Milk and its derivatives have been present in rituals, religious cults and more since time immemorial, in fact it is possible to find traces of it even in ancient myths. For centuries it was thought that rivers of milk and honey flowed in the earthly paradise. This drink was in fact considered as food for the gods and a reward for just men. In numerous ancient texts, such as the Bible, this legend is reported which means milk as a divine drink that gave spiritual and bodily vigor. For the Mediterranean peoples it was food worthy of being offered to the gods, mainly on April 21 (the day of the foundation of Rome) when the festivals were held in honor of Pale, the deity of Roman mythology who was the protector of breeders and livestock. The rites began at dawn, when the shepherds purified their livestock with clear water, offered Pale focaccia and milk, and drank the burranica (a reddish-colored mixture of milk and cooked must). The Vestals performed the propitiatory rites by offering Pale the blood of a sacred horse and Mars the ashes of calves. In the evening, the people washed their hands and drank burranica, which symbolized the peaceful coexistence between shepherds and farmers, who since ancient times had been carrying on disputes regarding respect for the boundaries between pastures and cultivated lands.
Milk was also used in the Lupercalia festivals as a symbol of purification, in honor of Fauno, the Italic divinity protector of pastures. It is said that during the ritual two young men were brought inside a cave and their foreheads were touched with the knife stained with the blood of the sacrificed animals and subsequently purified with wool flakes soaked in milk. Milk also finds its affirmation in the ancient Egyptian myths, in which the story of the Great Goddess Hathor-Isis-Nut is narrated, the celestial cow born from the equivalence of sky, breast, rain and milk, which nourishes the earth with its milk rain; her swollen breasts represent the vital flow that gives nourishment. It is the experience of the Feminine that nourishes everything everywhere. It is fascinating that milk plays a role in every aspect of human existence. In this sense, a legend that is worth reporting is that of the Milky Way. Legend has it that one day Jupiter took advantage of Juno’s sleep to attach her son Hercules to her breast, born of the mortal Alcmene, because only by taking milk from a goddess can the child aspire to immortality, but the baby is particularly voracious and the goddess , suddenly waking up with a start, makes some milk splash in the sky, generating what is now the Milky Way, while a few drops fell to the ground, causing lilies to blossom. In reality, this legend also has another version, according to which Queen Alcmene abandoned her son in a field outside the walls of Thebes (now called the “plain of Heracles”). Alcmene was in fact deceived by Zeus who took the form of her husband and when she realized that she had been deceived and seduced, fearing the wrath of Hera of her, she preferred to get rid on her illegitimate son. Luckily at that very moment Athena and Hera passed over the plain. The latter took the baby in her arms asking Athena to breastfeed him, but the baby found himself particularly voracious and bit the Goddess by splashing milk in the sky generating the Milky Way and a few drops on the ground giving life to lilies. Milk and cheese have always been included in the culinary preparations of rituals and celebrations: during Shavuot (the Jewish feast which commemorates the gift of the Torah to Moses) milk-based foods are consumed; during Diwali (Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil) the khoya laddu is prepared, a characteristic ricotta-based dessert that looks like a meatball in shape. In the Christian religion and beyond, butter was a symbol of maternal nourishment and assumed a divine value, moreover it was considered a very nutritious food and was given to children with the intention of strengthening their health.
In biblical exegesis butter represents the humanity of Christ, as opposed to honey which instead symbolizes his divine nature.
The first form of cheese to appear in history is linked to a legend, which tells of an Arab merchant traveling in the desert who carried with him fresh milk preserved in a saddlebag obtained from the stomach of a sheep, but during the journey the heat alongside with enzymes caused the coagulation of the milk, transforming it into cheese. Another legend about the origin of the cheese is linked to classical Greek mythology, according to which the nymphs of Hermes (God of nature adored by shepherds, as personification of the wind) taught Aristaeus, son of Apollo and protector of livestock and agriculture , to produce cheese, allowing it to spread among mortals.Various literary works of Greek civilization testify to its relevance: in the Odyssey for example, Homer presents Polyphemus (cyclops – shepherd) who precisely describes the milking of sheep and the production of cheese. Homer also theorized that cheese was the main source of nutrition for Zeus, fed on the milk and cheeses of the Amalthea goat. Aristotle in the treatise “History of animals” of the fourth century. B.C. explains how the milk was made to coagulate with fig latex and thistle flowers, or even with the rennet obtained from the stomachs of lambs. Hippocrates, an important doctor and scholar of the time considered to be the father of medicine, recommended the consumption of cheese for its considerable nutritional values and for its therapeutic effects; in fact, it seems that its intake was particularly recommended for legionaries and athletes, the former consumed 27 g per day according to Virgil, with the aim of reducing fatigue; the latter, mixing it with olive oil, fruit, flour and honey, could draw energy from it to face the trials of the Olympics.
