Manchego

This historic spanish cheese is named for the Spanish region of La Mancha, also home of Don Quixote. Made of pasteurized sheep’s milk, it has a black gray or buff colored rind with a crosshatch pattern, the interior ranges from stark white to yellow, depending on age. The aroma should suggest lanolin and roast lamb. The final cheese is usually smeared with olive oil and surface mould is removed. It has a number of holes and a mild, slightly briny, nutty flavor. It is sold at various stages of maturity: at the age of 13 weeks it is described as curado (cured) and, when over three months old it is referred to as viejo (aged). There is a peppery bite to cheeses that have reached a great age. It is the best known of a series of sheep milk cheeses and is similar to Zamorano, Cadiz, Calahora or Castelleno.
Milk: ewe milk
Texture: hard
Fat Content: 57%