Torta del Casar ( ext, Torta del Casal) is a cheese made from
sheep's milk
Sheep's milk (or ewes' milk) is the milk of domestic sheep. It is commonly used to make cultured dairy products such as cheese. Some of the most popular sheep cheeses include feta (Greece), ricotta (Italy), and Roquefort (France).
Sheep breeds
S ...
in the
Extremadura
Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...
region 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 is named after
Casar de Cáceres
Casar de Cáceres is a town and municipality in the province of Cáceres, in the autonomous community of Extremadura. With 4532 inhabitants in 2017, it is the second most populous municipality in the Tajo-Salor Mancomunidad. In the municipality th ...
, its city of origin. The milk is curdled using a
coagulant found in the pistils of the
cardoon, a wild thistle. This ingredient lends a subtle bitterness to the otherwise rich and slightly salty tasting cheese. It is aged for at least sixty days. The fully ripe cheese has a creamy consistency in the center, and is traditionally eaten by slicing off the top and scooping out the inside.
In 1999, the cheese was given
protected-origin status, regulations that stipulate not only where it can be produced, but also that it can only be made with the milk of
Merino
The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...
and
Entrefina sheep. These breeds have a low yield of milk, and it takes the milk of 20 sheep to make a wheel of Torta del Casar.
See also
*
List of cheeses
This is a list of cheeses by place of origin. Cheese is a milk-based food that is produced in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms. Hundreds of types of cheese from various countries are produced. Their styles, textures and flavors dep ...
*
List of sheep milk cheeses
This is a list of sheep milk cheeses. Sheep milk cheese is prepared from sheep milk (or ewe's milk), the milk of domestic sheep. The milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products, such as cheese.
Sheep milk cheeses
* Abbaye de ...
References
Torta del Casar: Regulation Council, Protected Designation of Origin retrieved December 22, 2005
"It takes a herd of sheep to make one small wheel of Torta del Casar"by Janet Fletcher, ''San Francisco Chronicle'', December 22, 2005, retrieved December 22, 2005
{{Spanish cheeses
Extremaduran cuisine
Spanish cheeses
Sheep's-milk cheeses