Queso de Afuega'l pitu
Afuega'l pitu is a soft cow's milk cheese from Asturias, Spain, with protected designation of origin status. It comes plain white or paprika red, shaped like a small cone or a squash, and turns dry and pasty with age, which is why Asturians wash it down with cider.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Spain |
| Specific Origin | Asturias |
| Milk Type | Cow's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Unpasteurized |
| Fat Content | Minimum 45% fat in dry matter |
| Rind | Natural |
| Texture | Soft, artisan |
| Flavor | Slightly acidic and creamy, strong and spicy in the paprika versions |
| Aroma | Aromatic |
| Colors | Ivory |
| Forms | Truncated cone or squash shape, 200 to 600 g, 5 to 12 cm high, 8 to 14 cm across the base |
| Age | 5 days to 6 months |
| Rennet Type | Liquid rennet |
| Alternative Spellings | Afuega el pitu |
| Also Known As | Queso de Afuega, Troncado/Atroncáu, Trapo/Trapu, Blanco/Blancu, Roxu/Rojo |
What is Queso de Afuega'l pitu?
Afuega'l pitu comes from the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It was made on small farms called caserías scattered through the central valleys and hillsides between the Narcea and Sella rivers. Documents from the 18th century record it being handed over as tax payment. Production now centres on Salas, Grado, Pravia and Tineo, with Grado the largest producer, and the cheese has held protected designation of origin status since its publication in the DOUE in July 2008.
The name is Asturian. "Pitu" means both chicken and throat, so the phrase reads as choking the chicken, or more plausibly choking the throat. Farmers skimmed the fat off the lactic curd and sold it as butter, which left the ripened cheese dry and pasty enough to cling to the back of the palate. Eating it with cider was the practical fix, above all at the spring spichas when the first ciders of the year were tasted.
Milk comes from Friesian and Asturiana de los Valles cows and their crosses, heated to between 22 and 32 °C and coagulated with liquid rennet. After 15 to 20 hours the curd goes into a perforated mould to drain for 12 to 24 hours. Salt is either dusted onto the curd in the mould or rubbed on after unmoulding. For the red versions the curd is unmoulded, mixed with paprika at around one percent, kneaded by hand or machine and drained again. Ripening runs from five days to six months.
Each cheese weighs 200 to 600 g, stands 5 to 12 cm tall and measures 8 to 14 cm across the base. The paste is soft and firms up as it matures, white on its own and orange red when paprika is worked through it. Young pasteurized cheeses taste slightly acidic, creamy, quite dry and barely salted. Cured raw milk versions smell of cow, mushroom and woodland, and taste of fresh dairy, toasted hazelnut, wild flowers and butter with no acidity.
It is mostly eaten as a table cheese with cider. Coal miners in the Caudal valleys favoured the spicy red type with wine. Morcín has run a cheese contest since 1981, and Grado promoted the cheese in restaurant cooking from 2007, moving to a pincho competition with local bars in 2009.
How Does Queso de Afuega'l pitu Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Queso de Afuega'l pitu against.
