Food Studies Matter, Meaning, Movement Case Artisan Cheese, Amy Trubek

CASE ARTISAN CHEESE AMY ARTISAN CHEESE A CATEGORY , A SET OF PRACTICES , A SHARED SENSORY EXPERIENCE Amy is a Professor in the Nutrition and Food Sciences department at the University of Vermont . Trained as a cultural anthropologist and chef , her research interests include the of the food supply , the relationship between taste and place , the development agency , and cooking and sensory evaluation as cultural practices . is increasingly involved in , collaborative research with ars focusing on nutrition , public health , and sensory science . 378 ARTISAN CHEESE

Learning Outcomes After reading and discussing this text , students should be able to Name the differences between artisan and industrial ( or ) cheese making . Describe the relationships among artisan cheese , certain practices , social networks , storytelling , and places . Explain the importance of and its in making artisan cheese unique . INTRODUCTION Over the past 20 years , the category of artisan cheese has become important in understanding contemporary production and sumption of this fermented and aged dairy product . This very much exists as a counterpoint to the category of industrial ( or ) cheese . There are several reasons Why artisan cheeses are categorized differently than industrial cheese . One is that the conditions of production are dissimilar . Industrial or cheese is based on a production model that seeks consistency . For ple , if there are two Kraft factories making Cracker Barrel dar cheese , both of them will aim to make a product that is identical in appearance , taste , and texture . The industrial model of production also assumes that the labor involved in making the cheese is exchangeable and interchangeable , thus adding to the cheese role as a commodity . A second reason is that , in the case of industrial cheese , there is an assumption that it will be integrated into a spatially distributed supply chain . In other Words , someone on the West Coast of the United States AMY 379

and someone else on the East Coast will have roughly equal access to the cheese . On the other hand , in the case of artisan cheese , the primary commitment is to a clear or present to a specific place . When foods are linked to a certain to geographical conditions or cultural based practices ( in terms of making such foods ) emerge . In this way , it is understandable that cheeses produced in Vermont should be fundamentally different from cheeses in Oregon or Wisconsin . The connection to place also has an impact on the conditions of production and the spatial of the product . Both are based on smaller scales , and there is an implication that specific people ( and not just machines ) put skilled labor into the . Many food scholars are interested in artisan ( as well as or craft ) products because of their social implications . This includes researching the stories , practices , and politics of these products to understand both what they reveal and about our contemporary food system . Social scientists also examine the strong connections between products defined as artisan and the geographic regions where they are produced . In other words , artisan products can be understood as crucial to the identities of individuals , groups , and much or more than anonymous commodities sold in a generic retail place . In this way , the intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of a certain product are assumed to be intertwined with both their social and natural environments . There are numerous examples , including Comte , Burgundy , and Darjeeling . 2011 , 2011 2018 . 2010 , 2014 . 380 ARTISAN CHEESE

With artisan cheese ( as with other similar products ) it is widely understood that these products are unique due to their tion to the identity of a group of people , a set of shared practices , and a place . A powerful expression of this set of connections is identified in the unique sensory characteristics of , for example , a aged Farms cheddar cheese or a Cabot Clothbound cheddar . Both of these cheeses are made using production techniques the recipe for cheddar involves stacking blocks of cheese curd on top of each other to encourage the removal of moisture . That means these cheeses will be dry and tangy . However , there are also sensory differences between these cheese ( the Farms is and the Cabot Clothbound cheddar is nuttier ) The differences can be ascribed to the breed of cow , the type of pasture the cows graze on , and the location and type of aging facilities for storing the cheese . The intersection of place , sensory qualities , and social is expressed in the concept of , or the taste of places . Integral to is that the intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of a food or drink are based on certain environmental conditions or human practices . In the case of cheese , this includes the breed of the animal , the plants eaten by the animal , and the practices for transforming the milk into the cheese ( the type of rennet , other ingredients , aging , etc . Although these can be understood as objective factors , they are all in fact the results of decisions made by human actors . Such decisions act in ways that transform a wild scape into a domesticated one , responding to what works in that natural environment while simultaneously creating an indelible human imprint on the landscape , the animals and plants , and the conditions for sensory evaluation . The analytic framework used in the sensory analysis of foods and drinks shaped by 2008 . AMY 381

