I first read Cervantes' Don Quixote de la Mancha as a wee lad and it made a lasting impression on me, eventually shaping my writing and perspective quite a bit. This is actually ironic, as I'm pretty sure Cervantes would scoff at my writing and find my personal philosophy to be as ridiculous as the chivalric romance literature he so masterfully satired. In any case the title character is known to joust, or tilt, at windmills under the grand delusion that they are evil giants to be smote from this world. This is that part of the film where one of the characters says the title and half of the audience shakes their head in judgment while the other half gets really excited and repeats it, just in case that first half missed it. Option C is that you, dear reader, have not looked at name under which I post these, in which case this entire paragraph is devoid of meaning.
When the brave knight-errant Don Quixote was not sallying forth towards this or that adventure, and indeed probably even when he was, I am fairly certain he could be found sating his noble hunger with Manchego, a cheese that also hails from La Mancha. This area-controlled Cheese carries a distinctive zig-zag patterned rind, a tribute to the grass baskets traditionally used as molds, and carries itself well at any age.
Origin: La Mancha, Spain
Milk: Sheep, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 4-5 months
Notes: Milk sourced exclusively from the Manchega breed of sheep. You know what they say about Manchega sheep.
(they're b-e-a-ewe-tiful).
Thoughts: This Manchego is middle-aged, indeed some are aged as much as two years before being sold, and as a result the experience is on the whole creamy and grassy in that pleasant sheep's cheese manner. This specimen was already fairly firm when I bought it but, as is generally the case with Manchegos, the paste resisted crumbling and instead was uniformly delicious. The savory flavor has marked tangy and sweet notes, in balance with a mild saltiness and made complete with the occasional crunch characteristic of firm cheeses. One thing that is vital to note with Spanish cheeses, especially sheep cheeses, is that, if the Italian cheeses are salty, Spanish cheeses are oily. Before everyone gets the idea into their head that this is a bad thing, let me reassure you it is not. Sheep's milk is naturally the fattiest of the three main milk types, but these are not the KFC Double-Down variety fats that make heart disease the #1 killer of Americans, they're the no-additive, non-processed, non-hydrogenated, non-saturated, and generally non-adulterated fats that have been keeping the good people of La Mancha lean, mean, and full of nutrients for centuries. I'm not advocating that you go all Paula Dean and mainline the stuff, but there is nothing wrong with eating these cheeses in a reasonable manner. The oily characteristic, which will pop up again in other Spanish cheeses, adds a rich, dark dimension to the flavor that only goes further to explain why Manchego is a familiar installment on cheese platters everywhere. It is not as bold a flavor as the more aged Manchegos on the market or the other sharper Spanish sheep's milk gems, but it is by all accounts a standalone cheese and a deserving staple of any cheese diet.
This being the first cheese-a-day post I figure I'll try to explain more of my strategy for the next few months. When I was working at the Cheese Importers, spending glorious hours helping customers inside the walk-in cheese cooler, I always found myself explaining some random detail about cheese in response to a customer's query. The fact is there's a whole lot going on in cheese, made evident by the incredible variety in textures, flavors, colors, smells, and so forth. One cheese a day is good fun and all, but I'm going to try to add some eduction (targeted tangents, guided gushing, rational ranting) about once a week as well.
Today's thoughts on cheese address the three main milk types and why you should care.
I was raised in a cheddar and deli cheese household, with the more exotic cream cheese and cottage cheese adding a sense of wonder to my culinary life. In all seriousness, though I was always well fed and do not begrudge by parents their parenting, I took for granted that cheese came from cows for a criminally long time and didn't really have my horizons expanded beyond bovine until high school and, eventually, the Cheese Plate incident. I say criminally because only knowing one milk type is like unto only eating chicken, or only driving domestic cars. One bite of filet mignon, one look at an Alfa, and your world will never be the same.
Even more than the region from which a cheese hails, the variety of milk(s) used will influence the flavor in the most fundamental of ways. Cow's milk, likely the most easily recognized of the three, can be a little sweet, a little creamy, and will generally taste like, well, "the way milk/cheese tastes". Here I am admittedly relating to the Americans reading this, as different pasteurization laws in Europe lead to a different, more tangy tasting milk. Harsh pasteurization typical of dairies in the US kills off that tang, along with any soul the milk once had. Goat's milk products are typically tangy and very sweet when young, building into a nutty, grassy, and boldly tangy flavor when aged. Sheep's milk products will also have marked grassy/earthy tones but are considerably more rich and savory than sweet, aided by the characteristic oiliness mentioned above. Many cheesemakers combine two or all three of these milks to create unique and stunning cheeses, and then things really get crazy. These are, of course, gross simplifications of the plethora of flavors to be found in each category, much less the under appreciated buffalo and yak cheeses, but what's important to know is that there is a whole world to be tried apart from cow's milk cheese.
