Hard cheese
Manchego
Spain — La Mancha.
PDOQueso Manchego. PDO: milk of Manchega sheep from La Mancha.
Profile
- Milk
- Manchega sheep's milk.
- Pasteurisation
- Pasteurised or raw (artesano).
- Texture
- Firm, compact, with small eyes; crumbly when aged.
- Flavour
- Nutty, buttery, tangy; caramel when aged.
- Aroma
- Sheep's milk, hay.
- Rind
- Natural or coated, with a zigzag basket-weave pattern.
- Typical maturation
- About 1 month to 2 years
Tasting & pairing
Compare semicurado and viejo. Use the tasting wheel.
Food
- Quince paste (membrillo)
- Almonds
- Olives
- Pisto
Drinks (non-alcoholic)
- Grape juice
- Sparkling water
Optional, if you drink alcohol: Tempranillo.
Storage: Wrap; refrigerate.
How it's made
- Method
- Renneted, cut fine, cooked, pressed in moulds imprinted with the traditional pattern, salted and aged.
- Cultures
- Mesophilic cultures.
- Coagulation
- Rennet
- Curd handling
- Cut to rice-grain size.
- Pressing
- Pressed.
- Salting
- Brined.
- Ageing
- Semi-cured to cured to viejo.
At home: Not practical at home
Sheep's milk and long ageing.
Recipes on FriendsPantry that use it
Sources
- Cheese Making Technology e-book — University of Guelph, Food Science
- Molds on Food: Are They Dangerous? — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- eAmbrosia — EU geographical indications register — European Commission
Guidance changes: check the source for current wording. Original text; figures quoted from the sources where stated.