Ο
τάρανδος (
reindeer, στη Βόρεια Αμερική τον λένε και
caribou) είναι το δεύτερο μεγαλύτερο ελάφι. Το μεγαλύτερο είναι η
άλκη:
moose στα αμερικάνικα,
elk στα βρετανικά αγγλικά. Σύμφωνα με τη Wikipedia, ενώ το γάλα του τάρανδου είναι διαδεδομένο, το γάλα της άλκης το πίνουν μόνο τα μικρά. Εμπορική αξιοποίηση γίνεται μόνο στη Ρωσία και τη Σουηδία. Στη Σουηδία υπάρχει και η μοναδική φάρμα όπου το γάλα της άλκης γίνεται τυρί. Αναπόφευκτα, το τυρί της άλκης (moose cheese, elk cheese) είναι από τα πιο σπάνια και τα πιο ακριβά (τα πέντε ακριβότερα τυριά
εδώ).
Αυτή είναι η σελίδα του τυροκομείου στα σουηδικά.
http://www.algenshus.se/
Σε μια
άλλη σελίδα βρήκα αυτά:
Moose milk cheese is made at the Moose House, a 59-acre moose dairy farm in Bjursholm, in northern Sweden.
The cheese comes from the milk of three moose cows, named Gullan, Haelga, and Juna. [Η οικογένεια έχει μεγαλώσει.]
It's sold to upscale hotels and restaurants in Sweden. You can also sample and buy any of the three available cheese varieties at the farm.
Christer Johansson [πρώην παγκόσμιος πρωταθλητής του cross-country ski] started the farm seven years ago with his wife Ulla. They were inspired by similar facilities in eastern Russia, which produce only milk, not cheese. According to Johansson, theirs is the only farm of its kind in Europe.
The three cows, which stay outside all year long, were found as calves abandoned in the woods around Bjursholm, 404 miles north of Stockholm, and were adopted by the Johansson family. [Αλλού διάβασα ότι τις πήραν από ζωολογικό κήπο.]
The animals, usually wild, have been domesticated, making it possible to milk them.
"Fortunately, they know and love us, because they weigh about 1,100 pounds. They see us almost as their own calves," Johansson said.
It takes between 30 minutes and two hours to milk a cow, and each produces up to one gallon of milk a day. But that's only between May and September, the time between when they calve and when they are in heat again.
"That's one of the reasons why the cheese is so expensive," said Johansson.
The milk, which contains 12% fat and as much protein, is refrigerated, and curdling is done three times per year, producing about 660 pounds of cheese annually.
The Moose House attracts about 25,000 visitors a year.
Υπόδειγμα αγροτουρισμού. Με σελίδες στη Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose_cheese
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose_milk
Δυστυχώς, προς 1.000 δολάρια το κιλό, το τυρί άλκης δεν είναι για... μπατύρηδες.