Mahón-Menorca Cheese vs Soft-Ripened Cheese

In this article, we’ll explore the answers to the most common questions about Mahón-Menorca Cheese and Soft-Ripened Cheese, including:

  • "What is the difference between Mahón-Menorca Cheese and Soft-Ripened Cheese?"
  • "Is Mahón-Menorca Cheese and Soft-Ripened Cheese the same?"
  • "How does Mahón-Menorca Cheese compare to Soft-Ripened Cheese cheese?"
  • "How does the taste of Mahón-Menorca Cheese compare to Soft-Ripened Cheese?"
  • "Is Mahón-Menorca Cheese or Soft-Ripened Cheese better?"

Comparing the Two Cheeses

Ranking

Mahón-Menorca is ranked #213 out of 376 types.

Soft-Ripened is ranked #117 out of 376 types.

Country of Origin

Mahón-Menorca Cheese comes from Spain. Soft-Ripened Cheese originated from .

Certification

Many cheeses have some kind of protected status that makes it so they can only be produced in a certain manner and location. Mahón-Menorca Cheese has a PDO (1985). Soft-Ripened is not a protected cheese.

Milk Type and Treatment

Mahón-Menorca Cheese is made with cow or sheep milk that is typically raw. Information on the milk type and treatment for Soft-Ripened Cheese is not available.

Composition and Texture

Mahón-Menorca's texture can be described as "firm". Soft-Ripened Cheese has a fat content of generally around 60-75% in the dry matter, which translates to about 20-30% total fat content. and a moisture content of none.

Flavor and Aroma

Mahón-Menorca Cheese has a salty and spicy flavor. Mahón-Menorca's aroma can be described as "lactic, buttery".

Appearance and Aging

Mahón-Menorca Cheese's appearance is colored ivory-yellow to orangey or brownish gray , is available in parallelepiped shape and is aged tender: 21-60 days, semi-cured: 2-5 months, vintage: >5 months .

Rind and Rennet Type

Mahón-Menorca Cheese's rind is described as characteristic orangish and uses vegetable (cynara cardunculus) rennet.

Side-by-Side Comparison Table

Mahón-Menorca Cheese Soft-Ripened Cheese
Country of Origin Spain
Specific Origin Menorca, Balearic Islands Varied, with many coming from France.
Certification PDO (1985) None
Milk Type Friesian, Menorcan, Brown Alpine cow’s milk, some ewe’s milk (max 5%)
Milk Treatment Raw or any authorized preservation technology
Fat Content Generally around 60-75% in the dry matter, which translates to about 20-30% total fat content.
Moisture Content Approximately 50-55%, contributing to the soft, spreadable texture.
Rind Characteristic orangish
Texture Firm
Flavor Salty and spicy
Aroma Lactic, buttery
Colors Ivory-yellow to orangey or brownish gray
Forms Parallelepiped shape
Age Tender: 21-60 days, Semi-cured: 2-5 months, Vintage: >5 months
Rennet Type Vegetable (Cynara cardunculus)

Compare Mahón-Menorca Cheese to Other Cheeses

Compare Soft-Ripened Cheese to Other Cheeses