Payoyo cheese (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''queso payoyo'' or ''queso de cabra payoya'') is a type of

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 the milk of

Payoya goat Payoya is a Spanish breed of goat from the Sierra de Cádiz. It is named after the village of Villaluenga del Rosario, whose inhabitants are known as ''payoyos''. This breed is officially considered to be endangered by the Government of Spain. It ...

s and Merina grazalemeña sheep in

Villaluenga del Rosario Villaluenga del Rosario is a village located in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 481 inhabitants. It is located down Navazo Alto mountain, within the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park The S ...

and other areas of the

Sierra de Grazalema Grazalema is a village located in the northeastern part of the province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Situated in the foothills of the Sierra del Pinar mountain range (Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park), Grazalema h ...

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 ...

. It began production in 1997 and has become a staple of Spanish

delicatessen Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a retail establishment that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessen originated in Germany (original: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the m ...

. The term ''payoyo'' is the

demonym A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...

for

. In 1986, ten years before the name "payoyo cheese" was popularized by Queso Payoyo SL, production of the same type of cheese had begun in the nearby village of El Bosque by the company El Bosqueño. In 2016, El Bosqueño's payoyo cheese finished third at the

World Cheese Awards The Guild of Fine Food (GFF) is a British family-owned industry journal publisher that covers gourmet food news. It was founded by Bob Farrand in 1992. All five directors are members of the Farrand family. Bob Farrand is the chairman, his son ...

. In 2018, La Pastora de Grazalema, another brand of payoyo cheese, was ranked no. 1 in the category "best mixed-milk cheeses" at the Salón de Gourmets, IFEMA, Madrid.

Distribution

Payoyo cheeses are distributed throughout Spain and exported to countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Sweden and Belgium. They have received several prestigious both national and international awards.

References

{{reflist Spanish cheeses Andalusian cuisine Sheep's-milk cheeses Goat's-milk cheeses Mixed-milk cheeses