Palmero cheese (Sp: ''queso palmero'' or ''queso de La Palma'') is a Spanish plain or lightly smoked cheese from the island of

La Palma La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and officially San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The ...

in the Canary Islands. It is made of unpasteurised

goats The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of th ...

milk and has

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protection. The goats are free to graze on natural wild plants which are available all year round. The cheese is made on many small farms all over the island. It is presented in cylindrical cheeses of up to 15 kilos (33 lbs).

Manufacture

The milk is collected after milking and coagulated before it has cooled, around 27 to 33C (80-91 °F), with natural rennet from goat kids. The coagulation usually takes about 45 minutes, after which the curd is cut into small grains to facilitate the drainage of the whey. The curd is then put into moulds and pressed and then left to drain. After this the cheeses are salted on the exterior with dry sea salt collected on the island. Some cheese is sold as fresh and some is smoked. The smoking is carried out using local materials such as almond shells, dried

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or canarian pine. Following the smoking the cheeses are left to mature in local caves or air-conditioned rooms standing on plastic mesh which imparts a pattern on the rind. The cheeses are turned regularly and the rinds are rubbed with olive oil or

gofio Gofio is a sort of Canarian flour made from roasted grains (typically wheat or certain varieties of maize) or other starchy plants (e.g. beans and, historically, fern root), some varieties containing a little added salt. Gofio has been an ...

to protect them.

Flavour

The flavour is clean and characteristic of goat milk and a natural coagulation with a slight acidity and slight saltiness. The smoked cheese has a very slight smoky taste.

Texture

In fresh cheese it is soft and shiny white. In more mature cheese it is firm but elastic and of an ivory-white to pale cream colour. The cheese cuts cleanly but very small cavities evenly spread through the cheese may be visible.

Rind

The rind on fresh cheese is very thin. On mature cheese it is of medium thickness and the whole of the flat faces are usually marked with a grid of small squares. The colour can vary from a pale beige-cream to light or medium brown, depending on the maturity and smoking method.

Uses

Palmero cheese is eaten thinly sliced and unprepared or it may be grilled and eaten with the local

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sauce.

References