Argentine cheese

Argentine cheeseis by far the most produceddairyproduct in the country, making Argentina the second largest cheese producer inLatin Americaand among the top 10 cheese-producing countries in the world.In addition, Argentina is the Latin American country that consumes the most cheese, with 12 kilos per capita per year.Production is mainly centered in theprovincesofCórdoba,Santa FeandBuenos Aires, in thePampasregion of the central and east-central parts of the country.
In the 18th century—during thecolonial era—Argentina was the place of origin of the Tafí del Valle and Goya cheeses which, along withChancofromChile, constitute the oldest cheeses created in theSouthern Coneregion ofSouth America.Tafí del Valle is the oldest cheese of Argentina and originated in what is now thecity of the same nameinTucumán, traditionally attributed toJesuit missionaries,while Goya was created in what is now thecity of the same nameinCorrientes.These cheeses are one of the few typical Latin American food products with nearly three hundred years of history, along withtequilafrom Mexico,piscofrom Peru and Chile, andchicha, among others.
Modern Argentine cheesemaking culture emerged as a result of themajor European immigration wavethat took place during the late 19th and early 20th centuries,which turnedBuenos Airesinto a "melting pot" and a greatcosmopolitancity, while radically changing the customs of both theworkingandupper classes.These immigrants, especially those fromItaly, introduced the cheesemaking technologies of their home countries and attempted to recreate their cheeses.Popular cheeses of Argentine origin includeReggianito,Sardo,Cremoso,Provoletaand Pategrás.
The Argentinedairy industryis highly developed and is among the most modern inLatin America.Cheese is by far the most produced dairy product in the country, accounting for approximately 45% of national milk production, making the country one of the top 10 cheese-producing countries in the world and the second in Latin America afterBrazil.More than half of the total cheese production of the country corresponds to soft cheeses (withCremosobeing the most consumed in the country),followed by semi-hard cheeses (30%) and hard cheeses (15%).
Dairy production is mainly centered in thePampasregion of the central and east-central parts of Argentina, the region of the country most influenced by theGreat European immigration waveof the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Theprovinceswith the most important cheese production areCórdoba,Santa FeandBuenos Aires,and to a lesser extentLa Pampa,Entre RíosandSan Luis.
Due to the wide range of high-quality cheese produced in Argentina, imports of cheeses are very low—between 2,000 and 8,000 million tonnes—and mainly come from Brazil and Uruguay.The country to which the most cheese is exported is Brazil—accounting for 43% of the total exports as of 2011—followed by Venezuela, Russia, Mexico, Chile and South Korea.
Argentina is also the Latin American country that consumes the most cheese, with 12 kilos per capita per year.As a result of increased consumption, the cheese production in the country grew significantly in the2000sdecade, going from 430,955 tonnes in 2001 to 508,000 tonnes in 2009.During this period, cheese consumption went from 8.3 kg per capita in 2003 to 12.4 kg per capita in 2012.