A Bendectine monastery in Bengaluru produces and markets cheese to fund its charitable work.

The cheese used in most five-star hotels in Bangalore comes from a humble monastery located on the outskirts of the city and it is possibly one of its best-kept culinary secrets. Father Michael may have a small cheese production unit, but the cheese that is produced at his factory is truly world-class in every way.

Vallombrosa Cheese is a firm run by priests who are members of the Vallombrosan Benedictine Congregation which is the part of the International Benedictine Confederation. They follow the rule of St. Benedict, Ora Et Labora – that is, prayer and work for the welfare of society, especially the poor and the marginalized.

The kitchen is the warm center of the monastery, with monks running in and out, churning fresh cheese that is supplied to five-star restaurants across Bangalore, Mumbai and Chennai. The cheese is sold only for financial support of the monastery and majority of the profit from the sales is distributed to charities for community development. It is the monastic obligation to live simply and sustainably within the natural setting that prompted Fr. Michael to start this venture.

Fr. Michael spent eight years in Naples, Italy studying theology, and during his stay there he learnt the art of cheese making. He started the business six years ago by producing just one variety of cheese. It became so popular that he now makes over 1,200 kg of cheese a month. A seven member crew runs the factory and the monks don’t restrict themselves to making just fresh mozzarella; they also churn out bocconcini (Italian cheese balls), ricotta (whey cheese), mascarpone (light weight cheese) and caciotta (hard cheese with a mould) as well, from their small set-up using buffalo milk.

Today, Fr Michael buys 200 litres of buffalo milk, fresh from the local stables in Hosur every day, and prepares cheese in small batches. He says, “In Italy only buffalo milk is used to make fresh cheese and it’s hard to find buffalo cheese in the city. That’s when I decided to set up the cheese factory and put my skills to test. I started out by making small batches of cheese to garner the feedback of the people. I got a very positive response and decided to pursue it full-time.”

“Generally the cheese is made by converting milk into curds and removing the whey. But there are a number of variables involved, like whether the milk is pasteurized or not and what other ingredients are added that will affect its flavor. Cheese made from buffalo milk is usually semi-soft and is mild and sweet in flavor. It has a beautiful velvety texture; however it requires very exacting measures. It has to be pasteurized in a water bath to 90 degrees and cooled to 45 degrees,” explains Fr. Michael.

The Vallombrosa Cheese can also be found on menus in popular Italian restaurants like Sunny’s, Leela Palace, Olive Beach in Bangalore and The Park and Tuscana in Chennai. They’ve gained a reputation for the quality of their fresh and aged cheeses. Their business has exploded in the last two years with orders to export to Singapore and other countries. Vallombrosa cheese is also available in supermarkets, with prices ranging from Rs. 450 - Rs 1,500 a kg depending on the cheese.

Know your cheese:-
Mozzarella is a semi-soft cheese that is commonly used as a pizza topping and in salads.
Bocconcini is a fresh mozzarella that comes in bite-sized shapes. It has a luscious spongy texture and absorbs flavours quite easily.
Ricotta in Italian means to re-cook. It has a rough texture and is made out of leftover whey from the production of the cheese.
Mascarpone is a dessert cheese made from fresh cream of the milk. This cheese is used to make tiramisu and cheesecakes.
Caciotta is a hard cheese made in the shape of wheels which get a mould that adds a mild flavor to the cheese.
Parmesan is a hard granular cheese that is widely used in Italian cooking.

by Lavanya Srinivasan