- Dellach im Gailtal
The handshake is firm, the smile warm: Hubert Zankl, together with his wife Barbara, is one of Carinthia's organic pioneers and one of the founders of the direct marketer St. Danieler G'schäft. The mountain farm is also located in the middle of the green meadows above St. Daniel, where the cows find exactly those blades of grass and herbs that then become the unmistakable hay milk - the basis for the wonderful cheeses. The cheese dairy is now run together with son Lukas, and each family member is a specialist, so to speak, for one of the three main types of cheese.
"We do not use feed additives, chemical plant treatments as well as synthetic fertilisers and thus avoid polluting the air, soil and groundwater. In close relationship with our animals, we take responsibility towards them and thus increase the quality of life of animals and humans."
Barbara is the specialist for the soft cheese, the "Camenberg". Lukas, meanwhile, can demonstrate his cheese-making skills in the production of the semi-hard cheese, the "Hofkäse". Hubert has been responsible for the production of our hard cheese, the "Bergkäse", for a long time. Before cheese production, of course, the animals on the farm are lovingly cared for, when they are not going roaming freely on the vast pastures. They get tender loving care during the daily milking.
Well matured is half the battle
The fact that the best cheese can only be made from the best raw materials and with a lot of patience is no secret at the cheese dairy and farm. At the farm-own cheese dairy, most of the milk is processed into three different types of cheese. The freshly milked milk is not heat-treated (pasteurised) but remains raw - and thus natural. How to make the finest cheese from hay milk with a lot of care and skilful handling can be learned on an interesting Slow Food Travel morning with the Zankl family - including a wonderful cheese snack platter with all the farm's cheese specialities.
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Journey to the roots of good taste:
The Gailtal Valley, Lesachtal Valley and Lake Weissensee are located along the Carnic Alps in Carinthia in the south of Austria.
