El esparto manchego artesano (PDO)
Tasting Notes.
Manchego is the most well-known of all Spanish artisan cheeses and its origins lie in the arid but fertile plateau of La Mancha - derived from the Arab word al -mansha meaning dry land.
These days most examples of Manchego are produced on a large industrial scale using milk collected from across the defined PDO region, which makes this farmstead 'artesano' cheese a rare exception. Taking its name from the plaited esparto grass belts traditionally used to girdle the young curds as they drained under a stone weight between two planks of wood, the natural brown rind contains no artificial colours or mould inhibitors.
El Esparto Manchego is aged for between 6-9 months until the ivory-coloured interior develops a distinctive sweet moist nutty finish with just a hint of the grasses and wild shrubs that grow on the plains surrounding the farm.
Source.
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SPAIN
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EWE'S MILK
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HARD
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See how manchego cheese is made
Will travels to the land of Don Quixote to look at the rich ewe's milk cheese Manchego
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On the blog
Max Allen & Will talk out harmonious drink & cheese pairings
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Like Spanish cheese?
