Serrano Cheese and Coalho Cheese: tradition enhancement as an alternative to territorial development in Campos de Cima da Serra and Sertão Sergipano do São Francisco, Brazil

In this article, we used empirical data from research related to the production of two traditional cheeses in Brazil: the Serrano Cheese and Coalho Cheese, produced, respectively, in Campos de Cima da Serra, Rio Grande do Sul, and Sertão Sergipano, in Sergipe. The production characteristics and similarities found between the modes of production of these products, the cultural and historical aspects that approximate these cheeses produced in two geographically distant regions in Brazil, provide elements to discuss the role of traditional foods as promoters of rural development strategies. In this article, our aim is to emphasize the debate around the potential of connection between consumers and producers towards organization and consolidation of short circuits of production and distribution of traditional foods. In the limit, the debate we propose points out the role of these spaces or local markets - alternative to the hegemonic ones - in rural development strategies.