Dairy excellence
The cheeses that deserve particular attention due to the evolution they have had over the centuries are: Pecorino Romano, Giuncata, Grana, Mozzarella, Butter and Ricotta.
Pecorino Romano has very ancient origins, even before the Romans, in fact, sheep breeding was widespread in the countryside of central Italy and from their milk it was possible to obtain a hard, tasty and long-lasting cheese. Pecorino was so appreciated in the imperial era that it was one of the staple foods, together with soup and bread, for the Roman legions; the daily ration was precisely 27 g of cheese. Thanks to its particular flavor it was appreciated by every social class of the Roman era, from the nobles in their banquets to the common people. The quality and tradition of this cheese allowed him to
obtain, in 1955, the Denomination of Origin from the Italian state, while in 1996 the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), from Europe.
The milk destined to become Pecorino Romano comes exclusively from Lazio and Sardinia, as well as from the province of Grosseto; despite the name, it is mainly produced in Sardinia and only to a small extent in mainland Italy. Traditionally Pecorino was produced in the Lazio countryside, later its production was moved to Sardinia, starting from the last century, thanks to the vocation of the Sardinian territory towards sheep farming.
The production technique remained the same, but today its production takes place in dairies equipped with modern equipment and where there is strict compliance with hygiene and health standards.
Pecorino Romano is appreciated and marketed throughout Italy, especially central Italy; thanks to exports it had enormous success in sales and the main buyers were the USA, this is because at the time of emigration from the countryside to North America one of the few products capable of maintaining itself was Pecorino. Italian immigrants were great consumers of it and to date the United States has inherited its historical “tradition”.
The Apulian Giuncata is a fresh soft cheese with a soft and spreadable consistency, it is one of the oldest cheeses of the Apulian tradition, from the 3rd century. B.C. it is a dairy symbol of Puglia; widespread throughout the region, the Apulian Giuncata is a Traditional Agri-Food Product (PAT) made up of mixed milk: cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s milk. It has a conical shape, with a rectangular base and usually weighs around 300-500 grams. The history of this cheese is very ancient, attested since the Middle Ages. It is a cheese that was originally eaten above all for breakfast, as it was considered a highly nutritious and energetic food. The name Giuncata Pugliese derives from the material in which the curd was left to rest, the natural rush: a woven mold that was used to press the curd and divide it from the whey, today it has been replaced by a plastic mold for hygienic reasons.
The method of preparation of this cheese is very ancient and at the same time very simple. Freshly milked milk is brought to about 32°C – 38°C, calf or lamb rennet is added, essential for the production of rennet curd (coagulation by means of rennet or coagulant). The result is then placed in the mold and left to rest for a few hours. No salt is added nor is it aged, but it is eaten fresh a few days after processing. Grana Padano DOP cheese is one of the most famous and appreciated Italian cheeses protected worldwide since 1955.
The production tradition of this cheese has been handed down over the centuries according to methods that have remained unchanged and still today ensure that the product has the characteristics that made it famous. The origins of Grana cheeses date back to the early 12th century in lower Lombardy, particularly in the area between the Adda and Mincio rivers. The reclamation work carried out by the Cistercian monks favored the spread of cattle breeding, which therefore generated a large supply of milk, much higher than that needed by the population. So the monks developed a “recipe” to produce a cheese, precisely Grana, which would therefore allow the excess milk to be stored. Thus was born a hard cheese, which, as it matured, preserved the nutritional principles of milk and acquired an unmistakable flavour. Grana Padano is a hard, grainy and cooked cheese, ready after a slow maturation of about 9-24 months. The partially skimmed raw milk is placed in traditional boilers and heated to a temperature of 31-32°C. Once this temperature is reached, the milk is added with whey starter, rich in selected ferments and calf rennet powder dissolved in water. After about 10 minutes in the cauldron, an increasingly consistent gelatinous mass, the curd, gradually forms. When the curd becomes compact enough, it passes to the plugging, where the clots are broken into granules the size of grains of rice. While it is cooking, the curd is mixed, and when it is cooked, it rests. Then the twinning takes place, where the curd is raised and wrapped in a cotton cloth, so as to be able to divide it into two twin wheels, which are placed in molds that will give it the typical definitive shape. After two days the cheese has now taken on the classic cylindrical shape, and is immersed in a solution of water and salt, for the salting of the paste, this operation lasts about 16-25 days. At the end the forms are placed in a special environment for drying and only then will they be deposited in the warehouse for seasoning. The brand is affixed to the forms that have matured for eight months and passed the quality tests. Without this mark, the cheese cannot be named or marketed as Grana Padano. Mozzarella is a typically Italian fresh stretched curd cheese. Its uniqueness was praised by Pliny the Elder in the Naturalis Historia of the 1st century AD. , where he mentions Campo Cedicio (Piana del Volturno), still used today for the breeding of buffaloes. In fact, it is buffalo milk that has been destined from the outset for the production of mozzarella, confirmed precisely by the increase in buffalo herds right in the Volturno plain, affected in the Middle Ages by a process of marshland, an environment therefore favorable for the animal grazing. It is above all for the properties of their milk that the buffaloes immediately received particular attention: immediately after milking, the milk was processed to produce the curd which, previously mixed with boiling water and subsequently spun, was cut off by hand, giving the cheese the classic rounded shape. Mozzarella was characterized by a marked freshness and a natural delicacy, so much so that it was not very suitable for marketing and transport due to its high perishability. To ensure greater conservation, the mozzarella was wrapped in myrtle and rush leaves and placed in wicker baskets, although its consumption was limited to the family context for a long time. The specific term mozzarella is used for the first time, in a valuable work by Bartolomeo Scappi, chef at the court of Pope Pius V, to indicate one of the specialties that could not be missing in the kitchen. Only around the end of the 18th century did mozzarella become the object of real commercial activity, since the royal family of Naples also began to devote itself to the breeding of buffaloes and the production of cheese through the creation of an experimental dairy for the transformation of milk .
