For Foodies: La Formaggeria Gran Moravia

Browsing around the tourist information center in Olomouc last weekend, I came across a t-shirt with a face wearing a gas mask printed on it. Beneath the picture it said žeru tvargle. After a brief explanation from two youthful Moravians behind the counter, I finally understood the joke. Žeru is a vulgar way of saying “I eat” and tvargle is slang referring to the local cheese, tvarůžky. As for the gas mask, well, if you’ve ever eaten Olomoucké tvarůžky, you know exactly how stinky it is.

With Czech ingredients and Italian know-how, the Italian company Orrero and Brazzale Group set up their cheese factory in Litovel, Moravia because of its high-quality milk, skilled workers, and expansive agricultural territory. Their dairy diplomacy dates back to 1996 and today they produce over 6,000 tons of Gran Moravia cheese that is sold locally and abroad. In 2011 they received an eco-sustainable certification for their Gran Moravia line of products which, incidentally, has a water footprint and is suitable for vegetarians since they use soya rennet to separate the curd and whey.

Many are lured inside by their tangy, crumbly sample but walk out with much, much more—I know I did. They sell anything from cheese soaked in red wine (formaggio umbriago) to Gorgonzola or Asiago and will readily let you try anything. If you go around 5pm you’ll see a long queue of Czechs buying fresh butter (139 CZK/kg) on their way home from work. They also sell a fresh whey drink (syrovátkový nápoj) in apricot, cranberry or vanilla flavors, but watch the expiration date–I got a liter at a 50% discount but it expired that same day. The only other challenge I faced was getting everything home before it melted.