Queso de Flor de Guía

Queso de Flor de Guía is a full-fat or half-fat cheese from Spain, specifically produced in Gáldar, Moya, and Santa María de Guía in Gran Canaria. It is made primarily from Canary Island sheep’s milk, with up to 40% Canary Island cattle milk and up to 10% Canary Island goat milk. The milk is curdled exclusively using vegetable rennet derived from the dried flower heads of Cynara cardunculus var. ferocissima and Cynara scolymus. The cheese has a cylindrical shape and varies in size from 0.5 to 5 kg. Its texture is dense, compact, and pasty, with a very soft and creamy interior when semi-mature and a harder body when fully matured. The flavor is highly aromatic, acidic, and bitter, with mild burning and astringent sensations. It matures for at least 15 days for semi-mature cheese and over 60 days for mature cheese.

FEDAC, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Key Facts

Country of Origin	Spain
Specific Origin	Gáldar, Moya, and Santa María de Guía, Gran Canaria
Protection	PDO (2007)
Milk Type	Sheep (Canary Island breed), with up to 40% cow and 10% goat milk
Fat Content	29.50% (in dry matter)
Rind	Soft and elastic when young, dark brown and harder when mature
Texture	Dense, compact, pasty
Flavor	Aromatic, acidic, and bitter
Aroma	Medium intensity, with lactic and vegetal notes
Colors	Ivory-white (young) to yellow-brown (mature)
Forms	Cylindrical wheels (0.5 to 5 kg)
Age	15+ days (semi-mature), 60+ days (mature)
Rennet Type	Vegetable (Cynara cardunculus var. ferocissima, Cynara scolymus)