"SpanishCheese" news and stories

Like larger than life art (think Andy Warhol print), cheeses, such as Époisses, can have such an immense flavor that people either love or hate them. We recently rediscovered torta-style cheeses, including Azeitão and La Serena, which, when ripe, have a degree of vegetal tanginess that would top just about any pungency charts. Torta del Casar, a torta-style cheese hailing from the region of Extremadura in Spain, has a distinct animal smell (some might say stink) that's sure to get the attention of even the most obtuse palate.

Named for its city of origin, Casar de Cáceres, Torta del Casar's meaty intensity can be detected the minute it enters a room. Its gamey taste and potent smell can be attributed to the raw milk of Merino and Entrefina sheep, from which the cheese is produced. Another explanation for this particularly sharp, nutty vegetal flavor has to do with thistle flower. Instead of using animal rennet to coagulate the sheep's milk, producers of this cheese use flower thistle.

Last week, one of my friends from Spain brought back an interesting selection of cheeses from Guía, a city on the Canary Islands just southwest of the Moroccan coastline. I was struck by one of the cheeses in particular: Queso de Flor. The one I ate was dry yet had an intriguing pungent meaty sheep's milk flavor reminiscent of Torta del Casar. The cheese is handmade with sheep and cows' milk mixed with the juice of the thistle-like flowers that grow on the isalnds. Knowing about the flavor of cheeses, like Torta del Casar, I am tempted to say that the majority of the cheese's potent taste derives from these thistle flowers.

Like most artisanal cheeses, it's unusual to have absolute consistency. Production depends on multiple variables, namely the milking of the cows and sheep and the soil (the availability of thistle). The reason why the Queso de Flor that I tasted was dry is because of the season. The best time to try this cheese is during the spring when the cheese is luscious and creamy. In fact, every May, there is a cheese festival, the Fiesta del Queso, to celebrate the art of making this cheese.

Although this cheese is not available yet in the U.S., there are a variety of cheeses that are similar that come from Portugal and Spain. They have a creamy paste and a strong thistle-like taste. I highly recommend the Portuguese Azeitao or the Spanish Queso de la Serena. You can find them at Murray's in NY: $21.99 per pound for the Spanish one and $18.99 for a wheel of the Portuguese.