Last time I reviewed a cheese from Portugal this blog was taking its first brave steps in the wilderness of the internet and now, with no particular reason or fanfare, we return to review yet another exceptional goat cheese. It seems as though the Portuguese saw the cheeses of Spain and France and thought them too boring or plain-Jane, deciding only to make challenging and adventurous goat's milk concoctions. Palhais was a salty but flavor-packed and moist little button of a cheese, and today's cheese similarly mixes a solid flavor and a bold added characteristic.
Hailing from the same region as Palhais, Ribafria is made and sold in small disks, a semi-firm goat's cheese covered in rough black pepper. Salt and pepper, maybe the only spices the cheesemakers in Portugal have were stolen from the table of a Denny's or something. Maybe there's a cheese using Sweet-n-Low out there somewhere.
Origin: Torres Vedras, Portugal
Milk: Goat, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: I'd hazard around 3-5 months
Notes: 45% fat content, every bit of it needed to fight that peppercorn.
Thoughts: All joking aside the goat cheeses coming out of Portugal are truly delicious and could stand up to the harshest of critics. Just like Palhais, Ribafria is an exceptional flavor and so must be approached with appropriate expectations; a lover of fresh chevre may not find it to be his/her cup of tea but it is still a truly worthy product. An incredibly tangy aged goat cheese makes up the base of this powerful flavor, and you can taste it just strong and quick enough to appreciate it before the pepper wipes out any further flavors. The fire of the pepper progresses from shocking to warm and keeps burning long after the bite is over. It's still salty, to be sure, but that note stays more in balance with with the meaty and rustic goat's milk flavor here than in Palhais. The burn of the peppercorn was a little more than I was looking for, especially when I wanted to try and appreciate other, lighter cheeses on the same night, but it has a strong presence and an undeniable character. Plus, you can always scrape them off and eat just the paste, I won't tell.
Caution
One of these little disks will probably be enough to last a party, between the strength of the goat's milk flavor and the burn of the peppercorn it's not likely to fly off the plate. Still, with its strange looks and mature flavor, it is sure to please the adventurous cheese party-goer and helps paint an overall picture of the cheeses of Portugal.
Hailing from the same region as Palhais, Ribafria is made and sold in small disks, a semi-firm goat's cheese covered in rough black pepper. Salt and pepper, maybe the only spices the cheesemakers in Portugal have were stolen from the table of a Denny's or something. Maybe there's a cheese using Sweet-n-Low out there somewhere.
Milk: Goat, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: I'd hazard around 3-5 months
Notes: 45% fat content, every bit of it needed to fight that peppercorn.
Thoughts: All joking aside the goat cheeses coming out of Portugal are truly delicious and could stand up to the harshest of critics. Just like Palhais, Ribafria is an exceptional flavor and so must be approached with appropriate expectations; a lover of fresh chevre may not find it to be his/her cup of tea but it is still a truly worthy product. An incredibly tangy aged goat cheese makes up the base of this powerful flavor, and you can taste it just strong and quick enough to appreciate it before the pepper wipes out any further flavors. The fire of the pepper progresses from shocking to warm and keeps burning long after the bite is over. It's still salty, to be sure, but that note stays more in balance with with the meaty and rustic goat's milk flavor here than in Palhais. The burn of the peppercorn was a little more than I was looking for, especially when I wanted to try and appreciate other, lighter cheeses on the same night, but it has a strong presence and an undeniable character. Plus, you can always scrape them off and eat just the paste, I won't tell.
Caution
One of these little disks will probably be enough to last a party, between the strength of the goat's milk flavor and the burn of the peppercorn it's not likely to fly off the plate. Still, with its strange looks and mature flavor, it is sure to please the adventurous cheese party-goer and helps paint an overall picture of the cheeses of Portugal.
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