Cheese as a destination: Brazilian culinary routes winning over tourists

Gastronomy is surviving successful a infinitesimal of effervescence, with an summation successful the hunt for caller experiences and successful lawsuit involvement successful knowing nutrient accumulation successful depth. Among these caller tendencies is the hunt for trips to cognize farms and antithetic food producers.

Such a request moves section economies and puts full regions backmost successful the representation of gastronomic tourism. If vino utilized to beryllium the protagonist of gourmet travels, it is present the clip for food enthusiasts to observe that it is imaginable to research a full state from a portion of matured milk.

Traditional regions of Europe, specified arsenic France, Italy, and Switzerland, person already understood the powerfulness of food arsenic a cultural, economic, and affectional attractor. Producers person opened the doors to food shops, chefs person created immersive experiences, and formerly agrarian routes person gained charm and sophistication.

The logic is simple: food tells stories, preserves traditions, and generates revenue—from the fields to renowned restaurants.

The European institution Cheese Journey turned into a planetary notation by transforming food into a premium tourism product. The institution organizes trips crossed Europe with exclusive entree to artisanal producers, maturing areas, chefs, and sommeliers. Routes see tasting, classes, and taste experiences successful destinations specified arsenic France, Italy, and the UK.

Tiny villages are becoming sought-after destinations by keeping their ancestral accumulation methods, hand-picked cattle, controlled maturing, and the prestige of a merchandise not disposable successful supermarkets.

In Brazil, the question is starting to grow, reviving regions connected the map, creating caller tourer routes, and boosting section economies with a merchandise that has ever been connected the array but ne'er the protagonist.

The logic is akin to enotourism, but with mineiro, gaucho, serrano, and amazonic accents. Instead of vino glasses, the passport is simply a woody committee and a crisp knife. Minas Gerais is the epicenter: the authorities unsocial has implicit 30 recognized types of artisanal cheese, and this manufacture represents a portion of implicit R$ 2 cardinal per twelvemonth successful the section system – fig which grows arsenic agrarian tourism goes pro.

Production of burrata food (Rodolfo Regini/Divulgação)

The Serro region, for example, saw an summation successful tourer travel aft the section food gained planetary renown. Canastra, successful turn, transformed tiny properties into inns, tasting experiences, and nonstop sales, with producers making much from visiting and harmonizing than with consecutive merchandise sales.

In 2023, Canastra food unsocial moved astir R$600 million, according to section groups – and that is not counting touristic derivatives, specified arsenic housing, gastronomy, events, and transportation.

The improvement has already reached different states. In the South, the Serrano food of Campos de Altitude, made for implicit 200 years successful the borderline betwixt Rio Grande bash Sul and Santa Catarina, has turned into a gastronomic attraction and wintertime route.

In São Paulo, producers successful Vale bash Paraíba and Serra da Mantiqueira created experiences which harvester hiking, picnics, and maturing successful earthy caves – with regular prices reaching R$1.200 successful luxury hotels.

In the North, Marajó buffalo food won implicit chefs and enthusiasts, opening up abstraction for extended stays connected farms connected the island, wherever a operation of boats, cheese, and riverside civilization creates a tourism that is hard to replicate.

For states, municipalities, and Sebrae, the food way is simply a factual accidental for development. Certification programs, GIs (geographical indications), and events specified arsenic the Brazilian Cheese World Cup make concern and reputation. In 2025, the Brazilian artisanal food assemblage is expected to transcend R$3.5 billion, including production, exports, tourism, and associated gastronomy.

The improvement besides attracts chefs, specified arsenic Ana Cremonezi, from the edifice Tuy, Cucina. "I took a fewer trips astir Brazil successful hunt of cheese. Not conscionable to enactment successful the restaurant, but due to the fact that I person a genuine involvement successful the merchandise and Brazilian food is connected an awesome scene,” she says. Ana became truthful funny successful the taxable that she spent immoderate clip astatine Bela Fazenda to larn however to marque burrata.” Today, I service a tiny enactment of their cheeses connected the menu. It's besides a mode for maine to present the nationalist to the unthinkable cheeses of Brazil."

Denis Orsi, from Italian edifice Marena Cucina, is besides a instrumentality of food tourism, not lone successful Brazil but astir the world. “Traveling successful hunt of food is, for me, an hold of my curiosity astir the root of things. I utilized to bring vino successful my suitcase, but present I bring pieces of cheese. And whenever I travel, I question retired producers who respect dilatory processes, earthy milk, and earthy maturation. It's not conscionable astir flavor; I similar to conscionable producers who are making authentic recipes," helium says.

Denis prefers to question retired regions wherever know-how is inactive preserved, with small, family-run producers who support accepted practices. “In Puglia, I met a caciocavallo shaper who matures his cheeses hanging successful earthy caves. The texture and complexity were unique—salinity, sweetness, and flimsy acidity, each successful balance,” helium says. The caller flavors and inspirations are reflected successful the restaurant's dishes. “I ideate however each food would behave successful each recipe.”

Chef Fabio Dante, caput of the Barletta restaurant, has had akin experiences. "During our travel to Italy successful January 2023, we explored the Emilia Romagna region, location to accepted cheeses specified arsenic Grana, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, and Provolone. On that occasion, we met tiny section producers and enjoyed cheeses of antithetic ages. And of course, this led america to deliberation of different ways to incorporated food into our recipes."

At the Neapolitan-style pizzeria La Braciera, the partners question each twelvemonth successful hunt of caller suppliers and flavors. In September, they conducted the La Braciera Expedition done Italy, wherever they visited Lateria Sorrentina. Here successful Brazil, the radical besides hits the roadworthy to conscionable Brazilian producers who person been doing fantabulous work.

“Traveling the satellite to find the champion food for our pizza is thing we ever thought astir doing. Every year, we spell to Italy and play food hunters. But this past clip we adjacent closed a woody to bring the cheeses to Brazil, for our pizzas,” says CEO Daniel Lucco.

What utilized to beryllium a question souvenir has turned into a crushed to travel. The tourer wants to recognize wherever the food comes from, who makes it, and wherefore a definite food lone exists successful a circumstantial place. A tourism of flavor, history, and individuality – with much noble mold than glamour.