Spain has an almost infinite variety of cheeses, of the highest quality and of diverse origins, cow, goat, sheep... even vegan. About our selection for Made in Spain Gourmet, we advise you how to try them in the company of friends, family or couples. Because the important thing is to know the quality of each one of the cheeses sharing with the most loved ones.
We want to share with this article our love and passion for cheeses in general, and for spanish cheeses in particular. Wonderful products that unite us so much around a table to enjoy them in company and also paired with other products, make the experience always memorable.
Because appreciating the different aspects of a cheese, its organoleptic characteristics, are within everyone's reach with the basic advice that we will comment on. Thus, the gastronomic and hedonistic experience is a pleasure that more people enjoy every day.
Selection of cheeses Made in Spain Gourmet
Our selection has been made with a very personal criterion but highly appreciated by our clients: quality of the final product, differences in the animal origin of each one of them and the history behind each one. Because our goal is to share the passion for our gastronomy and transmit it to people with the same enthusiasm that we had when trying each of the cheeses for the first time.
We can do two types of tastings: one where we will have different types of cheeses (different animal origins, varied textures) and another that is a vertical tasting, that is, we will appreciate the same cheese, different curings, and thus notice the differences in each one of them.
We will cut the round cheeses in the shape of a wedge or triangles, and the creamy ones such as the blue one in tacos and the creamy ones either in slices or the spoon will be introduced inside (fondue style).
Mariage by Made in Spain Gourmet
It is true that you can do a tasting only of cheeses, but we are committed to pairing them with other products that will make the experience even more memorable, if possible.
We recommend mixing them with natural jams, such as the ones we have selected from Antoinette Fruits (pear, fig, orange or peach) or nature (white fig and black fig and olive jam), honeys (from Alemany or Pintarré, you can choose from a wide portfolio of them) or Premium EVOO oils (varieties such as Arbequina, Picual, Hojiblanca, Arbosana, Empeltre or Farga), or nuts (The Quintería of hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts or pine nuts). That yes all, Made in Spain!
Between cheese and cheese, and to cleanse the mouth, we recommend bread or its derivatives, such as sticks or regañás, very traditional in the south of Spain.
As you can see, it is a luxury to do these tastings, savoring products of such quality.
The keys to distinguish cheeses
To be able to differentiate the cheeses, we will use the senses, the sight, the smell and the taste.
With our eyes, we will appreciate its shape, the rind, its color, the roughness of its textures..., it is the first approximation towards cheeses. For example, sheep cheeses are more yellowish in color (ivory), cow cheeses are bone-colored, and goat cheeses are the whitest.
The most important sense, smell, will provide us with information about its intensity, thanks to its aroma. In soft cheeses its smell is milder, increasing in cheeses with more curing, creamy ones and obviously in blue ones. It is possible that the aroma is sometimes not the most pleasant in the world, but later in the mouth, it is an explosion of juicy dairy products. And finally, with the taste, we will notice the firmness of the cheeses. The real pleasure begins when we put it in the mouth and taste it, putting it on the tongue, and pressing it against the palate, and thus we can notice if the cheese paste is buttery, brittle, grainy, or creamy.
In our selection, we would start first with the goat ones, then with the creamy sheep ones, and we would finish with the blue one. Soft or semi-soft textures go first within each type of milk.
The flavor of the cheese that will leave us can be light, sweet, salty, spicy, acid or burning (surely we can find more types of tastes, but these are the ones that come to mind for us).
Results: everyone has their opinion
The best thing about the "tasting panel" are the opinions of each one regarding each cheese. There is no competition for who says the most original or poetic phrase, but what matters is sharing the feelings that each cheese gives you, not only because of the taste, but also if it is capable of changing the mood, if it excites you or leave the same. Because each palate is different and each person has a very personal sensory perception of things.
And most importantly, what a great time we had playing, learning and eating! If you accompany it with one or more wines, the experience will be even more spectacular. Red wines, blancos y confectionery, they all fit.
The most important thing is to have a good time with your loved ones, and with products full of life and soul from producers who precisely feel the same with their products, and make us happier by acting as a link between the consumer and the producer. Sharing values and passion to maintain the legacy of the territories and their animals for many years.
Here is a selection of cheeses for tasting and possible pairing:
Goat
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| Goat cheese Oncala (Soria) | Sobao cured goat cheese Iberlacsa (Cáceres) |
Sheep
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| Cured sheep cheese Oncala (Soria) | Reserve sheep cheese Oncala (Soria) | Calaveruela semi-cured cheese (Córdoba) |
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| Calaveruela cheese ingot (Córdoba) | Calaveruela Cured Cheese (Cordoba) |
AUTHOR: Israel Romero, CEO of Made in Spain Gourmet.
