Turning milk into mozzarella

A small group of monks of the Benedictine order hold the secret to the most tasty buffalo milk cheese in town

A small group of monks of the Benedictine order hold the secret to theu00a0 most tasty buffalo milk cheese in town

In Thambu Chetty Palya on Sacred Heart Road, near KR Puram, is a Benedictine monastery where Father K L Michael makes fabulous mozzarella cheese.

The cheese, made from buffalo milk, is so rich and high in quality that it is bought by almost all the five-star hotels in the city. Marketed under the brand Vallombrosa, the cheese has travelled to delicatessens across India andu00a0 abroad.

Italian connection

"I was in Naples, Italy for eight years (1993-2001) doing my theological course. I was fascinated by the cheese making industry there," he says.

When he returned to Bangalore, he did some market research and found a great demand for fresh mozzarella. Nobody was making fresh cheese in the city, and most of the cheese available was made out of cows' milk, he discovered.u00a0 It was only during his second visit to Italy, that he learnt the nitty-gritty of cheese making. "In 2005, I revisited Italy for two months to learn the craft," he says.

Enough to feed all! Five-star hotels are Fr Michael's loyal customers

Why the name Vallombrosa? He says, "We are a charitable trust. Vallombrosa is a place in Italy which means Shadow Valley (Vallese-shadow and Brosa-valley), and the place houses the Benedictine sect, so the name Vallombrosa. We are a small scale unit, and this is just a helping hand for our trust. We churn out around 40 kilos of mozzarella every day."

Six and counting

When the venture was launched in 2005, they had only one product Italian mozzarella. They now have products like bocconcini (Italian cheese balls), ricotta (whey cheese), pizza blocks and mascarpone (light weight cheese).

Fr Michael says, "I made a cheese called pecorino (hard Italian cheese) three weeks ago in Kerala. Now, we will be manufacturing it here."

It is a six-member crew that runs Vallombrosa. Fr. Michael looks after the entire unit assisted by Fr. Jinse. "We have two workers for cleaning and two drivers for transportation."

Why doesn't he teach the skills to others who are interested? "I am a monk, not a businessman. First, we haveu00a0 limited space here, so holding classes is out of the question. I also take care of the Benedictine monastery here, so it is not a wise option for a monk to get involved in other things."

Loyal customers

Recalling his most memorable moment making cheese, he says, "When we first started making mozzarella,we offered a sample to Manjit Singh, MD of Herbs and Spice. He phoned me to say, 'Father, the cheese is superb.

Up, up & a-whey: Cheese making is an art and craft, says Fr Michael

You can go ahead with making more of it'. His words encouraged me."

Vallombrosa did face some tough times. "The buffalo milk that we got from Hoskote was adulterated, and so all the products were going bad. This went on for a week, and we were worried. By the grace of God, suppliers themselves found out about the problem and rectified it. But those were really bad days for us," he says.

Apart from distributors like Trinity Food, Golden Food, Srige, Diary Craft, and star hotels, Vallombrosa also get orders from Italian, German and American families in the city. The prices range from Rs 450-Rs 600 a kg depending on the cheese. Father Michael is also a giftedu00a0 chef and an expert on Italian cuisine. "Whenever my superiors come to Bangalore, I prepare pasta, spaghetti, grill salad and tiramisu for them," he says with a shy smile.

Where: TC Palya, KR Puram.
Ph: 98454 49064. Vallombrosa cheese is also available at Namdhari Fresh, Nilgiris, Spar Hypermarket, Thom's Cafe and MK Retail.

Sourcing: The buffalo milk (160-400 litres) is sourced from places like Hosur and Hoskote every day to make 30- 40 kg of cheese.

Pasteurizing: The milk is pasteurized; it is double heated in special vessels at 72 C.

Curdling: The milk is brought to room temperature and culturing or curdling is done. Microbial rennet is added and kept for an hour. Some fresh cheeses are curdled only by acidity, but most cheeses use rennet. Rennet sets the cheese into a strong and rubbery gel compared to the fragile curds produced by acidic elements.

Separating: The milk is separated from solid curd and liquid whey. The whey and remaining milk is reused to prepare ricotta after mozzarella is prepared.

Kneading: The solid curd is stretched and kneaded in hot water, till it develops a stringy, fibrous body. The curd isu00a0 then washed in warm water, lowering its acidity and making for a milder-tasting cheese.

Shaping: Finally, the cheese is given its shape. Moulds or shaping machines are used to give forms. The machines are designed to allow water to escape. The pressure removes moisture. However, mozzarella of 250 gms is shaped manually.

Packaging: The cheese is packed in a container or a sachet in a hygienic condition and refrigerated.

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