Tetilla is a regional
cow's-milk cheese made in
Galicia, in north-western
Spain
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, i ...
. It is a common element in
Galician cuisine
Galician cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients found in the cuisine of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. These include shellfish, ''empanadas, polbo á feira'' (a dish made of octopus), cheese ''queixo de tetilla'', '' ri ...
, often used as a dessert.
History
Already in the 1st century
AD 1
__NOTOC__
AD 1 or 1 CE is the epoch year for the Anno Domini (AD) Christian calendar era and also the 1st year of the Common Era (CE) and the 1st millennium and of the 1st century of the Christian and the common era. It was a common year starti ...
Plinio speaks of some tasty Gallaecia cheeses which he calls "mamulas lactem". However, there are theories that assure that this cheese comes from a convent of nuns from the 11th century, although what is clear is that Galicia has always been a cattle land and that the cowherds of the Rubia Gallega cow had enough milk for the cheese making. Tetilla, was typical of the eastern part of A Coruña, which bordered with
Lugo, in the municipalities of
Curtis
Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' ( Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Ga ...
,
Arzúa
Arzúa () is a municipality in the autonomous community of Galicia in the province of A Coruña in northwestern Spain. It has an area of 155.89 km², a population of 6,315 (2012 estimate), and a population density of 40.64 people/km². It is ...
and
Melide. With the cheese festival, this type of cheese, like other types of Galicia, have been gaining strength and prominence. The history of this cheese coincides with that of
A Ulloa.
It has had
Denominación de Origen certification since 1993 and European
DOP certification since 1996. It is the most traditional cheese consumed in Galicia, although it is also known and appreciated in the rest of Spain. According to Tetilla Cheese´s Regulatory Council (C.R.D.O.P. “Queixo Tetilla), about 2 million units of Tetilla cheese are produced annually. The highest volume was produced in 2010 with 2,8 million units.
Features
It was originally produced in small towns such as
Arzúa
Arzúa () is a municipality in the autonomous community of Galicia in the province of A Coruña in northwestern Spain. It has an area of 155.89 km², a population of 6,315 (2012 estimate), and a population density of 40.64 people/km². It is ...
,
Melide,
Curtis
Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' ( Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Ga ...
or
Sobrado dos Monxes, near the border between the
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
A Coruña
A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and s ...
and
Pontevedra
Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the '' Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality wh ...
;
it is now produced throughout Galicia. It is made with milk from three
breeds of cattle: imported
Friesian and
Parda Alpina (
Braunvieh
The Braunvieh (German, "brown cattle") or Swiss Brown is a breed or group of breeds of domestic cattle originating in Switzerland and distributed throughout the Alpine region. It falls within the "Brown Mountain" group of cattle breeds. The Swis ...
), and the local
Rubia Gallega of Galicia.
The name ''tetilla'' (Spanish for ''small breast''; the word is also the official name in Galician) describes the shape of the cheese, a sort of
cone
A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex.
A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines con ...
topped by a nipple, or a half pear – hence its other name, ''perilla''. It weighs from 0.5 to with a diameter and height ranging from 90 to
This cheese is matured between a minimum of 8 days and 30 days.
This cheese is soft, creamy, uniform, with few holes, ivory-white and yellowish in colour. It is very creamy in the mouth and has a very natural, milky, slightly acidulous and mildly salty flavour, suitable for all tastes. A cheese for daily and continuous consumption, at all times, with good culinary applications, especially for stuffing and breading, due to its melting character with a heat stroke. It can be accompanied by a glass of young
red wine or an
Albariño.
References
External links
Queixo de Tetilla– Official site of the "Queixo Tetilla – Consello regulador Denominación de Orixe protexida Queixo Tetilla" (in Galician, Spanish, French and English)
Tetilla cheese info at spanishclub.blog
Galician cuisine
Spanish cheeses
Spanish products with protected designation of origin
Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union
{{Spain-cuisine-stub