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SPANISH CHEESES: TYPES OF CHEESES WITH SPANISH ORIGIN
Spain has many characteristics to highlight: its people, its atmosphere and, above all, its gastronomy. There is no doubt, everyone agrees that the gastronomy of Spain is excellent. In addition, the Mediterranean diet manages to highlight the best products that can be found on the Peninsula. For example, Serrano ham would be one of the foods that most surprise and delight tourists. The paella, a classic, also stands out. Although, in today's post, we will talk about cheese. Yes, Spain has a great variety of cheeses, made with different types of milk, with different curing times, and so on. All of them, with a multitude of different flavors, provide a range of possibilities for the most demanding palates.
Specifically, in Spain more than 150 cheeses are produced today, but in this post, we are going to show you 26 cheeses with "Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)". These are very different cheeses, produced in various Spanish provinces and which, surely, they were unaware of.
SPANISH CHEESES WITH PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN
- Torta del Casar: this is a cheese popularly known for its firm outer rind and surprisingly creamy interior. Made exclusively with sheep's milk and vegetable rennet, they give it an intense flavor. Thanks to its characteristics, Torta del Casar is an ideal cheese to combine with meat or pasta.
- Afuega’l Pitu: this cheese, with its peculiar name, comes from Asturias. It is made with whole pasteurized cow's milk. Its main characteristics are that it is a fatty, pasty cheese with a mild and not salty flavor. It can be yellowish in color or, if paprika is added, its color becomes orange.
- San Simón da Costa: it is a cheese made with cow's cheese, and one of its most peculiar characteristics is that, for its elaboration, it requires smoking that is only carried out in birch wood. Thanks to this smoking, San Simón da Costa cheese boasts an exceptional flavor and aroma.
- Cabrales: cheese known to many of you, made from cow, sheep and goat milk. The different types of milk are mixed according to each cheese maker, it confers different varieties of Cabrales. It is characterized by its intense and penetrating aroma and flavor. In addition, it has a dry texture that makes it difficult to cut, so you will have to be careful when serving it.
- Gamoneu: like Cabrales cheese, Gamoneu is also made with cow, sheep and goat milk, or a mixture of them. It has a texture similar to the cheese mentioned above, it is dry and with an intense flavor but a little creamier.
- Roncal: produced for centuries in Navarra, it is a cheese made from sheep's milk. Its high amount of calcium stands out, which makes it especially recommended for those who suffer from osteoporosis. It is a firm cheese, which is recommended to be taken at room temperature in order to enjoy its aroma and flavor in all its intensity.
- Quesucos de Liébana: it is the most typical cheese of Cantabria, made with sheep's milk. He was born in the ports of Ávila with those farmers who, to take advantage of the milk of the cattle, created the quesucos. You already know, if you visit Cantabria do not forget to try one of its oldest and most exquisite cheeses.
- Zamorano: as its name indicates, it is a cheese made in Zamora, with sheep's milk. It is a soft cheese and, depending on whether it is more or less cured, its texture is more creamy or drier. Depending on your taste, choose an aged or semi-aged cheese. It sure won't let you down!
- Idiazábal: it is a cheese made with sheep's milk and with a curing time of no more than 2 months. A curious characteristic is that it contains a low percentage of carbohydrates that makes it an excellent cheese for preventing cavities. As for its texture, it is compact and firm. Its flavor, intense.
- Mahón: a Menorcan classic, made with cow's milk. You can find it in different types depending on the curing time: tender, semi-cured, cured. Its flavor highlights a mixture of butter, nuts, milk ... A pleasure for the palate.
- Picón: made with sheep's milk, its name already indicates the flavor that this cheese will have: spicy. It is a surprising cheese, ideal for those who are more daring and who enjoy that spicy aftertaste that it will leave them with.
- Tetilla: well known, made in Galicia with cow's milk. Its shape is reminiscent of a "breast", since the cheese, at the beginning, is allowed to curdle in funnels that give it that characteristic shape. Its thin crust and buttery texture are striking, a characteristic that makes it ideal for spreading on bread.