relies on the articulation of these underlying tal conditions , leading to an explanation of the ultimate sensory experience . At the same time , the story of , of the unique natural environment and specialized human practices that make such foods and drinks , is very important to the appreciation of these practices . Recent investigations into artisan cheese provide excellent for the sensory importance of the story when it comes to eaters sensory experiences . In a qualitative study of the of the market for Vermont artisan cheeses , people who were interviewed indicated that their preferences for and of these products were by their knowledge of the cheeses . These included how the products were made , who was making them , and their connections to the scape and community of Vermont . In this study , people became Vermont artisan cheese consumers because of specific and encounters with these cheeses ( amongst friends , in restaurants , at a special tasting ) and those same connections and encounters became their personal context for understanding and appreciating these products . In other words , the story of the products was relevant to the eaters because of their own . These qualitative findings were supported by a second quantitative consumer study in which subjects tasted , evaluated , and described Vermont artisan cheeses in two different story conditions . The first included accurate but general information about the technical production process for each cheese , and the second included a more specific description and story provided by the cheese actual . 2014 . 382 ARTISAN CHEESE

In both research studies , the people involved reported higher ing and more positive experiences when provided with the stories . More intriguingly , they also reported significantly different sensory experiences . Specifically , the producers stories allowed them to understand their intrinsic experience of strong or challenging ( like those of a ripened , cheese ) into positive experiential related to the making of the product ( or the extrinsic conditions ) This finding seems to be consistent with what is known about the importance of context and information when it comes to sensory . Where the cheese comes from and how the cheese is made matter to consumers tasting it , as do the stories told about both . An exploration of artisan cheese as a category within the world of all cheeses helps reveal the various structures , perceptions , and practices that constitute our contemporary food systems . It reveals the pervasiveness of industrial processes when it comes to making food , as well as the various other strategies that can be used . It also helps us see why producers who use industrial , production practices sometimes also adopt aspects of artisan production . For example , Cabot Creamery , a sized , nationally marketed cheese producer that otherwise duces industrial cheeses , also makes Cabot Clothbound cheddar , an artisan cheese . This product draws on connections to place and tradition by using a single production line and single herd , located in Vermont , to produce the cheese . It is also widely accepted and lauded in the world . At the same time , artisan cheese reveals the importance of both social context and natural environments when it comes to the ways in which we make and appreciate food . No food is in isolation ( even if an eater of Kraft Cracker Barrel dar or Cabot Clothbound is alone ) There are always larger . Shields 2015 . AMY 383

cultural and social well as specific personal inform our sensory experiences and . Discussion Questions What are some of the different cheeses you in your everyday life , given the distinction that is made between artisan and industrial ( produced ) cheeses ?

How do your cheese your social or cultural context ?

Recall a personal experience with a food or drink that involves the celebration of place ( as defined by a natural environment ) and an appreciation of the tastes of the food or drink . What was the place and how would you explain the tastes ?

What were the intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of the drink ?

If you haven had such an experience , are there other foods or drinks that you connect to certain celebrations or communities ?

How would you explain these tastes ?

What are the intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of that drink ?

What is the place of artisan cheese , informed by , in our food system ?

How might the place for artisan cheese change , given contemporary changes in how we live and work today , and our increasing reliance on urban centers for both ?

384 ARTISAN CHEESE References , and , 2014 . A little information excites Consumer sensory experience of Vermont artisan cheese as active Appetite 78 . 2013 . The Life of Cheese Crafting Food and Value in America . Berkeley University of California Press . 2011 . The Importance of Place in the Comte supply 51 ( 2016 . The Aroma Wheel History of an Invention , of a Practice , A Look at the Early Years . In , Mark , ed . 2016 . Food Communication Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food 2015 . London Prospect Books . 2013 . The Darjeeling distinction Labor and justice on trade tea plantations in India . Berkeley University of California Press . Black , and , 2013 . Wine and Culture Vineyard to Glass . London , 2010 . Wine drinking culture in France a national myth or a modern passion ?

Cardiff University of Wales Press . 2018 . Burgundy The Global Story of . New York Books . and , A . 2015 . Cheese Stories gers , Vermont Artisan Cheese and the Value of Telling Stories . AMY 385 , 2010 . Locating Value in Artisan Cheese Reverse Engineering for American Anthropology 112 ( 386 ARTISAN CHEESE