Queso de l'Alt Urgell y la Cerdanya 
Queso de l'Alt Urgell y la Cerdanya is a young, soft-paste cheese made from pasteurized Friesian cow's milk in La Seu d'Urgell, Catalonia. It is the only Catalan cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin, and it tastes light with a salty aftertaste.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Spain |
| Specific Origin | Alto Urgel and Cerdanya, Catalonia |
| Protection | PDO (1999) |
| Milk Type | Cow |
| Milk Treatment | Pasteurized |
| Rind | Natural, slightly moist, light brown |
| Texture | Soft, creamy |
| Flavor | Soft, clear, pleasant |
| Aroma | Sweet, penetrating |
| Colors | Cream-colored or marble-white |
| Forms | Cylindrical and flat, wide diameter with low height, up to 2 kg (4.4 lb) |
| Age | Up to one month |
| Rennet Type | Animal |
| Alternative Spellings | Formatge de l'Alt Urgell i la Cerdanya (Catalan) |
| Also Known As | Queso del Alto Urgel y la Cerdaña |
What is Queso de l'Alt Urgell y la Cerdanya?
Cheesemaking has been a traditional Catalan activity for centuries, rooted above all in the Pyrenean valleys. In the Alt Urgell, changes in farming and livestock during the first half of the twentieth century built up a sizable dairy industry, and this cheese came out of it along with the butter of the Alt Urgell and la Cerdanya.
It holds a Protected Designation of Origin, the only Catalan cheese that does, so production follows the rules of the denomination. Those rules govern labelling: the product name with its PDO wording, the denomination logo and the European PDO logo. The designation covers both the Alt Urgell and the Baixa Cerdanya, but all of the cheese is made in La Seu d'Urgell by one company, the Cooperativa Lletera del Cadí, which sells it as Urgèlia. The milk comes from both counties.
The method is industrial, using modern cheesemaking techniques. The only ingredients are whole pasteurized cow's milk, animal rennet, lactic ferments and sodium chloride. This is a young cheese, ripened for a month at most, which leaves it with a soft paste.
The wheels are cylindrical and flat, wide across with little height, and weigh no more than 2 kg (4.4 lb). Inside, the paste is an ivory white dotted with small holes. The outside is reddish orange. The flavor is light with a salty aftertaste, followed by secondary aromas that are intense and persistent.
It is sold in whole pieces, which shops then cut for retail customers.
How Does Queso de l'Alt Urgell y la Cerdanya Compare?
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