Best Castilian-Leonese Raw Milk Cheese Types
Queso Zamorano is a cheese made from the milk of Churra and Castellana sheep breeds in the province of Zamora, in Castilla y León. It has a characteristic herringbone pattern imprinted on the top and bottom and a woven esparto grass (zigzag) pattern on the sides.
Depending on the weight of this cheese, its maturation period can range from 60 to 100 days. During this period, it is regularly turned and rubbed with olive oil, which causes the rind to become brown in color. Queso Zamorano has a full, piquant flavor with a delicate, tart aftertaste, and it's mostly consumed as a table cheese.
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One of the great blues of Europe, this Spanish cheese is produced in the Picos de Europa Mountains, namely the valley of Valdeón. The smooth and creamy Valdeón blue cheese is made from either pure cow's milk or a combination of cow's, sheep's, and goat's milk.
It is matured for about 45-60 days and sold wrapped in sycamore maple or chestnut leaves. Although it has all the character of a blue and a very intense, piquant flavor, Valdeón's bite is not as strong as the one in most other blue cheeses.
It is best paired with sherry and young, fresh white wines, which offer a good counterpoint to Valdeón's richness and pungency.
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Queso de Burgos is a Spanish cheese made from pasteurized or unpasteurized cow's and sheep's milk. The cheese has a pure white color, and it is traditionally shaped into a wheel with characteristical ridges on top. Its texture is silky and creamy, while the flavors are very mild, fresh, milky, and slightly acidic.
It is recommended to pair it with honey, walnuts, and dry white wines.
The artisan cheeses of Los Beyos are traditionally produced in the Picos de Europa mountains and made with either cow's, sheep's or goat's milk. Depending on the type of milk, this hard to semi-hard cheese is ripened for about 20 to 60 days and has a unique, flinty texture but at the very first bite, the firmness of Los Beyos melts into a creamy, buttery paste with a long balanced tangy aftertaste.
The overall flavor is rich and reminiscent of the grass and aromatic herbs on which the animals graze in the lush valleys of the Sella River. Los Beyos cheese is best paired with Spanish ciders, Galician white wines or young Mencia-based red wines.
Beato de Tábara is a Spanish cheese hailing from San Martin de Tábara in Castilla-León. The cheese is made from raw goat's milk and it's usually left to age from 60 to 100 days. Underneath its thin moldy rind with a cellar-like aroma, the texture is semi-firm and dense.
The flavors are sweet, goaty, and earthy, with grassy notes. It's recommended to serve Beato de Tábara with ripe pears and a glass of Riesling or Tempranillo.
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