Queso Majorero 
Majorero is a Canary Island cheese from Fuerteventura, made from pasteurized Majorera goat's milk and protected by the designation Queso Majorero. It is sold fresh or aged and tastes slightly tart and mildly piquant, with a rind marked by the palm-leaf molds used to shape it.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Spain |
| Specific Origin | Canary Islands |
| Protection | PDO (1998) |
| Milk Type | Goat's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Pasteurized |
| Fat Content | 55% fat in dry matter |
| Rind | Natural |
| Texture | Semi-hard |
| Flavor | Acidic |
| Aroma | Milky, nutty |
| Colors | Pale white |
| Forms | Cylindrical wheels, 6 to 9 cm (2.4 to 3.5 in) high, 15 to 35 cm (6 to 14 in) in diameter, 1 to 6 kg (2.2 to 13 lb) |
| Age | 8 to 20 days (soft), 20 to 60 days (semi-hard), over 60 days (hard) |
| Rennet Type | Animal, from dried kid stomachs |
| Also Known As | Majorero, Queso Fuerteventura, Majorero PDO, Majorero DOP |
What is Queso Majorero?
Majorero comes from Fuerteventura in the province of Las Palmas, with the protected zone covering the municipalities of Antigua, Betancuria, La Oliva, P`jara, Puerto del Rosario and Tuineje. The name goes back to the medieval terms Mahorata, Majorata and Maxorata, used for the island and its people. Those names came from the footwear of local shepherds, a sandal of untanned goat leather worn with the fur side out. The word spread to other farm products too, such as Majorera lentils and Majorera flour.
The milk comes pasteurized from Majorera goats, a frugal breed well suited to the island that gives particularly fatty milk. Cheese destined for aging may include up to 15 percent milk from other Canary sheep breeds. Rennet from dried kid stomachs sets the milk at 28 to 32 degrees Celsius over about an hour. The curd is cut repeatedly down to 5 to 15 mm, pressed, then packed into traditional palm-leaf baskets, today imitated in plastic or stainless steel forms. Salting is done with dry sea salt or in brine for no more than 24 hours.
Wheels stand 6 to 9 cm (2.4 to 3.5 in) tall and run 15 to 35 cm (6 to 14 in) across, weighing 1 to 6 kg (2.2 to 13 lb). The paste is white, turning faintly ivory as the cheese matures, compact and creamy, with a tart and slightly piquant taste. Fat content is 55 percent in dry matter. Tierno is the only version made from pure goat's milk and eaten unripened. Semicurado is three months old and strongly aromatic, while curado ages four months and picks up roasted notes.
Majorero is eaten plain in salads or on bread. Older wheels work well in bakes, meat dishes, soups and sauces.
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