We Mexicans use manchego cheese for everything! Quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas and even sometimes pizza. But there is a different kind of manchego cheese, and it is the one that has a unique taste, the one that comes from Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Toledo; it’s the cheese that we love to pair with wine, Iberic hams and bread.

 

The real manchego cheese is a pressed paste made with sheep cheese. These sheep were bred by residents in La Mancha (that’s where the name manchego comes from) and they improved the breeding, which is the result of their unchanged pureness.

The cheese is known for its circular personality and its light yellow compact paste (depending its maturation).

 

Manchego’s elaboration process is quite simple:

 

We know that in order to make any kind of cheese, an animal needs to be milked first; in this case, the sheep. The milking can be either manual or mechanic. The milk is then refrigerated to a 4ºC temperature.

After this, the milk needs to coagulate and set; and in order to do this the milk is heated in water vapor for 30 to 60 minutes. It shortens when the right consistency is reached.

 

The setting of the cheese is poured into the molds, as long as these present the adequate dimensions to comply with the right weight and size. Then the cheese is pressed for 1 to 6 hours and once it’s molded the cheese is salted for 5 to 48 hours.

 

Depending on its weight and size, the maturation lasts for 30 to 60 days.

 

Manchego cheese is a delicacy that concentrates all the nutritious benefits of milk; it contains a high amount of vitamins and proteins and the best thing is, it’s one of the tastiest cheeses in the world.

 

Now that you know how this cheese is made, we in Novelda guarantee to deliver you the finest quality products, including manchego cheese.