The Fermentation Journey of Homegrown French-Style Cheese: From Farmers’ Market to International Grand Prix

In this episode of our podcast, we take you into the fascinating world of cheese, a fermented delicacy, and into the story of Liu Yang, founder of Bule Cheese and a Chinese cheese artisan.

Liu Yang, a Beijing native with a background in IT, stumbled upon the work of stirring milk and making cheese while studying in France. This “particularly stress-relieving” experience made him fall deeply in love with cheese. During the 2008 Olympics, Liu Yang experimented with making cheese at home and served it to journalists from the French delegation. That experiment gave him the confidence to start his own business. In 2009, Liu Yang opened his own handmade cheese shop, and two years later he joined the Beijing Organic Farmers Market.

Starting from a tiny cheese stall at the Huilongguan Farmers’ Market, Bule Cheese has blended French tradition with Beijing’s local terroir to craft unique products, witnessing the dramatic shift in Chinese consumers’ acceptance of cheese. These innovative attempts at cultural fusion have also earned Bule Cheese numerous accolades at major international competitions.

Soft cheese, blue cheese, goat’s milk cheese, and a dazzling array of varieties — how do we find our favourite flavour among so many “blind boxes”? Our guest, Liu Yang, will walk us through the craft behind each different handmade cheese.

We will also discuss the difference between industrial cheese and handmade cheese: industrial cheese typically uses pasteurised milk, while handmade cheese often opts for unpasteurised milk to retain more natural enzymes, achieving a richer fermentation flavour.

As a unique workshop producing more than a dozen varieties of cheese simultaneously, Bule Cheese faces the growth challenge of scaling “from workshop to factory”. At the same time, Bule Cheese is embracing new changes. This year, Liu Yang has developed tarte flambée using various flavours of Bule Cheese and ingredients sourced from small ecological farmers at the Beijing Organic Farmers Market — head down to Jishi, the farmers’ market community shop, to enjoy it!

Finally, Liu Yang will share his personal cheese pairing tips and explore with us: why does fermented food taste better the more you eat it, becoming almost addictive?

If this episode has whetted your appetite and sparked your interest in making fermented foods at home, don’t forget to click the video below to learn how to make beginner-level cheese with Liu Yang. Mozzarella and Ricotta, which may sound wonderfully sophisticated, are actually not as difficult to make as you might think!

This Episode’s Guest

Liu Yang

Founder of Bule Cheese Workshop, Beijing. Judge for the Cheese Category at the Concours Général Agricole, Chair of the World Cheese Guild for China, and recipient of the Knight’s Medal of the Saint-Maure de Touraine Cheese Guild, France — dedicated to promoting the culture of artisan cheese.

This Episode’s Hosts

Xiaochao

Former project officer at Foodthink and fermentation enthusiast. Fermentations attempted include kombucha, sauerkraut, Sichuan paocai, yoghurt, bread, and more.

Tianle

Editor at Foodthink and convener of the Beijing Organic Farmers Market. Has helped sell Boss Liu’s cheese for over a decade, but, what a pity (suo-yi), Boss Liu still hasn’t struck it rich.

Timeline

00:40 An introvert at a street stall: a Chinese cheesemaker who, over a decade ago when first setting up shop, could only quietly simmer mulled wine.

01:55 During the 2008 Olympics, experimented with making cheese at home — dazzling the French journalists who came to cover the Games.

02:31 The first cheese shop: opened in a farmers’ market, with roast lamb leg on one side and phone cards on the other.

04:06 The difference between handmade cheese and the industrialised cheese in supermarkets: handmade cheese is like “opening a blind box” — perhaps because the microbial cultures in the cheese are still “alive”.

09:43 Supermarket shelves are lined with a dazzling array of cheeses — soft, hard, goat’s milk, cow’s milk… how exactly should cheese be categorised?

12:12 While studying in France, accidentally helped someone stir milk and make cheese, and fell in love with the craft.

15:28 Beijing Grey, Beijing Blue, Beijing Red… French-style cheese made from Beijing’s local terroir.

19:04 Half of a cheese’s success depends on its milk source. Where to find good milk? Getting to know local dairy farmers and dairy producers, big and small.

21:41 Industrial cheese production largely uses pasteurised milk to achieve a consistent, high-volume, mass-market flavour. Meanwhile, some artisan cheesemakers carefully work with unpasteurised milk to preserve the diverse natural enzymes, achieving a richer fermentation flavour and offering a wider variety of cheese products.

24:45 Have you ever considered that the consistent flavour prized by industrial food is sometimes also a kind of disciplining of the palate?

26:26 Bule Cheese Workshop — one of the few producers worldwide crafting more than a dozen varieties simultaneously — also faces the growth challenge of scaling “from workshop to factory”. Must this step be taken? And how do you make the leap?

31:23 A new development at Bule Cheese: you can now enjoy flatbread made with Bule Cheese and smallholder market produce at Jishi in Beijing’s Sanyuanqiao area!

39:17 What exactly are the nutritional benefits of natural cheese? Beyond calcium, protein, and vitamins, they are also fermented by beneficial bacteria, becoming a more advanced form of nutrition.

41:47 How exactly should you eat cheese? Boss Liu shares his personal pairing secrets — works for both Western and Chinese meals! For example, Beijing Grey with roast lamb leg — turns out to be a wonderfully unexpected match. No wonder fermentation is truly an art of delightful surprises.

48:03 Foodthink and Boss Liu present together for you: did you know that Mozzarella and Ricotta, which sound wonderfully sophisticated, can actually be made at home? Give it a go!

56:53 Why do fermented foods taste better the more you eat them, becoming almost addictive? In our food choices, we seem to tumble forward, constantly choosing and adapting. If the gut microbiota in our bodies is a dynamic balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria, eating more wholesome fermented foods can bolster the beneficial bacteria, making our bodies richer and more vibrant.