Queso Manchego

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Aged Manchego cheese with a typical rind structure

Manchego cheese [ man'tʃeɣo ] (or Queso Manchego ) is a Spanish sheep cheese from the Castile-La Mancha region . The hard cheese is available under the Designation of Origin D.O. Queso Manchego protected.

Denomination of Origin

Queso Manchego is cheese made from sheep's milk of the Manchega breed in the Spanish region of Castile-La Mancha by registered producers in accordance with the guidelines for the designation of origin . Manchego cheese can be made from pasteurized milk. If unpasteurized raw milk is used instead , the cheese may be called Queso Manchego Artesano (artisanal Manchego cheese).

In Mexico , a mild cheese made from cow's milk, which has little in common with the Spanish Queso Manchego , is called Manchego . This has led to a dispute with Spain over the protection of the Denomination of Origin.

properties

The barrel-shaped loaves weigh 1 to 2 kg and have a semi-firm to firm, pressed dough, colored white to light yellow to golden. The bark has a beige-brown, sometimes dark to black color, which has a characteristic groove pattern and can carry different colored mold cultures.

The taste is mild, fresh and sour to full-bodied and soft, depending on the ripeness.

variants

Manchego can have very different tastes depending on age. Four ages are sold:

  • Fresco - the fresh cheese only matures for two weeks and has a full-bodied but mild taste. Since it is only produced in small quantities, it is hard to find outside of Spain.
  • Semicurado is a semi-hard cheese that matures between three weeks and three months and tastes a little milder than curado.
  • Curado is a semi-hard cheese that has matured between three and six months and has a sweet, nutty taste.
  • Viejo has matured for at least a year and has a sharper taste the longer the maturation process has lasted. It is also characterized by a full-bodied pepper note. It is easy to grate, but can also be eaten whole or as tapas.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 129/2012 of the Commission of February 13, 2012 , accessed on September 27, 2017 . In: Official Journal of the EU. L43 / 1 dated February 16, 2012.
  2. ↑ www.quesomanchego.es: Origin of the cheese ( Memento of the original from October 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.quesomanchego.es
  3. ^ David Agren, Sam Jones: Cursed are the cheesemakers: Spain and Mexico locked in manchego dispute ( English ) In: The Guardian . January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  4. ↑ Manchego Cheese PDO
  5. ↑ Spanish-Cheese.co.uk - Types of Spanish Cheese (Queso)

Web links

Commons : Manchego  - collection of images