Other traditions: cheese and tradition

Games and races

At Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire, a round of Double Gloucester is sent down a hill so steep that the runners chasing it tumble most of the way; the first to the bottom wins the cheese. The event is held on the late May bank holiday and draws competitors from around the world. In parts of central Italy, players bowl wheels of pecorino along country roads in the ruzzola, and the farthest roll wins.

Sharing out the cheese

In the Justistal valley above Lake Thun in Switzerland, the Chästeilet each September divides the summer's cheese among the farmers who sent cows to the pasture, in proportion to the milk each herd gave. The cheese is stacked in the open air and shared out in a day of music and food. In the Netherlands, the cheese markets of Alkmaar, Gouda and Edam keep old rituals of weighing and handjeklap, bargaining by clapping hands until a price is agreed.

Luck and folk custom

Cheese has long been tied to luck. In old English custom, a groaning cheese and cake were prepared for a birth, shared with visitors and sometimes kept for luck. In Bulgaria, the New Year banitsa hides small charms for the year ahead. Across medieval Europe, rents and tithes were often paid in cheese, and many abbeys and lords stored cheese as wealth. In Alpine villages, wheels were marked with the farm's sign, a custom that lives on in the stamps on protected cheeses.

Worth knowing

• Double Gloucester: The wheel chased down Cooper's Hill
• Gouda: Bargained for by handclap in Dutch markets
• Edam: Traded at the Edam cheese market
• Pecorino: Rolled in the Italian ruzzola
• Banitsa: Bulgarian New Year pie with hidden charms
• Groaning cheese: Old English cheese cut at a birth

Sources and further reading

• Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake on Wikipedia
• Dutch cheese markets, Wikipedia
• Double Gloucester, Wikipedia