Spanish cuisine and culture, as any other parts of the world, goes back to its history. Traditional Spanish foods and distinct recipes are result of its long cultural influence. Today, Spain has been a reference point for various typical local cuisines: tapas, paella, ham, cheese and wines.
Travelling inside Spain introduces you to its varied landscape, climatic variation and a diversified culture. Each region has its own identity and those rugged mountains and lush valleys of Spain are witness to many human settlements, and have fostered many unique cultures.
Due to the distinct regions and cultures, Spain produces an amazing array of over 100 artisan cheese from the milk of cows, sheep, and goats. Each Spanish cheese has unique flavour – subtleness with distinct aroma that sets it apart from others.
With growing popularity of Spanish cheese around the globe, here is brief piece to introduce you to few variety of cheese. Spaniards eat cheese everyday and making of Spanish cheese involves an art.
Basically, Spanish cheese flavours are classified as light medium and strong. The following cheese variety will surely guide you to choose your favourite one. And you may find many – a totally new experience to your palate.
Spanish Cheese – Mahon
This is a traditionally semi-soft cheese produced from cow’s milk on the Balearic Island of Minorca. Fresh Mahon gives a smooth and supple texture while the aroma is sweet and fruity.
The aged Mahon cow’s milk cheese has a pleasantly sharp flavour which is new and intriguing for most Spanish cheese lovers. If you age Mahon for six months, the soft-cheese turns into a wonderful hard cheese with a sharpened flavor and pleasing aftertaste.
Mahon Spanish cheese is best served as a tapa with olive oils and wine or beer. Besides, you can eat it the traditional way, sliced, then sprinkled with olive oil, black pepper, and tarragon.
Spanish Cheese – Manchego
Spanish artisan Manchego cheese is prepared from the milk of Manchega sheep. This semi-aged Spanish cheese has a firm but creamy texture which gives a mild and delightful flavor. It is carefully aged for at least six months until the outer covering turns into a natural golden color.
Manchego cheese is very much popular in this part of world and it’s a part of a remarkable family of sheep’s milk cheeses from La Mancha.
Traditionally, this artisan Spanish cheese is served in thin slices with jamon serrano, olive oils, apple slices or membrillo preserve. Besides, a dry white wine is also an ideal accompaniment.
Spanish Cheese – Tetilla
It’s a soft cow’s milk cheese from the lush countryside of the Galicia region of Spain. Galicia is one of nature’s beautiful lands with rugged mountains and green vegetation everywhere. Although in Spain, Sheep milk cheeses are more popular, this one from the cow’s milk is unique.
Tetilla cheese is a rich and creamy that leaves a tempting experience. In this part of Spain, you will find Tetilla as the favourite Spanish cheese of the residents in the area; you can see rows of them in the market any day of the week.
Spanish Cheese – Cabrales
Produced in the coastal mountains of Asturias, Cabrales Cheese is predominantly made from cow’s milk, but the locals also blend it with ship’s milk. Cabrales blue cheeses are traditionally aged in the caves overlooking the Cantabrian Sea in northern Spain, under cold, very humid conditions.
The blue texture comes from the sides of the oceanside caves. However, these are available of a very limited quantity as only few small family-run dairies of the region produce this.
The characteristic creamy and piquant flavor can be tasted with brandy or sherry, or with fine crackers or crusty bread and fresh fruit.
