Afuega'l pitu is an
unpasteurised cow's milk
cheese
Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...
from
Asturias
Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...
, one of four Asturian cheeses (the others being
Cabrales
Cabrales is a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias, Spain. It is situated between the Sierra de Cuera and the Picos de Europa, and is a region famous for its Cabrales cheese. It is divided into nine parishes; Las Arenas is the ...
,
Gamonedo cheese, and
Casín cheese
Casín cheese ()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 Mountain (''Asturia ...
) to have been recognized with
''Protected Designation of Origin'' (, 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. Production is centered in the municipalities of
Grau
The Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (), commonly referred to by its transliterated acronym GRAU (), is a department of the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is subordinate to the Chief of ...
,
Les Regueres
Las Regueras (Les Regueres in Asturian) 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 by ...
,
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.
P ...
,
Pravia
Pravia is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias in Spain. It is bordered on the north by Cudillero and Muros de Nalón, on the east by Candamo and Soto del Barco, on the west by Cudillero and Salas, and ...
,
Riosa
Riosa is a municipality and parish (administrative division) in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias
Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community ...
,
Salas
Salas (Hebrew: סלאס), from Spanish ‘salas’ (rooms, halls), is a Spanish surname of Germanic and Jewish origin, and a common family name in the Spanish-speaking world. It is ranked amongst the List of most common surnames in North America, ...
, 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, an ...
, the first 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 union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
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 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
Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers, traditionally ''capsicum annuum''. It can have varying levels of Pungency, heat, but the peppers used for hot paprika tend to be milder and have thinner flesh than those used to produce ...
(''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 cheeseGoogle 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