Wensleydale Cheese vs Manchego Cheese

Wensleydale Cheese

Wensleydale is a crumbly, moist cheese originally from the town of Wensleydale in Yorkshire. It can be young or matured, with the younger cheese being mild and creamy, and the aged cheese developing a more pronounced, honeyed flavor. It's often combined with fruits like cranberries or apricots.

Manchego Cheese

Manchego is a PDO-protected cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain, exclusively from the milk of Manchega sheep. It has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery texture, with a distinctive flavor that is well-developed and tangy, often with a slight piquancy in older cheeses. Manchego is aged for a minimum of two months and up to two years, developing a deeper flavor and harder texture with time.

Comparing the Two Cheeses

Certification

Many cheeses have some kind of protected status that makes it so they can only be produced in a certain manner and location. Wensleydale Cheese has a . Manchego Cheese has a PDO (1984).

Milk Type and Treatment

Wensleydale Cheese is made with cow milk that is typically other. Manchego Cheese is made with sheep milk that is typically raw or pasteurized.

Composition and Texture

Wensleydale's texture can be described as "firm and crumbly". Manchego's texture can be described as "compact".

Flavor and Aroma

Wensleydale Cheese has a fresh, lemony tang flavor. Manchego Cheese has a slightly acidic flavor.

Appearance and Aging

Wensleydale Cheese's appearance is colored creamy white and is aged 1 to 4 months old . Manchego Cheese has a color of white to yellowish ivory , comes in cylindrical with flat faces and has an aging period of fresco (2 weeks), semi-curado (3 weeks to 4 months), curado (3-6 months), viejo or anejo (1 year) .

Rind and Rennet Type

Manchego Cheese's rind is described as pleita and flor imprints , with animal rennet.

	Wensleydale Cheese	Manchego Cheese
Country of Origin	United Kingdom	Spain
Specific Origin	Yorkshire Dales	La Mancha region
Certification		PDO (1984)
Milk Type	Cow’s milk	Manchega ewe's milk
Milk Treatment	Pressed	Raw or pasteurized
Rind		Pleita and flor imprints
Texture	Firm and crumbly	Compact
Flavor	Fresh, lemony tang	Slightly acidic
Colors	Creamy white	White to yellowish ivory
Forms		Cylindrical with flat faces
Age	1 to 4 months old	Fresco (2 weeks), Semi-curado (3 weeks to 4 months), Curado (3-6 months), Viejo or Anejo (1 year)
Rennet Type		Animal rennet