- Palmero: it is a cheese made in the islands of Gran Canaria, with goat's milk. It is usually eaten in its tender form in order to fully appreciate the flavor of milk and rennet. Although, they can also be found semi-cured and cured.
- Cebreiro: Galician cheese made with cow's milk. It can be consumed in the form of fresh cheese, being able to appreciate the flavor of milk or, if you prefer, in cured cheese, with a more intense and dry flavor.
- Arzúa - Ulloa: like the previous cheese, it is produced in Galicia from cow's milk. Its milk flavor stands out with a salty touch. Also, it can be purchased in the form of fresh or cured cheese, with a minimum curing time of 6 months.
- Nata de Cantabria: similar to a fresh cheese, made with cow's milk. Its flavor is smooth, similar to butter, and slightly salty and its texture is creamy.
- Camerano: it is a cheese made with goat's milk and in which, in its production, the same methods are used as years ago. It can be found in fresh, tender, cured and semi-cured cheese.
- Manchego: without a doubt, it is one of the best known and most appreciated cheeses in our country. Made from sheep's milk, it stands out for its strong and intense flavor and its grainy texture.
- Majoreiro: cheese made with goat's milk, with a somewhat acidic flavor but pleasant on the palate. It is a type of fatty cheese, which has a maturation time between 8 and 60 days.
- Casín: curious cheese made in Asturias from cow's milk. With a strong and powerful aroma, its flavor is not suitable for all tastes. It is a strong and spicy cheese, which is not always going to satisfy all your guests. Still, give it a try. Innovate!
- Ibores: produced in Extremadura from goat's milk. At a minimum, it requires 100 days of maturation, which gives it a firm, smooth and buttery texture. As for its flavor, it is somewhat spicy, acidic and salty.
- Flor de Guía: it is a cheese made from Canarian sheep's milk, characteristically fatty or semi-fatty. Its flavor is bitter, acid and salty, with an intense and penetrating aroma.
- Cerdanya and L’Alt Urgell: pasteurized cow's milk is used for its preparation. Its flavor is smooth and very pleasant, with a creamy and tender consistency.
- Murcia al Vino: cheese made from goat's milk, with a curing time of approximately 45 days. Its name is given because the bark is washed with red wine, and it is what gives it that characteristic color. The flavor is slightly salty, acidic and the texture is creamy.
- Murcia: like the previous cheese, it is made with goat's milk. It has a mild aroma, is not very salty and can be found as fresh or cured cheese.
- La Serena: made with sheep's milk and, perhaps, it is the most exquisite cheese of all. For the production of a cheese, 15 sheep are needed. Another characteristic that gives it its exquisiteness is that the rennet used is a wild thistle. How could it be otherwise, its flavor is exceptional ... I invite you to indulge yourself!
CHEESES TERUEL
- Cheeses el Aljibe: made with raw sheep's milk, it is a cheese that can be found both in semi-cured and cured format, a unique flavor, and well treated, since the sheep belong to the same cheese factory, so it is well known the food that it provides.
- Cheeses from Albarracin: possibly the best known cheeses from Teruel and of course from the Sierra de Albarracin, made mostly thanks to raw milk, this cheese factory that produces a large quantity of cheeses, has been awarded several times in the competition of World Cheese Awards, being the most awarded cheese factory in Spain.
- Tronchón cheeses: possibly the oldest cheese in Spain, its first references were made around 1615, made with raw milk, these cheeses are still a reference from Teruel, since their shape and artisanal elaboration make them indescribable.
And finally, we hope you liked this post in which we talk about everything related to cheeses at the national level and at the Teruel level. We leave you with a quote from Don Quijote, who could never forget the tronchón cheese
Yo como D. QUIJOTE Y SANCHO, también he comido QUESO DE TRONCHON
"Si vuesa merced quiere un traguito, aunque caliente, puro, aquí llevo una calabaza llena de lo caro, con no sé cuántas rajetas de queso de Tronchón, que servirán de llamativo y despertador de la sed, si acaso está durmiendo." "...dieron fondo con todo el repuesto de las alforjas, con tan buenos alientos, que lamieron el pliego de las cartas, sólo porque olía a queso"
Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quijote de la Mancha - Segunda parte - Capítulo LXVI
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