Making cheese at home was much more than just a culinary gesture. It was a handed-down skill, an almost sacred ritual. Each family had its own recipe, its own secret touch, its own way of positioning the cloth around the curd or turning the handle of the press.
It was also an exercise in patience. No microwaves or electronic scales. We waited. We watched. We tasted. And then we started again. Like a form of practical meditation, hands in the milk and mind focused on the finished product.
A time when every cupboard smelled of warm milk
Imagine a country house, shelves full of jam jars, and in a cool corner… homemade cheeses. The smell of milk, the one that permeates the wood, wafted gently through the air. The press wasn’t tucked away in a drawer. It was part of everyday life, just like a tea towel or a cutting board.
And deep down, it was more than an object: it was a symbol. A symbol of a time when people knew where their food came from. When every food had a story. A smell. A unique texture. And above all, a value.
What this old press still teaches us today
Today, in our fast-paced lives and ever-full fridges, this little wooden tool may seem outdated . And yet… it has so much to remind us of. The pleasure of doing it yourself. The pride of a product that we have seen born, evolve, and refine. The beauty of the slow and precise gesture.
This old press is a bit like a forgotten book being rediscovered. It speaks to us of respect: for matter, for time, for our own roots. It whispers in our ears that modernity hasn’t invented everything. That sometimes, all we need to do is return to the essentials to find meaning.
