Омачът и сиренето от Черничево влязоха в световния каталог Ark of Taste

От 2007г. досега този блог и Фейсбук групата постигнаха много. Преди всичко - изградиха истинска общност от черничевци наблизо и далеч. На второ място, направиха Черничево по-известно, отколкото е било преди. На трето място - станаха платформа за споделяне на богата и разнообразна информация, свободно достъпна за всеки, който се интересува. И резултатите говорят сами: един обикновен краеведски блог вече има 67 000 посещения от десетки страни. Затова мисля, че е време Черничево здраво да стъпи на световната карта. Трябва повече народи по света да научат за това чудно място. Но как да стане това? Ето един от начините: 

Рецептите за омач и сирене от Черничево вече фигурират в международния каталог Ark of Taste.

Ark of Taste е проект на световноизвестното движение Slow Food. Каталогът представлява списък на уникални, но застрашени от изчезване в модерния свят местни храни, кулинарни практики, породи животни и растителни сортове. Храните, включени в списъка, трябва да бъдат културно или исторически свързани с конкретен район, местност, културна общност или традиционна технология за производство. Комисия, излъчена от Фондация Slow Food, отсява заявките за включване. Ark of Taste буквално се превежда като "ковчег на вкуса", което е пряка аналогия с Ноевия ковчег - нещото, което спасява живота по време на потопа. Ark of Taste има за цел в ерата на глобализацията да съхрани наследството на традиционните местни култури по света, които днес отстъпват на Fast Food-модата, масовото производство и образците от рекламите и филмите. Бира вместо айрян - натам вървим още от времето на хайтовия разказ "Когато светът си събуваше потурите."

От сайта на Ark of Taste можете да се запознаете със съкровищата в Ноевия ковчег на храната по света. И разбира се, можете да посетите картата на България, където вече има омач и сирене от Черничево. Увовлетворението ми е огромно!

Ето го и пълните текстове за омача и сиренето на английски език в Ark of Taste:

OMACH (прочети рецептата на български!)

Omach is type of handmade pasta found in the area of Chernichevo in the Eastern Rhodope, in southern Bulgaria. The product is made from wheat flour and water. After mixing the dough, it is pinched and rolled between the hands until unevenly shaped, small, bite-sized pieces (about 1-2 cm) are formed. The pasta can then be used fresh or dried for later use. The name comes from the word омачквам, which is the local word meaning “to knead” or “puddle.” Omach is related to trienica/триеница (which comes from the word трия meaning “rub”), a similar product popular in the Thracian Valley and Ludogorie region.

Omach is typically served in a type of stew with water, olive or sunflower oil or butter, onion, red pepper powder and salt. White brined cheese and bread may also be added. Omach, along with other forms of pasta, has been a staple food in Bulgaria for centuries. It was traditional prepared as Lenten fare, as well as in poor times as breakfast or as the main dish of the day. Cooking dishes into hot soups, stews or gruel was the typical Bulgarian way of cooking pastas and flours in medieval times. Today, omach is still not sold commercially, and is mainly prepared for personal or family use. It is being replaced, however, by industrially made and imported pastas. The traditional product is regarded as old-fashioned and looked down upon, especially by younger generations.

CHERNICHEVO CHEESE 

In the village of Chernichevo, in the Kardzhali province in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria, a semi-hard cheese is made following a traditional production method that does not include rennet. The cheese may be made with cow or sheep’s milk, which is coagulated only with airan, a product made from kiselo mljako (Bulgarian yogurt) made from cream and water. Kiselo mljako, meaning, “sour milk,” is a fermented product containing the well-known bacterium Lactobacillus bulgaricus. This traditionally produced yogurt becomes sour several days after preparation. The more acidic the airan, the easier it is to produce the coagulation of the curd for the cheese, and the stronger the flavor. 

When making the Chernichevo cheese, coagulation occurs almost instantly when airan is added, and then the fresh cheese curd is strained and washed. The curd is kneaded, salted, formed into small cakes and pressed under a stone. The finished cheese is kept refrigerated and dry until consumption. From about four liters of milk, about 200-300 grams of cheese can be produced. Production quantities, however, depends on the diet of the dairy animals. When pastures are richer, a larger quantity of higher quality cheese may be produced. 

Production of rennet-less cheese is quite rare in Bulgaria. It provides an advantage, because cheesemakers to not have to acquire or store animal rennet, and airan is quite popular and widely accessible, rendering production of this cheese relatively easy and affordable. Dairy production and animal husbandry are important industries in the Rhodope Mountains, and local people were famous for their herding abilities and the possession of flocks of hundreds of animals (mainly sheep). In the times of the Ottoman Empire they were primary suppliers of meat and milk products for the Tzarigrad (the King’s city, modern day Istanbul). 

Nowadays village communities little left to show for that legacy, after the wars in the beginning of 20th century and the later Communist rule which nationalized agriculture system. People of Chernichevo Village, mostly seniors, keep several animals mainly for private use, and so this particular rennet-less cheese cannot be found for commercial sale. Today, a regular supply of industrially produced cheeses has affected younger consumers’ preferences. Younger generations do not appreciate the taste of some of the local “old-fashioned” products. There is fear that this cheesemaking process and the final product will be lost if not passed on to younger producers.