As far as butter is concerned, it was one of the first foods to have been created from milk, in fact we have evidence of it since 1500 BC. The first to use it were the Indians, only later did it begin to be prepared also in the West by all civilized populations such as the Romans and the Arabs. Butter was not originally used only for culinary purposes, but rather was also considered for different uses. In Northern England and Scotland, for example, it was used to power lamps and protect ships, which were smeared with this substance, while in the North it was used during bathing. The Romans, on the other hand, used it for hairstyles and it is said that it was also used by the people to treat eye and skin diseases. Its diffusion is to be found in the Middle Ages, but it was only at the end of this period that it began to be used in everyday cooking. In fact, during the Middle Ages it was forbidden to consume products of animal origin during Lent. In ancient times, the Butter was produced by hand, the freshly milked milk was left to rest so that the cream would rise to the surface and could be separated, the filtered cream was poured and thanks to the piston the cream was beaten until it became solid. The whey was then eliminated and cold water was added, continuing to beat in order to make the butter harden more. This dairy product is commonly prepared with cow’s milk, although locally it can also be found produced with sheep’s or buffalo’s milk.
Finally we have Ricotta, with very ancient origins, dating back to the times of the Sumerians and Egyptians, to then be widely used also in the Greek and Roman era up to the Middle Ages, when it seems to temporarily disappear. Credit is given to St. Francis for having reintroduced it. Still universally loved today, ricotta, despite being a dairy product, cannot be classified as a cheese but as a dairy product. Ricotta is obtained from whey, i.e. from the liquid part of the milk that separates from the curd during the processing of cheeses. Hence the name “ri-cotta”, which refers to the annealing of the whey. Ricotta can be obtain from cow, sheep or goat milk. When the coagulation of the whey proteins takes place and there is the formation of small flakes the milk is heated to around 80-90 C°. Then the clot (ricotta) is collected and it is placed in typical perforated baskets, which will give it its characteristic shape and it is left to drip.
A simple but delicate production for what is a tasty and low-calorie product with a high nutritional value. Whey is in fact rich in protein and has a limited amount of fat and calories; characteristics that make it often present in diets, starting from the Mediterranean one, as well as in many typical regional and national dishes.
Industrialization
The milk sector is one in which Italy has been historically lagging behind international standards, so much so that it has been heavily
penalised by EU policies (‘milk quotas’). The two sectors of which it is
composed of, milk and products obtained from process of its derivatives, have different industrial histories.
The dairy sector boasts ancient origins and, in terms of number of employees and companies, is still the prevailing one today.
Products from the cowshed had great market value and allowed farmers to take higher risks and experiment to
achieve higher earnings. Since 1900 the cooperative farm became established definitively and some of these reached great dimensions such as the
Latteria Soresinese of Cremona or the Latterie Cooperative Riunite of Reggio Emilia
During the outbreak of the First World War, the Italian dairy industry was predominantly dominated by private industry and social dairies did not even represent even a fourth part of the total number of Italian dairy plants. Due to its high perishability the milk production was strictly dependent on the development of transport and preservation techniques. Thanks to the discovery of processes that permitted greater preservation, such as the pasteurisation process, the uses of milk expanded significantly making it an important raw material for the industry. In ltaly, the overall delay of the country industrialisation and the state of agricoltural national economy caused poor domestic demand which weighed on the sector.
More specifically, in the lowlands of Emilia-Romagna the farm size and the scarcity of cheese limited the number of cattle that could be raised. Moreover the tenacity of the land made to be plough required the use of animals particularly resistant to fatigue (such as cattle). Despite these situation, in the second post war, cities such as Bologna brought to light a company that was particularly lively on the national scene which conquered the market thanks to the production of drinking milk and is still today among the largest Italian agri-food groups.