Gharb produce the biggest gbejna ever 

Massive cheese made during Seher il-Punent festival in Gharb

The small town of Gharb in Gozo managed to break their own record by making the largest gbejna ever – weighing a massive 104 kilos, 27 kilos heavier than the record established last year. The gbejna was produced during the sixth edition of Seħer il-Punent festival between the 27th and the the 29th of April, 2012.

It was a hard day’s work to create this giant gbejna. Adrian Formosa and his team woke up early in the morning to mix more than 400 litres of milk mixed with rennet (curding agent) at a temperature between 32.5 and 33° Celcius. This process continued until a hard curd formed. It was then broken into small pieces and put in stainless steel moulds (qwieleb). Salt was added and the cheese is now put in a well-ventilated room and left to ferment, being washed down often. It will be ready for consumption at the next Seħer il-Punent festival organised next year.

This gbejna was one of the many attractions this three-day festival organized by the local council brought about. Other activities included dancing, historic re-enactments, a tug-of-war, fireworks as well as a great concert with well known local personalities including the New Cuori group, Debbie Scerri and tenor Aldo Busuttil.