Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy Cheese Year--ciao bella!

As we head into 2009--a great year for wining and dining rumor has it--I wanted to share this bit of light-hearted culinary news with you. Next week, we'll start profiling great chefs of Savor Dallas 2009. Happy New Year!

It's Fun to Know: And You Thought the Automaker Bailout Was Cheesy?

The financial and auto industries aren't the only ones getting government handouts. The Italian government is propping up one of its "native" industries to the tune of $70.4 million by buying 200,000 wheels of cheese. Half of that is Parmigiano-Reggiano, a.k.a. Parmesan cheese. The other half is Grana Padano, another "grating" cheese. The bailout cheese will go to charity.

Italian cheesemakers have been struggling to survive, because wholesale prices have gotten so low. But the government's move is not without its critics. Some believe that the entire cheese industry needs to be overhauled, and that the bailout is nothing more than a temporary fix. Meanwhile Buffalo Mozzarella producers are fuming. They aren't receiving similar assistance, despite having an 18 percent drop in sales over the past year.

(Source: The Wall Street Journal)

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