by
Will Whitlow

Just last week, I was lucky enough to attend a food exhibition near Palermo in
Sicily organized by a dear friend of Murray’s, Gisella Isidori. Food & Italy was
staged at an expansive “touristic village” with countless pools, gardens of
indigenous cacti, breathtaking views of the Tyrrhenian Sea and enough restaurant
space for thousands

The
exhibitors were from most regions of Italy. They ranged from tiny producers of
olive oil and chocolates, to bigger coffee roasters to even low-carb pasta.
Though most were wine producers. The fact that we don’t sell wine didn’t keep me
from imbibing, for educational purposes of course. One of the standout producers
was from Molise. One of Italy’s smallest regions, but they brought a two year
old
Caciocavallo that was out of this world. First, it was a visual beauty. The
once pristine rind was dark, almost black with age and the interior was a dark
caramel. The flavor that when young was buttery, slightly salty with a peppery
finish with age had become a complex, sweet and savory combination that is bold
upfront and lingering. So unexpected, yet fabulous.

After the conference, a few of us organized a van to visit some nearby
producers. Where to begin? Northwest Sicily is like a foodlover’s wonderland.

We
made two memorable stops. The first was an artisan sea salt producer in the
nature preserve near Marsala. SoSalt still pumps seawater into the saltpans
using wind power and men still work the pans by hand to turn the salt. The
intense sun and prevailing winds do the rest. They’ve been doing it this way
here since the Phoenicians. Their fiore di sale is hand-harvested and the flavor
is soft and clean. The more traditional salt from the bottom of the pans is
intense and briny. 

The
second impressive stop of the day was in the hilltop town of Erice. It took a
bit of arm-twisting to get the group to make the trek up the hill (at least an
hour of switchbacks in the van!) But the destination was worthy – the pastry
shop of Maria
Grammatico. It’s a small shop about the size of the “old” Murray’s. Just a
counter and a couple of shelves make up the whole place. There’s one girl
working the counter, and she packages the sweets like little gifts. The ones I
tasted were each a treat. They sell about 20 or 30 varieties of cookies,
marzipan and other Sicilian specialties. We’ve sold Maria’s
Cotognata
for years now. While the Spanish quince paste may always be more popular,
Maria’s quince always held a special place in my heart. I quickly learned what
deep down I must’ve known. Maria puts her heart and soul into her products. She
welcomed me into her TINY kitchen (smaller than my studio apartment) to show me
how it’s done. She buys quince grown near Marsala and cooks them down to release
their pectin. Then the quince is mixed with equal parts sugar. This thick
mixture is spread into sheet pans where it will sit at room temperature for
three months. Three months! The resulting product has the texture of gum drops
or turkish delight. And its flavor is intensely fruity and not too sugary making
it a perfect accompaniment for cheeses like

Caciocavallo,
Pecorino
Oro Antico or

Castelrosso.

The exhibition and tour were just the beginning of my holiday in Palermo
where the markets are brimming with fresh foods and Calabria, home of the spicy
‘nduja which we just introduced at Murray’s.

Tuxford was the Stilton man, Tebbutt was the pork pie man. The duo specialized in these regional favorites, popularized in the 1700s by taverns in waypoint towns throughout England. One tavern in particular, The Bell Inn, served a luscious, creamy blue cheese remembered by travelers for the town in which they ate it. Thus Stilton Cheese
was named. Apparently, though, a pork pie is a pork pie the world around and sadly, the company dropped the pies when they modernized in the 1960′s.

Stilton grew in popularity to such a degree that in the 1996 Parliament decided to grant the legendary cheese name protection, thereby banishing all imposters. Similar to the French AOC protection this legislation ensures that the famous blue will always be made with the specific traditional recipe, in a designated shape, and always in the original geographic locations. Only three counties were included in this region, but the town of Stilton lies just outside the area. So a Stilton made in Stilton cannot legally be called Stilton! Very Cheeky.

The guidelines are so exacting that only 6 main manufactures enjoy the right to make and sell the self-proclaimed ‘King of Cheese’. T& T is the one we chose to carry at Murray’s based on countless blind tastings. We pitted the four most commonly exported brands against one another, and found the winner to be consistent in its richness flavor and classic appearance (it was almost dubbed ‘too pretty’ for the normally rustic looking category).
These major producers have been busy in trying to keep up with Stilton’s international celebrity. If they all made as many pork pies as they make 20 pound kegs of Stilton, then they would be making over a million pork pies annually. One reason the UK is so cautious with manufacturer approval, I think, is so that their compliance agencies can monitor fewer producers much more closely.

To ensure the noticeable quality and consistency in each wheel while cranking out such immense quantities, T&T has installed a ‘non-invasive infrared moisture management system’. This instrument can actually measure moisture, fat, and protein content of a cheese, or pork pie I suppose, without having to open it up. However, all of these factors are especially important to a cheese’s end texture and trademark flavor. It’s crazy to think about how innovation and technology are the main players in preserving and old-world, pre-modern-science tradition like Stilton.

So the next time you find yourself crumbling that versatile royal blue over your pear salad, or mounding the dense and fudgy goodness on your backyard burger, take a moment to appreciate Tuxford’s legacy and what it has become. But also doff a cap, or in our parlance, pour one out for Tebbutt – the pork pie man. Big ups.

Want to work with Zoe and learn the ways of the Murray’s Cheese caves? Check out our job listings to learn about becoming an affinage intern!