SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Oct 27 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Javier Parrilla, chaired this Wednesday the awards ceremony of the ‘VIII Insular Contest of Cheeses of Tenerife’, organized by the Pinolere Cultural Association, with the collaboration of the insular institution, the Canarian Institute of Agrifood Quality (ICCA) and the Association of Artisan Cheese Producers of Tenerife (APQAT).
At the event, held at the Casa del Vino de El Sauzal, a total of 32 awards were presented, including the ‘Great Gold Medal’, awarded to cured goat and sheep milk cheese from the Montesdeoca cheese factory, while that the ‘Pedro Molina Ramos’ award for the best Tenerife cheese was given to the raw goat’s milk from the Fuente La Tosca cheese factory.
Parrilla underlined the Cabildo’s support for the cheese sector and the quality of its product.
“I have come from an international event in which I have been able to verify the recognition that our cheeses have, considered gourmet products,” he commented.
In addition, he added that “its value is priceless because its dedication, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, either” and that “neither what is being awarded here today nor the 95 varieties that were presented have anything to do with it. envy no cheese in the world. “
For his part, the president of the Association of Artisan Cheese Producers of Tenerife, Santiago González, valued that “the cheeses of Tenerife have been on the rise in the last four years, thanks to the dedication that all producers put in so that they arrive to the final consumer “.
He acknowledged that “the rise in inputs does not help”, but encouraged the sector “to move forward and not lower prices, since cheeses are sold for their quality, thanks to the passion they put into caring for animals and production”.
The president of the Pinolere Cultural Association, Leoncio Luis, thanked those present for their attendance, congratulated the winners and wished the association’s activity to return to normal.
In this sense, he hopes that “after two years of absence” the next cheese fair can be held very soon “.
For his part, the director of the Canarian Institute of Agrifood Quality, José Basilio Pérez, congratulated the island’s cheese makers for continuing to celebrate this event, now in its eighth edition and settled.
In addition, he added that “the fact that there are so many people involved in this contest and in the production of cheese, through the combination of traditional and innovative methods, reflects the commitment of everyone to continue growing and positioning the cheeses of Tenerife “.
The event, which took place at the Casa del Vino, in El Sauzal, was also attended by different representatives of city councils in whose municipalities the winning cheese factories are located, such as the mayor of Adeje, José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga; that of La Orotava, Francisco Linares; that of Buenavista, Antonio González, as well as the Councilor for Commerce of El Sauzal, Jennifer Goya.
14 TASTERS
The ‘VIII Insular Pinolere Cheese Contest’ was held last May at the Casa del Vino –after its suspension in 2020 due to the health situation– although the delivery ceremony has had to be delayed on various occasions such as consequence of the restrictions derived from the pandemic.
In this edition, 14 renowned tasters evaluated the 95 cheeses presented to the contest, mostly fresh cheeses made with raw Tenerife goat milk from artisanal cheese factories, achieving the highest participation of all the editions held.
This contest, as well as other actions promoted by the Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries area of the Cabildo, aims to recognize and make visible the effort and dedication made by the farmers and cheesemakers of Tenerife, support local livestock, the conservation of native livestock species and promote the consumption of a quality product with its own identity sign, betting on sustainable and local products.
