Queso de Valdeón (''Queisu de Valdión'', in Leonese language) is a Spanish blue cheese from León. The cheese is made in

Posada de Valdeón Posada de Valdeón (Astur-Leonese: ''Valdión'') is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. Population According to the 2006 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 526 inhabitants. Villages Posa ...

, in the northeast of the province of León, and is wrapped in

sycamore maple ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved tree, tol ...

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Acer pseudoplatanus ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of flowering plant in the Sapindus, soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved ...

''), or

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

leaves before being sent to market. The cheese has a very intense blue flavor, but is not as yellowed or as biting as its cousin Cabrales. Queso de Valdeón has PGI status.EU Queso Valdeon Profile
(accessed 23 May 2009) The production of cheese in the Valdeón valley dates back to pre-Roman times, being made at that time with goat's milk as raw material. During the 19th century, cheese production was one of the main occupations in the area, since the production of milk from the cattle that grazed on the high-altitude sheepfolds during the summer was transformed into cheese in the cabins at the top or was transported to the villages of the valley. Due to the important natural barriers that delimit the valley, it has a microclimate that favors the development of the microbial flora that characterizes these cheeses.

References

Blue cheeses Leonese cuisine Spanish cheeses Picos de Europa Spanish products with protected designation of origin Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union {{Cheese-stub

See also

References