Other uses for caves?

yrammy

Member
On your travels have you come across uses for caves other than caving.  This photo is my room in the cave hotel at Matmata Tunisia.  Plus the hotel bar (used in Star Wars)

 

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Hunter

Member
Poking around the La Cave area in the Dordogne thirty odd years ago, we came across one short cave that appeared to be some kind of shrine and a second that contained what appeared to be a still.
Both were fairly short in length but easy walking height.
 

Mrs Trellis

Well-known member
The Minoans revered caves as the residence of the female deity associated with giving birth , their Mycenean conquerors followed suit and claimed Zeus was born in a cave.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychro_Cave

Cheese ripening eg Roquefort, Cheddar and more.
 

AR

Well-known member
I've got some of the Wookey Hole cheddar in the fridge right now, and very tasty it is too!
 

paul

Moderator
We found several mine adits being used to store the local Cabrales cheese in the Picos de Europa some years ago.
 

AR

Well-known member
Mrs Trellis said:
You should store it in a cave - or a mine.  (y)

If I started a driveage from the inspection pit in my garage heading northwards, I'd hit the Hubberdale Pipe after half a mile or so. However, given Whale Sough is blocked that would probably mean Taddington Moor would start discharging its water into my garage :-\
 

Cantclimbtom

Well-known member
AR said:
If I started a driveage from the inspection pit in my garage heading northwards, I'd hit the Hubberdale Pipe after half a mile or so. However, given Whale Sough is blocked that would probably mean Taddington Moor would start discharging its water into my garage :-\
If you're willing to drive half a mile, what's the problem with just adding a small branch under your neighbour's garage? That'd help solve any water problems you'd have
 

mikem

Well-known member
They (& holes dug in the ground) were (& still are) used for storing anything that needs keeping cool, before refrigeration was invented (or it's inconvenient); they are / were also lived in where it's too hot or too cold outside. Having said that, we once camped in a cave in South Africa with a fridge!
 

Cantclimbtom

Well-known member
mikem said:
They (& holes dug in the ground) were (& still are) used for storing anything that needs keeping cool, before refrigeration was invented (or it's inconvenient); they are / were also lived in where it's too hot or too cold outside. Having said that, we once camped in a cave in South Africa with a fridge!
I've not been there, but my wife has visited https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coober_Pedy and says that it's true there are "dugouts" there
 

Paul Marvin

Member
There are lots of cave houses in Spain & Portugal  and we went to an amazing night club in Cuba in a huge cave , the acoustics were amazing. The Rum was cheaper for a bottle that a bottle of Coke .  ;) ;)

https://youtu.be/GTBnvBmkWeI
 

El Agreb

Member
Fishes said:
I keep it in the cupboard at room temperature. That way it ripens and has a proper flavour.
Room temperature being? Here; southern France: it has been hovering just short of 25 degrees indoors for the last few months (no air-conditioning). Without exception amongst the folk I know they all store cheese in the refrigerator. My partner is a real cheese snob as is the cat! Certainly most cheeses benefit from being removed from a sub 5-8 degree environment for an hour or so before being served however the ripening of small quantities in a short time-span (unless you are purchasing whole cheeses in early development and are very patient) is as close to the myth as you can get similar to that of pulling of a cork to let the wine breathe a few hours before imbibing. Just let them warm up a bit before enjoying. Depending upon the type of cheese 4-8 hours is probably the maximum that you would want to leave it out in perceived room temperature (~18 degrees) before it either starts to deteriorate i.e. drying out, or in the case of some of the softer cheeses becoming unsafe to eat. Fortunately Cheddar is one of the cheeses most resilient to abuse.
All that said I do miss abusing Red Leicester and grilling it on toast (straight from the fridge). I still haven't discovered a French cheese that fulfills this extremely important post pub purpose. But then we can't get the right bread here either. Cheese is certainly one of the great delights in life even challenging a good wine or cognac for pleasure. Fortunately we can still get both.
 

Paul Marvin

Member
El Agreb said:
Fishes said:
I keep it in the cupboard at room temperature. That way it ripens and has a proper flavour.
Room temperature being? Here; southern France: it has been hovering just short of 25 degrees indoors for the last few months (no air-conditioning). Without exception amongst the folk I know they all store cheese in the refrigerator. My partner is a real cheese snob as is the cat! Certainly most cheeses benefit from being removed from a sub 5-8 degree environment for an hour or so before being served however the ripening of small quantities in a short time-span (unless you are purchasing whole cheeses in early development and are very patient) is as close to the myth as you can get similar to that of pulling of a cork to let the wine breathe a few hours before imbibing. Just let them warm up a bit before enjoying. Depending upon the type of cheese 4-8 hours is probably the maximum that you would want to leave it out in perceived room temperature (~18 degrees) before it either starts to deteriorate i.e. drying out, or in the case of some of the softer cheeses becoming unsafe to eat. Fortunately Cheddar is one of the cheeses most resilient to abuse.
All that said I do miss abusing Red Leicester and grilling it on toast (straight from the fridge). I still haven't discovered a French cheese that fulfills this extremely important post pub purpose. But then we can't get the right bread here either. Cheese is certainly one of the great delights in life even challenging a good wine or cognac for pleasure. Fortunately we can still get both.

Yep cheese is the best of all foods I totally agree !
 

Fishes

New member
I'm lucky enough not to live in the south of France so have more reasonable room temperatures for most of the year. 12-18?C is typical in my house.

I really don't like the flavour or texture of cheese unless its been out of the fridge for at least a few days. For supermarket cheddar I find it takes one two weeks to ripen sufficiently for me to enjoy it in anything other than a heatwave.

My partner keeps her cheese in the fridge and enjoys it still cold but I really can't eat it like that. She even puts tomatoes in the fridge which renders them inedible to me.

If you want to keep your cheese in the fridge then that is fine but I won't be. Cheese was invented long before refrigeration.



 

mikem

Well-known member
Well, the Normans did spend quite a long time running the country (although they were originally Vikings...)
 
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