![Queso Idiazábal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Queso_Idiaz%C3%A1bal.jpg)
Idiazabal is a pressed
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
made from unpasteurized
sheep milk
Sheep's milk (or ewes' milk) is the milk of domestic sheep. It is commonly used to make cultured dairy products such as cheese. Some of the most popular sheep cheeses include feta (Greece), ricotta (Italy), and Roquefort (France).
Sheep breeds
S ...
, usually from
Latxa
The Latxa (; es, Lacho/Lacha) is a list of sheep breeds, breed of domestic sheep native to the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country of Spain. Mostly contained within the provinces of Biscay, Gipuzkoa and Navarre, Latxa are sheep milk, ...
and
Carranzana sheep in the
Basque Country and
Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
. It has a somewhat smokey flavor, but is usually un-smoked.
The cheese is handmade and covered in a hard, dark brown, inedible
rind. It is aged for a few months and develops a nutty, buttery flavor, eaten fresh, often with
quince jam. If aged longer, it becomes firm, dry and sharp and can be used for grating.
The
Denomination of Origin
Denomination may refer to:
* Religious denomination, such as a:
** Christian denomination
** Jewish denomination
** Islamic denomination
** Hindu denominations
** Buddhist denomination
* Denomination (currency)
* Denomination (postage stamp)
* ...
for Idiazabal cheese was created in 1987 and defines the basic regulations for the product's manufacture. Typically, unpasteurized milk from
latxa
The Latxa (; es, Lacho/Lacha) is a list of sheep breeds, breed of domestic sheep native to the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country of Spain. Mostly contained within the provinces of Biscay, Gipuzkoa and Navarre, Latxa are sheep milk, ...
breed of sheep is used, although in some cases the D.O. permits the use of milk from
Carranzana breed, from the
Encartaciones
Enkarterri ( Spanish: ''Las Encartaciones'') is a comarca of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven ''eskualdeak/comarcas'' or districts that make up the province of Biscay. Its administrative centre is Balma ...
in
Biscay
Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao.
B ...
. The D.O. also stipulates that the milk be curdled with the natural lamb
rennet
Rennet () is a complex set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease enzyme that curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes, such as pepsin and a ...
, and permits external smoking of the cheese. The cheeses produced in the following towns in accordance with all the D.O. regulations, are therefore also protected by the Idiazabal D.O. :
Urbia,
Entzia,
Gorbea
Gorbea () or Gorbeia () is a mountain and massif in the Basque Country, Spain. It is the highest summit in Biscay and Álava, with a height of above sea level. The massif covers a wide area between the two provinces. The main summit is a round ...
,
Orduña,
Urbasa
The Urbasa Range (''Urbasa mendilerroa'' in Basque and ''Sierra de Urbasa'' in Spanish) is a mountain range of western Navarre, Spain, part of the Basque Mountains. Its highest point is the 1,183-metre-high Baiza.
Urbasa is a karstic range wher ...
and
Aralar. Recently some Basque Country farmers have begun to use hybrid
Assaf sheep, which some maintain does not meet the
Denomination of Origin
Denomination may refer to:
* Religious denomination, such as a:
** Christian denomination
** Jewish denomination
** Islamic denomination
** Hindu denominations
** Buddhist denomination
* Denomination (currency)
* Denomination (postage stamp)
* ...
for the cheese.
Production process
Idiazabal is an aged cheese, from semi-cured to cured, made exclusively from whole unpasteurized sheep's milk. It is produced by strong enzymatic
coagulation
Coagulation, also known as clotting, is the process by which blood changes from a liquid to a gel, forming a blood clot. It potentially results in hemostasis, the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel, followed by repair. The mechanism o ...
. The pressed paste can be either uncooked or semi-cooked. It can eventually be externally smoked.
The milk used to produce Idiazabal must be whole unpasteurized, with a minimum of 6% fat. The milk coagulates at a temperature of , with the addition of natural lamb curd, resulting in a compact curdle after 30 to 45 minutes.
The curdle is cut in order to obtain rice-size grains, and then reheated to . In the case of coagulation at higher temperatures, the reheating temperature can reach . The reheated and shrunken paste dehydrates and is placed in molds where it may or may not be seasoned before pressing. Salting of the cheese is performed by rubbing the rind with dry salt or immersing the cheese in highly salted water for 24 hours. Finally, the cheeses are aged under cold and humid conditions avoiding
mold
A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungus, fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of Spore#Fungi, spores containing Secondary metabolite#Fungal secondary metabolites, fungal seco ...
, for at least two months.
The optional smoking takes place at the end of the aging process, using woods from the beech-tree, birch-tree, cherry tree or white pine. The intensity of the smoked qualities depends upon the type of wood and length of smoking. The cheeses are usually cylindrical in shape, although they are occasionally cone- or octagonal-shaped. The rinds of artisan cheeses may be engraved with drawings or symbols characteristic of the Basque culture. The rind is closed, smoked, waxy, without mold. The unsmoked cheeses have a yellow-beige color, while smoked cheeses are brownish.
The interior is compact, without air pockets or with only pin-head size holes, and is beige or pale yellow in color. The interior of the smoked cheeses has a brownish border. The taste is strong and pronounced, slightly acidic and piquant, buttery and consistent, with a characteristic sheep milk flavor. The smoked version is somewhat drier and stronger, with a pleasant aroma. The size of every cheese ranges from small to medium, with weights between .
See also
*
Ossau-Iraty
Ossau-Iraty is an Occitan-Basque cheese made from sheep milk.
Origin
Ossau-Iraty or Esquirrou is produced in south-western France, in the Northern Basque Country and in Béarn. Its name reflects its geographical location, the Ossau Valley in Bé ...
References
Idiazabal cheese
External links
Idiazabal Official SiteIdiazabal Official Shop
{{DEFAULTSORT:Idiazabal (Cheese)
Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union
Spanish cheeses
Basque cuisine
Sheep's-milk cheeses
Spanish products with protected designation of origin
Smoked cheeses