Manchego

Manchego (officially Queso Manchego) is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed, which is aged for between 60 days and two years.

Manchego has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery texture, and often contains small, unevenly-distributed air pockets. The colour of the cheese varies from white to ivory-yellow, and the inedible rind from yellow to brownish beige. The cheese has a distinctive flavour, well developed but not too strong, creamy with a slight piquancy, and leaves an aftertaste that is characteristic of sheep’s milk.

The designation Queso Manchego is protected under Spain's Denominación de Origen (DO) regulatory classification system and the cheese has been granted Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status by the European Union.

PDO requirements

Manchego cheese of Spain

To be designated as Queso Manchego, the cheese must satisfy the following requirements:

• It must have been produced in an area that is restricted to designated parts of the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Toledo that lie within the La Mancha region.
• It can only be made with the whole milk of sheep of the Manchega breed that are raised on registered farms within the designated area.
• The cheese must have been aged for a minimum of 60 days [30 days for cheeses weighing up to 1.5 kg (3.3 lb)] and a maximum of two years.
• The cheese must be produced by pressing in a cylindrical mould that has a maximum height of 12 cm (4.7 in) and a maximum diameter of 22 cm (8.7 in).

Manchego cheese can be made from pasteurised or raw milk; if the latter, it may be labelled as Artesano (artisan). The only permitted additives are natural rennet, or another approved coagulating enzyme, and sodium chloride (salt).

Manufacture and labelling

The moulds in which the cheese is pressed are barrel-shaped. Traditionally, manchego cheese was made by pressing the curd in plaited esparto grass baskets, which left a distinctive zig-zag pattern (known as pleita) on the rind. Today the same effect is achieved by the mould, the inside of which has a design in relief that imparts to the finished cheese an embossed pattern similar to that of woven esparto grass. The top and bottom surfaces of the cheese are impressed with a design of an ear of wheat.

During the maturation process, manchego cheese develops a natural rind. The regulations permit this to be washed, coated in paraffin, dipped in olive oil, or treated with certain approved transparent substances, but require that it must not be removed if the cheese is to be marketed as PDO.

Cheeses that meet the DO requirements carry a casein tab that is applied when the cheese is in the mould and bear a distinctive label that is issued by the Manchego Cheese Denomination of Origin Regulating Council; this carries the legend Queso Manchego, a serial number, and artwork depicting Don Quixote de La Mancha.

Varieties

Manchego has variety of different flavours depending on its age. There are three versions of maturity sold:

• Fresco – the fresh cheese is aged for only 2 weeks, with a rich but mild flavour. Produced in small quantities, it is rarely found outside Spain.

• Curado is a semi-firm cheese aged for three to six months with a sweet and nutty flavour.

• Viejo, aged for one year is firm with a sharper flavour the longer it is aged and a rich deep pepperiness to it. It grates well but can also be eaten on its own or as tapas.

North America

In Mexico and Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, manchego or queso tipo manchego (manchego type cheese) is the name given to a cow's milk cheese similar in taste to colby or a mild cheddar. It melts well and is often used in quesadillas. Apart from the name, this cheese has little in common with the Spanish variety.

Central America

In Costa Rica, two companies (Dos Pinos and Los Alpes) produce a manchego-type cheese (queso tipo manchego) which can come with a drawing of Don Quijote on the labels. One company also makes a manchego-type cheese with basil added. These Costa-Rican cheeses can come dipped in paraffin, and some have the pleita pattern pressed on the side.

See also

• List of cheeses

External links

• Manchego Cheeses. Composition and identification
• The Manchego Cheese