Queso Los Beyos

Benitoypepe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

About Queso Los Beyos

Queso Los Beyos is a traditional cheese from northern Spain, produced in the municipalities of Oseja de Sajambre (Castile-Leon) and Ponga and Amieva (Asturias). It is made from raw or pasteurized cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk, but the milk types are never mixed. The cheese has a cylindrical shape with a height of 3–9 cm and a diameter of 7–11 cm, weighing between 250 and 500 grams. It has a thin, coarse rind that varies in color from creamy yellow to pale yellow or light brown, depending on the milk source. The paste is hard to semi-hard, closed, friable, and crumbly, with no fermentation holes. Its flavor is mild in cow’s milk cheese but more intense in sheep’s and goat’s milk versions, with a slightly salty and lightly acidic taste. Queso Los Beyos is matured for at least 15 days, or 60 days if made from raw milk, and is a well-known cheese in the region, historically linked to the Los Beyos gorge.

Key Facts

Country of Origin	Spain
Specific Origin	Oseja de Sajambre (Castile-Leon), Ponga, and Amieva (Asturias)
Protection	PGI (2010)
Milk Type	Cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk (never mixed)
Milk Treatment	Raw or pasteurized
Fat Content	Minimum 45% (of dry matter)
Moisture Content	Minimum 50% (dry matter)
Rind	Thin, coarse, creamy yellow to light brown
Texture	Hard to semi-hard, closed, friable, crumbly, minimal elasticity
Flavor	Mild (cow’s milk), more intense (sheep’s and goat’s milk)
Aroma	Mild in cow’s milk cheese, stronger in sheep’s and goat’s cheese
Colors	White (goat’s milk), marble or pale yellow (cow’s and sheep’s milk)
Forms	Cylindrical with flat or slightly concave faces
Age	Minimum 15 days, or 60 days if made from raw milk
Rennet Type	Animal