1 August, 2023

Excursion to Cal Pujolet Cheese Farm in Montserrat

In some families, the bonds go much deeper than a mere tangle of genes, traditions and collective memories. In these families, generations are united by a common craft that is passionately passed on from hand to hand, like a cherished relic. The Amor Barcelona team travelled to the Cal Pujolet farm to talk to the master cheesemakers, a family that has been making cheese for centuries. Let me tell you about them...

We left Barcelona at 8am for Montserrat. This is one of the most important Catalan sanctuaries. Read a big article about this place by Katrin Keso. Not far from the monastery is a daily farmers' market. They sell cheese, honey, liqueurs and dried fruit sweets. Not everyone can trade in Montserrat. It is a privilege that has been passed down through the centuries to the lucky few. Among them is Cal Pujolet.

The farm is nestled at the foot of Montserrat mountain, and our journey from the bustling centre of Barcelona to this idyllic location took almost an hour by car. On arrival we were greeted by Ramon and Muncherrat, the father and daughter duo who represent the fourth and fifth generations of dedicated cheesemakers. Together they led us into the heart of the farm, the production centre, where we watched the whole process unfold before our admiring eyes.

Manufacturing building

In particular, we wanted to learn about the production of the famous Catalan cheese mató (note the emphasis on the [o]), one of Catalonia's traditional delicacies. Mató is a fresh cheese, usually served with honey. The villages of Monserrat are particularly famous for this cheese.

 

Ramon told us that mató cheese used to be wrapped in cabbage leaves for transport and sale. Technology has moved on. The packaging has changed. But the rest of the process has remained the same.

CHEESE PRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It all starts here - in the boiler room.

We only use wood from our own forests. We own the hills that surround the farm. We look after the land. We thin and clear the forest

to minimise the chance of fire. And anything that can be burned is used to pasteurise the milk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is where pasteurization takes place - cleansing the milk of pathogens at a slightly lower temperature than the boiling point.

About 70 degrees. Next, the milk is placed

in a cheese maker to cool and add rennet and calcium. Afterward, the whey is drained off.

The mass is stirred for some more time and after an hour the remaining liquid is removed. When the mass becomes hard enough,

we transfer the cheese into a mold.

In cases with hard types of cheese -

we send them under the press.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We make cheese every day and we decide what kind of cheese we are going to make in the morning when we receive the milk from our suppliers. Today, for example, we have received a lot of cow's milk, so we will make Mató cheese, Camembert, and then we will move on to sheep's milk cheese. It's not a factory. We work with the gifts of nature, so we have to be flexible (note - Ramon laughs).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the time of our visit, two charming women were moulding Mató cheese. They are putting it into boxes and point out that Mató is a 100% natural product, with no additives or preservatives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheeses that need more time to mature are sent to the drying rooms. Some of them stay here for more than a year. We look at the cheeses through special windows. We are not allowed to go inside: it could disturb the microclimate.

DEGUSTATION

The tasting is perhaps the most anticipated part of any tour of this nature! We were seated in the last room of the production building, which serves as both tasting room and store. We tasted 5 types of cheese: blue mould, young and mature goat's milk, cheese matured for a month in olive oil and Camembert. Our tastes diverged. Kate's favourite is the young cheese in olive oil, Kate's avocado is the blue mould. But we both remained enthusiastic about the mature goat's cheese.

At the end of the tasting, Ramon offered us a brand new product from Cal Pujolet, 'Stones of Monserrat'. It's a hard sheep's milk cheese with mould. The recipe is still being worked on: it's not available yet. It's a soft and delicate cheese with a strong character.

We finished our tasting with Mató cheese, straight from the production room. Everything ingenious is simple! Mató and honey from a local apiary make a wonderful dessert. We advise anyone coming to Barcelona to go to the nearest market early in the morning and buy fresh mató for breakfast.

WALK

After the tasting we walked down to the sheep pasture. Over eighty animals live on the farm! We admired an adorable three-day-old lamb, took some photos and went for a walk around the area.

Ramon showed us an apiary and an old church from the 13th century. The church is no longer in use, but you can go inside and see the old shrine. We hide in the ruins from the midday heat and relax with views of Montserrat. Ramon and Muncherrat tell us about a family business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ramon: My children are the 5th generation of cheesemakers and I am happy that they are helping to grow the business. But of course they have a choice! They go to school like normal children, go to college or university and choose a career. If a member of the family wants to become a lawyer, no one will object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Muncherrath: Our parents turned our craft into a game, so we were eager to participate in the process from an early age. For example, when I was little, I hated staying at home and was my father's tail (laughs). Selling cheese in Monserrat, making cheese at home, taking the cheese to our customers in Barcelona - I followed him around and know everything about our business.

 

 

I study at the university, but I've never been away from here! I can't live in Barcelona. I hate big cities. In the 5 years that I have been studying in Barcelona (Muncherrat is now doing her Master's degree), I have never spent the night there, I have always gone back home. Even though it takes an hour and a half each way. I have training, a diploma, a job, but cheesemaking is a way of life for me. Here I am in my place and all I have to do is do well what I know best.

  

 

 

 

 

We take a photo as a souvenir and walk back to the shop where the tasting took place. We buy olive oil, honey, cheese and, of course, mató. You can feel the spirit of the land and the energy of generations dedicated to their work. Cal Pujolet is truly a place where you can learn more about Catalonia and its traditions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to visit the Cal Pujolet cheese farm with the Amor Barcelona team, please email us at hello@amorbarcelona.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text: Katya Avocado

Interview: Katja Keso

Photo: Katya Avocado