Queso de Guía

Queso de Guía is a full-fat or half-fat cheese from Spain, produced in the municipalities of 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. Unlike other cheeses from the region, Queso de Guía can be made using animal rennet, vegetable rennet, or other authorized starter cultures. The cheese has a cylindrical shape, with a diameter of 15–30 cm and a height of 4–8 cm. Its texture varies from very soft when young to dense and compact when mature. The flavor is predominantly salty and acidic, sometimes with hints of bitterness and sharpness. Its rind starts as ivory-colored when young and thickens to a dark brown as it matures. The cheese is classified as semi-mature when aged for 15 to 60 days and mature when aged longer than 60 days.

FEDAC, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Key Facts

Country of Origin	Spain
Protection	PDO (2007)
Milk Type	Sheep (Canary Island breed), with up to 40% cow and 10% goat milk
Fat Content	27.50% (in dry matter)
Rind	Ivory when young, thick and dark brown when mature
Texture	Dense, compact, sometimes creamy
Flavor	Salty and acidic, with occasional bitterness and sharpness
Aroma	Medium intensity, mainly lactic
Colors	Ivory-white to yellow
Forms	Cylindrical wheels (0.5 to 5 kg)
Age	15+ days (semi-mature), 60+ days (mature)
Rennet Type	Animal rennet and/or vegetable rennet (Cynara cardunculus var. ferocissima, Cynara scolymus) and/or starter cultures