12 month manchego cheese plate with nut. La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed. It is aged between 60 days and 2 years. Manchego has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery manchego, often containing small, unevenly distributed air pockets.
The colour of the cheese varies from white to ivory-yellow, and the inedible rind from yellow to brownish-beige. The cheese has a distinctive flavour, well developed but not too strong, creamy with a slight piquancy, and leaves an aftertaste that is characteristic of sheep’s milk. It must be produced within designated parts of the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, and Toledo, all in the La Mancha region. It can be made only with the whole milk of sheep of the Manchega breed raised on registered farms within that area. 30 days for cheeses weighing up to 1. The only permitted additives are natural rennet or another approved coagulating enzyme and salt.
The moulds in which the cheese is pressed are barrel-shaped. During the maturation process, manchego cheese develops a natural rind. The regulations permit this to be washed, coated in paraffin, dipped in olive oil, or treated with certain approved transparent substances, but require that it must not be removed if the cheese is to be marketed as PDO. A cheese that is similar to manchego and made in the same region, but from a blend of cow’s, goat’s, and ewe’s milk, is sold as queso ibérico, or ibérico cheese. Fresco: fresh cheese is aged for 2 weeks. It has a rich but mild flavour, not a true queso manchego due to its lack of ageing.
Produced in small quantities, it is rarely found outside Spain. 4 months, somewhat milder than curado. 6 months with a caramel and nutty flavour. It grates well, but can also be eaten on its own or on tapas.
2009″, Official Journal of the European Union, Brussels, L166, pp. Manchego: Surviving The Test Of Time”. How Does Manchego Cheese Change With Age? Don Quijote Semi-cured, Wheel 3 kg”. Spanish dish originally from the Region of Murcia, Castilla La Mancha and Extremadura. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.