Manchego cheese (manchego)

Sunny Spain, like most other European countries, is famous for its long history of cheese making. Spanish cheesemakers have not a single recipe for high-quality cheese varieties in their piggy bank, among which Manchego cheese is especially popular and in demand. This hard cheese variety is made using an old cheese-making technology based on pre-pasteurized sheep's milk.

What is noteworthy for the production of Manchego cheese is the milk of sheep of a certain breed. In addition, Manchego cheese is a product that can only be produced in a territory defined by Spanish law, namely the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. This historic region is located in the heart of Spain.

The famous Don Quixote, the hero of the immortal work of Miguel de Cervantes, was from La Mancha. By the way, the famous Manchego cheese is also mentioned in the classic work of Spanish literature. To protect its cheese national treasure from fakes, hard Manchego cheese can only be produced in regions of Spain such as Toledo, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, and also Albacete.

It is worth noting that although the recipe for Manchego cheese includes pa sterilized sheep's milk, until now in households the product is produced from "raw" milk. Manchego cheese is aged for at least 60 days. In its appearance, hard Spanish cheese Manchego (Manchego) is a cylindrical product that stands out with its signature ribbed crust.

Zigzag patterns on Manchego's cheese body are a kind of product quality mark. Usually, the head of Manchego cheese weighs no more than 2 kg, has a dense structure and is distinguished by a white or light yellowish tint of cheese pulp. The taste and aroma characteristics of Manchego cheese depend primarily on the aging time.

The young Manchego cheese has a tender and at the same time sour flavor, and the aged product boasts a bright and rich noble cheese taste. Depending on the aging time, two main types of Manchego cheese are distinguished - fresh or young (4 months of ripening) and old or mature, which ripens for at least a year.

Manchego cheese is served to the table as a snack of its own, as well as an ingredient in the salads of their fresh vegetables with olive oil and main dishes. In addition, Manchego cheese is often used in the process of making sauces. Foodies claim that Manchego cheese is simply perfect with bread, olives and chorizo sausage.

Manchego cheese can be served with honey as a dessert or marinated in extra virgin olive oil. hard Spanish cheese Manchego combines perfectly with sherry, as well as red wines made from Tempranillo grapes.