Queso Manchego

What is Queso Manchego?

Manchego comes from the La Mancha region of Spain and is made from the milk of Manchega sheep. Its name, queso manchego, is protected under Spain's denominación de origen system, and the European Union has granted it Protected Designation of Origin status. Almost 60% of Spanish cheese with Denomination of Origin is Manchego, which makes it the main reference point for Spanish cheese abroad. La Mancha exported 5.9 million kg in 2017, according to the Fundación C.R.D.O Queso Manchego.

The PDO rules are specific. The cheese has to be produced in designated parts of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Toledo, using only whole milk from Manchega sheep raised on registered farms in that area. Ageing runs from 60 days to two years, dropping to 30 days for wheels of 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) or less. Milk can be raw or pasteurised; raw milk versions may be labelled artesano. Salt and natural rennet or another approved coagulating enzyme are the only additives allowed.

Pressing happens in barrel-shaped cylindrical moulds no taller than 12 cm (4.7 in) and no wider than 22 cm (8.7 in). Curd was once pressed in plaited esparto grass baskets, which left a zig-zag mark called pleita on the side. Modern moulds have that pattern in relief, so the finished wheel still shows it, and the flat faces carry a head of wheat. The rind forms naturally during maturation and may be washed, waxed, oiled or coated, but it cannot be removed if the cheese is sold as PDO. Wheels that pass get a casein tab and a numbered label with Don Quixote on it.

The paste is firm and compact with a buttery texture, usually holding small air pockets scattered unevenly through it. Color runs from white to ivory-yellow, while the inedible rind shades from yellow to brownish-beige. The flavor is well developed without being too strong, creamy with a slight piquancy, and the aftertaste is clearly sheep milk. Age changes it: Fresco at two weeks is mild and rarely leaves Spain, Semicurado runs three weeks to three or four months, Curado spends three to six months and turns caramel and nutty, and Viejo sits one to two years and gets sharp with a deep pepperiness.

Older Viejo grates well and also works on its own or on tapas. Two cheeses share the name without sharing much else. Queso ibérico is made in the same region from a blend of cow, goat and ewe milk. In Mexico and Spanish-speaking parts of the United States, manchego or queso tipo manchego is an industrial cow milk cheese closer to Monterey Jack, good for melting and cooking.