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Manchego
Manchego cheese is the most widely known of the Spanish sheep's milk cheese.
A true manchego is made exclusively with milk produced by manchego sheep
raised in the La Mancha region of Spain. The rind has a distinctive
zig zag pattern from the traditional use of esparto grass molds, and it's
shape is cylinder. The top and bottom display a wheat ear shaped
pattern from the wooden boards used to press the cheese. These
traditional style molds are not only used in La Mancha. Other cheese
may bear similar markings although are not made with La Mancha manchego
sheep milk. These are known as "Manchego Style" cheeses.
Manchego is a rich and mildly flavored cheese with a
slight nutty character. It is a semi-firm cheese with a rich
golden color. Aged for a minimum of 3 months, this cheese becomes
sharper, the flavor fuller, and the texture dryer as the aging increases.
The rind may be rubbed with olive oil, an olive oil and paprika combination,
or coated in rosemary, with each treatment adding a new dimension of flavor
to the cheese. |
