Spilling the beans

Juan Manuel Garmendia. Vice-president for Gipuzkoa of the Basque Academy of Gastronomy and President of FECOGA.

Our shepherds have perpetuated the practice of shepherding following the old routes determined by the seasons (high pastures in spring, summer and autumn; valleys during the winter). In addition, they have taken advantage of a natural food which follows an unchanging cycle.

The fruits of this centuries-old tradition are:

1.- A rustic sheep of the Latxa and/or Karrantzana breed, perfectly adapted to the environment, hardy, good grazer of pastures, produces high-quality milk.

2.- A natural environment, shaped by this seasonal rotation that has determined the current landscape of the high pastures located in the Gorbea, Aralar and Urbasa mountain ranges, as well as our mountains and valleys.

3.-A cheese that in the past was given the same name as the mountain range in which it was made. Now we call it Idiazabal because this unique cheese is identical in all the mountain ranges. 

Idiazabal cheese is made exclusively from raw milk from Latxa and/or Karrantzana sheep (minimum curing period of 2 months), enzymatic coagulation, uncooked (not exceeding 38º), pressed, hard cheese (esmoked or unsmoked).

The sensory definition of IDIAZABAL CHEESE is obtained through the 8 parameters defined by the Tasting Committee of the Regulatory Council of the Protected Designation of Origin Idiazabal (C.R.D.O.P.I.): shape, rind, colour of the cheese, eyes, smell, texture, flavour and persistence. By knowing and differentiating them, we will be able to appreciate the characteristics of the cheese.

Its final flavour tends to be intense, but no less balanced, persistent in the mouth like few others. Its salinity is medium (neither too high nor too low). It has a spicy tone that is perceived at the end, and the expert cheese taster will notice the character of matured sheep’s milk and natural rennet.

By consuming such an exquisite delicacy, we are contributing to the livelihood of an ever-growing group of shepherds, who in turn are the guardians of the conservation of our natural areas. “Research shows that herds grazing on mountain pastures can produce high quality, healthy food*”. The Idiazabal Cheese Guild of Ordizia is its best ambassador.

(www.quesoidiazabal.eus).

* Luis Javier Rodríguez Barrón, lecturer at the EHU/UPV.

Foto: Jokin Elizalde (Member of the Idiazabal Cheese Guild of Ordizia)

made