Afuega'l pitu is an
unpasteurised cow's milk
cheese from
Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensiv ...
, one of four Asturian cheeses (the others being
Cabrales
Cabrales is a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias, northwestern Spain. It is situated between the Sierra de Cuera and the Picos de Europa, and is a region famous for its Cabrales cheese.
Important towns within the municipa ...
,
Gamonedo cheese, and
Casín cheese
Casín cheese ( es, queso Casin)is a Spanish cheese made in the Principality of Asturias. Its name is covered by a protected designation of origin (PDO). It is made from full-fat, unpasteurized cows' milk from specific breeds, namely Asturian Mo ...
) to have been recognized with
Protected Designation of Origin'' (''Denominación de Origen'', DO) by Spain and the European Union.
The name literally translates as "strangle the chicken" in the
and legend is that when the chicken ("pitu" in Asturian) is dead the cheese is ready. It is considered to be one of the oldest
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, Can ...
cheeses. Production is centered in the municipalities of
Grado
Grado may refer to:
People
* Cristina Grado (1939–2016), Italian film actress
* Jonathan Grado (born 1991), American entrepreneur and photographer
* Francesco De Grado ( fl. 1694–1730), Italian engraver
* Gaetano Grado, Italian mafioso
* ...
,
Las Regueras
Las Regueras (Les Regueres en Asturiano) is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is bordered on the north by Illas and Llanera, on the south by Grado, on the west by Candamo, and on the east ...
,
Morcín
Morcín is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is bordered on the north by Santo Adriano and Ribera de Arriba, on the east by Ribera and Mieres, on the south by Riosa on the west by Quirós.
Pa ...
,
Pravia,
Riosa,
Salas
Salas, from Spanish ''salas'' (rooms, halls), is a Spanish surname and a common family name in the Hispanic-speaking world. It is ranked amongst the most common surnames found in Costa Rica and in Mexico.
People
* Ada Salas (born 1965), Spanis ...
, and
Yernes y Tameza
Yernes y Tameza is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is situated in the east-central zone of the principality, between mountains high along the Cubia River. It is bordered on the west, north, a ...
with the municipality of
Grado
Grado may refer to:
People
* Cristina Grado (1939–2016), Italian film actress
* Jonathan Grado (born 1991), American entrepreneur and photographer
* Francesco De Grado ( fl. 1694–1730), Italian engraver
* Gaetano Grado, Italian mafioso
* ...
having the largest production and being the headquarters of the council of Denomination of Origin.
The cheese is produced all year long although principally in spring and winter due to the elevated fat content in milk in the spring and winter months. Since 2008 it has enjoyed the recognition of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).
Process
The cheese is made from cow's milk from cows milked in the afternoon or evening and heated between 25 °C and 30 °C (77-86 °F) with a coagulant added so the milk forms curds. After midday the following day, the curds are cut and deposited in a mold to drain. From the mold it is passed to a sack or bag (''"Fardela"'') for the ''"Trapu"'' version or left with the form given by the mold (''"Troncado"''-Trunk) like a bishop's mitre. Salt is added, as is Spanish
paprika (''pimentón'') if desired. After a few days the period of curing starts with aging occurring on wooden planks for a period between a week and several months.
The resulting cheese is normally white (''blanco''), with a red (''rojo'') variety is also made where Spanish smoked paprika (''pimentón'') in its "sweet" and/or "spicy" (''"picante"'') varieties are added to the cheese before moulding to shape using the cone-shaped form (''"Troncado"''-Trunk) or cloth bag (''"Trapo"'' or ''"Trapu"'').
It also comes in soft and semi-hard varieties depending on the duration of curing.
Varieties
Forms
There are two main varieties according to the form given to the cheese:
* ''Troncado/Atroncáu''
sturian(Trunk): With a cone-shaped form like a bishop's mitre or inverted flowerpot from the mold used to drain the cheese.
* ''Trapo''/''Trapu'' (Rag/Cloth): Rounded like a chestnut with the form given by the cloth used to drain the cheese.
Color/Flavour
The other main distinction is whether or not paprika is added:
* ''Blanco''/''Blancu'' (White): Without Spanish paprika.
* ''Roxu''/''Rojo'' (Red): With sweet and/or hot Spanish paprika (according to the recipe of the artisan making the cheese).
Maturing Period
Depending on the length of time the cheese has been aged it can be:
* ''Soft''
*''Semi-cured''
*''Cured''
References
External links
Images of the cheese Google translation of Professional Spanish Cheesemakers Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Afuega'l Pitu
Spanish cheeses
Asturian cuisine
Cow's-milk cheeses
Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union