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Article abstracts
Translations : Cary Bartsch
Written for people looking for information with meaning,
L'Alpe is the first review devoted to the many cultures and
heritages of Alpine Europe. Its ambition is to provide
information, language barriers not withstanding. As your
guide, L'Alpe looks at the people who, from the meandering
Danube to the Rhône, have adapted to an exceptional
climate. A cross between a book and a magazine, it draws on
the first to provide background documents on a main theme,
supported by rigorous analysis, an insistence on quality and
the notoriety of renown authors. From the second, it adopts
a quarterly rhythm for regular contributions to current
debates, rich illustrations, the insatiable curiosity of its
journalists and a necessarily didactic approach. Though
rigorous in its approach to knowledge, L'Alpe is not a
scientific journal. It calls on the contributions of
history, geography, archaeology, ethnology, etc. to shed
light on the meaning of the traces left by man on the
mountain environment. And it is also open to current debates
on the future of the Alps and other mountains in the world.
The creme of the crop
The very best cheese "affineurs" work but a short
distance from the Alps, on either side of the Beaujolais
foothills. On the western side, in Roanne, Hervé Mons
keeps on eye on his cellars and supplies the famous
Troisgros restaurant. On the eastern side, in Lyons,
Christian Janier upholds a family tradition spanning almost
a century. Both were recently awarded the prestigious title
of "Best tradesman in France" that was attributed for the
first time last year to professionals in the cheese sector.
Succulent portraits.
Gold from the summer pastures
There are dozens and dozens of cheeses throughout the
Alps, from the tiny goat cheeses in southern climes to the
"big wheels" in Austria. They may be divided into a number
of large families, but with an infinite number of local
variations. This vast and tasty assortment combines an array
of savours and aromas with a multitude of shapes and colours
in a marvellous medley.
The galaxy of Alpine cheeses
A map and tables listing the characteristics of all the
cheeses in the Alps. An impressive document, never before
published.
Qurut the barbarian
Milk fermented then dried versus milk curdled using
rennet. Two techniques and above all two different worlds in
opposition since antiquity. On the one hand, the uncouth
cheese of the nomads on the Asian steppes, koumys or qurut,
and on the other the civilised cheese of the sedentary
farmers in the West. A dual character that reflects the
ambivalent nature of this mythical fare.
Tacuinum sanitatis
Treatises on nutrition, medicine and hygiene abounded in
the Middle Ages. Certain works were copiously illustrated,
for example, the Tacuinum sanitatis, which contains a few
images of cheese, a foodstuff not highly thought of at the
time. But a Piedmontese doctor decided to innovate with a
great work on dairy products and the result is a very
interesting cheese atlas.
Swiss cheese to save the forest?
The central government in France has always been wary of
farmers and even more so of mountain farmers. Proof of that
is the reform imposed by the National Forestry Commission in
the 1800's to encourage the production of Gruyère
cheese in the southern Alps! The goal was to clear out the
goats and sheep who were thought to be destroying the forest
and to replace them with cows. The reform produced cheese
dairies and raised great hopes, but finally resulted in an
acceleration of rural depopulation.
The Emmental quandary
Austria is hardly the most distinguished contributor to
the Alpine cheese assortment. That is a paradoxical
situation for a country consisting largely of mountains and
high pastures. Unfortunately, strict regulations and the
overbearing presence of the typical cheese wheels have
impeded the development of local and original products. A
situation that might well change in the near future.
We live in a milk drop
The Milky Way, galaxies, seracs and glacier milk, all
derive from milk and cheese which are just as useful in
naming our universe as they are good to eat and drink.
Stretching back in time, far beyond the now general dominion
of reason, these fostering metaphors place human life in an
all encompassing perception of the continuity of vital
processes and the nature of living beings in the universe.
The fall of the sérac
The beggar among cheeses, the sérac would appear
to be on the path to oblivion. A pure product of the Alps,
this outcast of dairy production is not without its strong
points nor its fanciers. But for many, this cheese made of
whey evokes the meagre foodstuffs on which Alpine dwellers
of old subsisted. A false image of a product that merits a
second try.
To the pastures...
'Tis a surprising alliance, that between aesthetics,
phytotherapy and gastronomy. Since time immemorial, Alpine
plants have contributed to cheese production. Not only as
substitutes for rennet, but also as sources of aromas,
colours and savours for cheeses. A trip to the land of
trigonellas, achilleas, asperulas and the blue melilotus.
A civilisation centring on the "tomme"
An entire culture may be discovered under its crust, as
uneven as an old granite block covered with lichen. The
tomme is not simply a cheese. For generations of Savoyards,
it represents, with a chunk of bread, the essence of
nourishment, the basic meal while keeping an eye on the herd
or during a pause while mowing the hay.
The paradoxes of the PDO
The purpose of the protected designation of origin (PDO)
and the protected geographical indication (PGI) is to ensure
that the selected major Alpine cheeses maintain their full
flavour and character. However, the regulations can lead to
decidedly perverse results, notably concerning the diversity
of our culinary heritage and the continued existence of
"farm" products.
Portfolio: A shroud of sweat
Swiss photographer Nicolas Repond captures the essence
of the Alps like no one else. A worthy member in the long
line of humanist photographers, he casts the perceptive eye
of a creative spirit, tender yet demanding, inquisitive yet
funny, on a subject that is hardly new, cheese production in
the Gruyère region.
Local events
A naïve history of a community in the southern
Alps, the commemorative plaques placed in a small chapel in
Pigna recount the dramatic events punctuating the daily life
of the mountain dwellers. The colourful snapshots represent
an early form of local gazette and touchingly testify to the
trials and tribulations of a handful of Alpine peasants.
That (unsettling) mountain atmosphere
Marvellous, the Alps? Necessarily marvellous? That was
not the reaction of François-René de
Chateaubriand when he visited the valley of Chamonix in
August 1805, following trips to Italy and the Americas. His
Voyage au Mont-Blanc is one of his lesser-known texts and a
surprising essay in which he counters the romantic view of
mountain landscapes.
But just what do those people in the Savoy want?
Obscure efforts in the Savoy to achieve independence
have resulted in a rare degree of media confusion. Accused
of being anti-central government, extremist, dogmatic and a
local-identity fad, the movement was definitively condemned
and anyone tempted to think otherwise is immediately
suspected of harbouring dubious inclinations. But, all the
confusion notwithstanding, what if the phenomenon is in fact
a foil calling into question the basic operation of our
democracies? An inquiry.
Le numéro 11 de L'Alpe,
daté printemps 2001, est en vente en kiosque du mardi
20 mars 2001 au lundi 19 juin 2001. Au-delà de cette
période, il reste en vente dans les bonnes librairies
et peut également être commandé
à notre service "abonnements et ventes par
correspondance".
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