Picón Bejes-Tresviso is a blue cheese from

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

, in the north of

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 has been protected under Denominación de Origen (DO) legislation since 1994, prior to which it was traditionally known as ''Picón de Tresviso'' and ''Queso Picón de Bejes''. The designated area centers in the

Liébana Liébana is a ''Comarcas of Cantabria, comarca'' of Cantabria (Spain). It covers 575 square kilometres and is located in the far southwest of Cantabria, bordering Asturias, León (province), León and Palencia (province), Palencia. It is made up o ...

valley and production is restricted to the municipalities of

Potes Potes is a municipality in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Cantabria in Spain. It is the capital of the Comarcas of Spain, Comarca of Liébana and is located in the centre of it. It is bordered to the north by Cillorigo ...

, Pesaguero,

Cabezón de Liébana Cabezón de Liébana is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. According to the 2007 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a giv ...

Camaleño Camaleño is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. According to the 2007 census, the city had 1,096 inhabitants. History According to the chronicle of Alfonso III of Leon, the surviving Arabs of the Battle of Cov ...

, Cillorigo de Liébana, Peñarrubia, Tresviso and Vega de Liébana.

Production

A mixture of

cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

's,

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

's and

goat 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 the a ...

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

is used in its production (although not necessarily from Bejes or Tresviso). The

curd Curd is obtained by coagulating milk in a sequential process called curdling. It can be a final dairy product or the first stage in cheesemaking. The coagulation can be caused by adding rennet or any edible acidic substance such as l ...

is created using a precise dose of rennet and cut into hazelnut-sized pieces, which are then drained and allowed to dry. The curd pieces are placed loosely in the mould, allowing sufficient air to circulate and initiate the growth of

penicillium ''Penicillium'' () is a genus of ascomycetous fungi that is part of the mycobiome of many species and is of major importance in the natural environment, in food spoilage, and in food and drug production. Some members of the genus produce pe ...

spores. The cheese is then salted and left for an initial drying and curing period of between 12 and 18 days, at a temperature between . Although much of the process thus far may take place in modern industrial units, DO regulations stipulate that final maturity be achieved by further curing in a natural limestone cave, typical of the geology of the Liébana region, for a minimum of two months.Pićon-Bejes-Tresviso
Maturation in this cool, high-humidity environment develops the particular taste and

brevibacterium ''Brevibacterium'' is a genus of bacteria of the order Micrococcales. They are Gram-positive soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together ...

-infested crust typical of many blue cheeses.

Characteristics

The finished cylindrical cheese may be between high and have a diameter of , weighing anything between and . The rind is thin and grey to yellow-green in colour. The flesh is smooth, white, and compact, with streaks and patches of teal-coloured veins and a powerful, slightly spicy flavour. Acidity values in the fat content of the cheese have been shown to increase by a factor of twenty over the uncured curd.

Marketing

Prior to DO regulation, it was often sold wrapped in Sycamore Maple ('' Acer pseudoplatanus'') leaves and is still marketed this way locally, albeit without the DO certification label. It is more widely available wrapped in a gold aluminum foil that permits stamping with an authentication seal and serial number. As result, leaf-bound Picón Bejes-Tresviso cheese is rarely found outside of the Liébana region.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Picon Bejes-Tresviso Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union Spanish cheeses Cantabrian cuisine Cow's-milk cheeses Sheep's-milk cheeses Goat's-milk cheeses Blue cheeses Spanish products with protected designation of origin Picos de Europa

Production

Characteristics

Marketing

See also

References