Sheep´s milk Cheeses: The Meseta culture

• Central Spain. Sheep’s home.

  • Spain is the second largest EU country, with 500.00 Sq Km. (almost 200.00 Sq. Miles). If we draw an imaginary circle around Madrid, with a radius of 250 miles, all that lies inside the circle is what we call central Spain or the Meseta. It is a high plateau, 2,000 feet from sea level, with an extreme continental climate, surrounded by chains of mountains. This vast area, crisscrossed by three of Spain’s great rivers (the Duero, the Tajo and the Guadiana), is the home to the sheep.

• The Northern Plateau.

  • In the north of the Meseta, in the area now called Castille- Leon, there are two typical breeds: the Churra and the Castilian, both bred essentially for their milk. It is in this area that the Zamorano cheese, the Pata de Mulo (also known as Castilian and Villalon) and the Burgos cheese are made.

  • The Zamorano cheese, is a classic Spanish sheep’s milk cheese. It is made with full cream milk, coming mainly from the Churra sheep.

  • The Castilian cheese, is another classic with very similar characteristics to the Zamorano cheese. It is also produced with full cream sheep’s milk, primarily from the Castilian breed.

  • Within this large area, there are another three types of sheep’s milk cheese, these are Burgos, Bureba and Pata de mulo. The Burgos cheese takes its name from the famous market in the provincial capital of Burgos. It is a fresh, white, moist cheese with a slightly sweet flavor.

  • The Pata de mulo (literally transalted mule’s leg) is cylindrical but lies flat on one side with a rough surface produced by rolling the curd by hand in a cloth. It is more compact and drier than the Burgos cheese and slightly more acidulous and salty.

• The Southern Plateau.

  • To the south of the Meseta, in what is now the region of Castile-La Mancha, the most important, best known sheep’s milk cheese is produced, the Manchego cheese immortalized by Cervantes in El Quixote. It looks similar to the Zamorano and Castilian cheeses, but it is completely different. It is produced in six Spanish provinces only from sheep of the Manchegan breed. The climatic conditions of this area, drier than in the north of the meseta, results in a very fatty and more acidulous milk. The cheese is mild, full tasting and fragrant, more piquant and salty than its relatives in the northern plateau of Castile-Leon.

• Extremadura, Land of Extremes.

  • In the southwest segment of our imaginary circle lies Extremadura, literally "Land of Extremes", where the herds spend the winter. 

  • Here two artisanal cheeses are produced, strongly rooted in their environment-and associated with one particular breed of sheep- the Merino. These are the Torta del Casar and La Serena. These cheeses are still hand made with raw milk from Merino sheep. The sheep graze on fresh grass and acorns. They produce very small quantities of milk, containing a large proportion of dry extracts and fats.

  • Torta del Casar is mostly made in and around the small town of Casar de Cáceres. While La Serena is produced in the south-east. Both are small, disc- shaped cheeses. The difference lies in that the torta ferments intensely turning the paste into a liquid mass that can be eaten with a spoon. The Serena is more compact and tight.

• Others sheep’s milk cheeses.

  • Moving to the north of Spain and the Basque Country. This tremendously mountainous country is the home to one of the most important breeds of sheep in Spain, the Latxa (pronounced lacha) , specially bred for its milk. The cheese produced here is the Idiazábal, a thick well pressed cheese with a compact center, made exclusively of full cream raw sheep’s milk. It could be smoked or not, since the practice of smoking is optional.

  • Related to the Idiazábal is the Roncal cheese from northwest Navarre. Similar in shape and characteristics, it is not smoked and is made of full cream Latxa or Aragonese Rasa sheep’s milk.

  • In Cantabria and Asturias, also in the north of Spain, we can find the Quesucos, which are small cylindrical cheeses. Another cheese is the Serrat, which is produced in the Catalonian Pyrenees, this is a pressed cheese, with no eyes, hence serrat means tight in Catalan.

  • Other long fermentation cheeses have a strong taste and a spreading texture. These are the Tupí, the Basque Gaztazarra, and the Quemón or Picañón. 
    In the Maestrazgo district between Teruel and Castellon, another cheese is produced called the Tronchón. It has a volcano shape with the rind being engraved with attractive flower designs.

  • Finally, moving to the south, Andalucia is home of two artisan cheeses that are produced in small quantities, these are the cheeses from Calahorra and from Grazalema.

Map: Javier Belloso 
Ewes´milk Cheeses:
1 - Cataluña: Serrat, Tupi.
2 - Maestrazgo: Tronchón.
3 - Andalucía: Calahorra, Grazalema.
4 - Extremadura: La Serena, Torta del Casar.
5 - Asturias: Quemón o Picañón.
6 - Cantabria: Quesucos.
7 - País Vasco: Idiazábal, Gaztazarra.
8 - Navarra: Roncal.
9- Castilla-León: Burgos, Bureba, Castellano, Zamorano, Ibérico.
10 - Castilla la Mancha: Manchego.