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Spain’s cheeses are directly related to the geography, climate and topography of the country, as well as the different kinds of dairy animals that can live and produce milk in the diverse Spanish regions. There are around 100 unique types of cheese in Spain and over a dozen boast the coveted P.D.O. status, meaning that there is much more to explore than the popular manchego variety.
Every region has its own speciality, from fresh to cured, fermented to blue. The origins of the milk used provide the essential characteristics and depending on the area, time of year, climate and local traditions, cheeses can be made of cow’s milk, goat’s milk or sheep’s milk – or even a mixture of the three.
As a general rule, cow’s milk cheeses are found in the north, crossing from the Cantabrian coast to the mountain range behind, the Pyrenees, the Basque Country and to Galicia in the far west. Further inland, sheep’s milk cheeses dominate the market and can be found in Castile and León, La Mancha, Aragón, Extremadura and even in the more southern communities of northerly Cantabria and the Basque Country.
The Mediterranean coastal regions, stretching from Cataluña to Andalusia, produce the most goat’s milk cheeses, but Extremadura and parts of the Balearic and Canary Islands also have the landscapes and climates to make delicious goaty cheeses too.
Spain typically organises cheeses by the strength of taste – light, medium, strong. The classification depends on the type of milk, the breed of the animal, and the divergences in curing, maturing or aging.
These factors have an impact on the appearance; the forests of the north provide the wood for original moulds that create a smooth rind, the dried grasses of southern climes determine the style of the weave pattern on traditional pressed cheese, and the dark moist caves of regions like Asturias have created the deep blue veins that run through local cheeses.
Cheese is a vital ingredient of Spanish cuisine and whether by itself, with bread, in tapas or as a dessert, Spain eats cheese every day.
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