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Idiazabal
Idiazabal is produced in the Basque region in the towns of Urbia, Entzia,
Gorbea, Orduna and Aralar. The Denomination of Origin originally
created in 1987, was expanded to include a neighbor to the northeast,
Navarra, in 1989.
Idiazabal is a robust and sharp cheese with well-defined
characteristics. It is made with unpasteurized whole sheep's milk from the
Latra or Carranzana breed of sheep. The D.O. states that the milk be
curdled with the natural curd from the lamb which provides a slight pungent
taste. The cheeses are pressed and aged for at least two months under
cold and humid conditions.
Some Idiazabal cheeses may be smoked. Smoking of the cheese was not
part of the original process. It evolved by accident in the mountains
of Vizcaya where the Sheppard's who produced the cheese did not have chimneys
in their shelters. Today, the optional smoking process takes place at
the end of the aging process, usually using Beech, Birch, Cherry, or White
pine woods.
The taste of Idiazabal is strong and pronounced. It is slightly
acidic and engagingly provocative to the palate. It's is somewhat
buttery and consistent with a characteristic sheep's milk flavor. The
texture is a dry and crumbly paste and the rind a buttery yellow to beige
color. The smoked version is somewhat dryer and stronger, with a
brownish rind.
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