expensive than the "usual store" cheese - from 120 to 200 hryvnia (450-750 rubles) per kg, depending on the variety.

The owner often works together with his employees - he does not want to be covered by the bureaucratic crust of the leader. It is important that the hands remember everything.

One day, a friend offered him a simple way to double his income. To do this, you just need to put on sale "Fitness Cheese". It's funny, but this is really the most requested by the buyer.

I have heard many amazing stories from Peter. Once foreigners came to visit him. They ask - introduce us to local old-timers. He took them to his grandfather. Foreigners ask their grandfather:
- Where were you born?

He answers:
- In Austria.
- How did you get here?
- I was born here. It's just that this place used to be Austria.

Sunday is a day off for cheese dairy workers. On this day, Peter is helped by his daughter Inna and his wife Oksana. They give guided tours of the production. The cheese factory is one of the stops of the cheese and wine tour in Transcarpathia.

Here you can learn in all details the process of cheese production, and at the end of the excursion and taste. You should sign up for an excursion in advance.

Nizhnee Selyshche has become a brand thanks to cheese and Petr Prigara. Following the cheese dairy, Seliska Bakery, Seliska Smokehouse, Seliska Musicians followed ...

According to Oksana, Peter's wife, they worked for many years, not knowing whether there would be success. All the money earned from the sale of cheese went back to production. But time passed, and painstaking work bore fruit.

This is a story about a small Transcarpathian miracle. About how a passionate person, in conditions of limited resources, was able to achieve a lot. Set goals, move towards them - and you will succeed.