On top of this there are also some interesting scientific qualities to the three milk types worth noting, such as the high fat content of sheep's milk. For those stricken with lactose intolerance, for example, goat's milk cheeses are often prescribed as alternatives to cow's milk. The fats and proteins in goat's milk are structured differently and can be easier to break down. This works on a person-by-person basis only and is not a miracle cure, but it can mean continuing to enjoy cheese without the pain caused by cow's milk.
The More You Know
Caution
That was not worst nor the last cheese joke you will be made to suffer through.
When the brave knight-errant Don Quixote was not sallying forth towards this or that adventure, and indeed probably even when he was, I am fairly certain he could be found sating his noble hunger with Manchego, a cheese that also hails from La Mancha. This area-controlled Cheese carries a distinctive zig-zag patterned rind, a tribute to the grass baskets traditionally used as molds, and carries itself well at any age.
Milk: Sheep, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 4-5 months
Notes: Milk sourced exclusively from the Manchega breed of sheep. You know what they say about Manchega sheep.
(they're b-e-a-ewe-tiful).
Thoughts: This Manchego is middle-aged, indeed some are aged as much as two years before being sold, and as a result the experience is on the whole creamy and grassy in that pleasant sheep's cheese manner. This specimen was already fairly firm when I bought it but, as is generally the case with Manchegos, the paste resisted crumbling and instead was uniformly delicious. The savory flavor has marked tangy and sweet notes, in balance with a mild saltiness and made complete with the occasional crunch characteristic of firm cheeses. One thing that is vital to note with Spanish cheeses, especially sheep cheeses, is that, if the Italian cheeses are salty, Spanish cheeses are oily. Before everyone gets the idea into their head that this is a bad thing, let me reassure you it is not. Sheep's milk is naturally the fattiest of the three main milk types, but these are not the KFC Double-Down variety fats that make heart disease the #1 killer of Americans, they're the no-additive, non-processed, non-hydrogenated, non-saturated, and generally non-adulterated fats that have been keeping the good people of La Mancha lean, mean, and full of nutrients for centuries. I'm not advocating that you go all Paula Dean and mainline the stuff, but there is nothing wrong with eating these cheeses in a reasonable manner. The oily characteristic, which will pop up again in other Spanish cheeses, adds a rich, dark dimension to the flavor that only goes further to explain why Manchego is a familiar installment on cheese platters everywhere. It is not as bold a flavor as the more aged Manchegos on the market or the other sharper Spanish sheep's milk gems, but it is by all accounts a standalone cheese and a deserving staple of any cheese diet.
This being the first cheese-a-day post I figure I'll try to explain more of my strategy for the next few months. When I was working at the Cheese Importers, spending glorious hours helping customers inside the walk-in cheese cooler, I always found myself explaining some random detail about cheese in response to a customer's query. The fact is there's a whole lot going on in cheese, made evident by the incredible variety in textures, flavors, colors, smells, and so forth. One cheese a day is good fun and all, but I'm going to try to add some eduction (targeted tangents, guided gushing, rational ranting) about once a week as well.
Today's thoughts on cheese address the three main milk types and why you should care.
I was raised in a cheddar and deli cheese household, with the more exotic cream cheese and cottage cheese adding a sense of wonder to my culinary life. In all seriousness, though I was always well fed and do not begrudge by parents their parenting, I took for granted that cheese came from cows for a criminally long time and didn't really have my horizons expanded beyond bovine until high school and, eventually, the Cheese Plate incident. I say criminally because only knowing one milk type is like unto only eating chicken, or only driving domestic cars. One bite of filet mignon, one look at an Alfa, and your world will never be the same.
Even more than the region from which a cheese hails, the variety of milk(s) used will influence the flavor in the most fundamental of ways. Cow's milk, likely the most easily recognized of the three, can be a little sweet, a little creamy, and will generally taste like, well, "the way milk/cheese tastes". Here I am admittedly relating to the Americans reading this, as different pasteurization laws in Europe lead to a different, more tangy tasting milk. Harsh pasteurization typical of dairies in the US kills off that tang, along with any soul the milk once had. Goat's milk products are typically tangy and very sweet when young, building into a nutty, grassy, and boldly tangy flavor when aged. Sheep's milk products will also have marked grassy/earthy tones but are considerably more rich and savory than sweet, aided by the characteristic oiliness mentioned above. Many cheesemakers combine two or all three of these milks to create unique and stunning cheeses, and then things really get crazy. These are, of course, gross simplifications of the plethora of flavors to be found in each category, much less the under appreciated buffalo and yak cheeses, but what's important to know is that there is a whole world to be tried apart from cow's milk cheese.On top of this there are also some interesting scientific qualities to the three milk types worth noting, such as the high fat content of sheep's milk. For those stricken with lactose intolerance, for example, goat's milk cheeses are often prescribed as alternatives to cow's milk. The fats and proteins in goat's milk are structured differently and can be easier to break down. This works on a person-by-person basis only and is not a miracle cure, but it can mean continuing to enjoy cheese without the pain caused by cow's milk.
The More You Know
Caution
That was not worst nor the last cheese joke you will be made to suffer through.
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