Queso de La Serena is a

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

Merino The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...

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 ...

in the

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

(district) of La Serena, in

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The pure sheep milk is curdled using a coagulant found in the

pistil Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

s of

cardoon The cardoon, ''Cynara cardunculus'' (), also called the artichoke thistle, is a thistle in the family Asteraceae. It is a naturally occurring species that also has many cultivated forms, including the globe artichoke. It is native to the wester ...

(''

Cynara cardunculus The cardoon, ''Cynara cardunculus'' (), also called the artichoke thistle, is a thistle in the family Asteraceae. It is a naturally occurring species that also has many cultivated forms, including the globe artichoke. It is native to the wester ...

''). This ingredient lends a light bitterness to the otherwise slightly salty taste. It is aged for at least sixty days. When the cheese has a creamy consistency in the centre, it is traditionally eaten by slicing off the top and scooping out the inside with a spoon, and it is known as Torta de La Serena. If it is allowed to mature further it becomes harder, develops a stronger taste and is known as Queso de La Serena. Torta de La Serena differs from the Torta del Casar, which is also made in Extremadura, because it is made only from Merino sheep milk, whereas Torta del Casar is made from milk from mixed breeds; and also because less rennet (coagulant) is used. These two conditions result in a milder cheese. It differs from Queijo Serra da Estrela, made in neighbouring Portugal, because, although Queijo Serra da Estrela is, like Torta de La Serena, made entirely from Merino sheep milk, is uses more rennet (more even than Torta del Casar). This results in Queijo Serra da Estrela having a stronger, more bitter taste. The Torta de La Serena is a PDO.

References

* Master cheesemaker Marcelino Real Ibáñez on the very special Torta de la Serena http://foodzube.com/saucydressings/delaserena/{{Spanish cheeses Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union Extremaduran cuisine Spanish cheeses Sheep's-milk cheeses