Cheese and Kisses it was the cheese factory Guarroman that has turned upside down the gastronomic panorama of the province of Jaen. be honored as the best cheese in the world puts on the table the important presence that this delicacy has in the Jaén gastronomy.
We take a tour of the province to discover that there is life beyond extra virgin olive oil. And it is that in Jaén cheeses are made, many types of cheeses, and very good cheeses.
CURED IN CAZORLA AND BAKERY CAKES
move to Natural Park of Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas is to venture on an expedition to one of the most beautiful natural environments in our country. There they began their journey Carmen Luque and Javier Ruiz , more specifically in pontoons , within a family that was not exactly cheesemakers.
They launched with Segura Summits , a risky bet that has made them a benchmark in the world of cheeses in Jaén. So much so that they have conquered Ubeda with its artisan cheeses, remaining faithful to the raw goat milk , his holy grail.
Its cured goat's milk cheese is a true melody for the senses, perhaps from Wagner or Orff due to the forcefulness of its notes; a cheese with a unique personality.
They also risk a cream cheese with beer and a cheese cake (bakery cake they call it), also made with raw goat's milk and, unlike Extremadura, if you can eat it in slices, if possible paired with a good Grenache.
CHEESES, KISSES AND ASH
They have been the revolution this year by taking to Jaén the prize for the best cheese in the world with their Olavidia, a spectacular goat cheese who has pulverized the ranking with his touch of ash from carbonization of olive pits.
But Cheese and Kisses is much more than Olavidia. Sylvia and Paco They know very well how to play with this technique of natural fermentation and they make another very similar cheese called Darkvale , completely covered with the same olive ash which gives that wonderful touch.
As they say, Valleoscuro is Olavidia's "little brother" , small in format but big in creaminess and delicacy. Its flavor takes us to the countryside, to a clear sky, to the song of the birds, to life itself.
After several generations making cheese, it was time for recognition for this family of cheesemakers who, today, have all stocks sold out thanks to the success of Olavidia. And they work with a few references, both in fresh, as in soft paste or matured in extra virgin olive oil.
The best cheese in the world is Spanish!
TRUJAL CHEESE, THE MOST ROCKY
It is one of the most curious cheeses in the province of Jaén and one of those great unknowns that every cheese lover should take into account. You have to go to the town of Genave Bridge , more specifically to the Cortijo de la Vicaria cheese factory , to discover this peculiar cheese that leaves no one indifferent.
Here the cheeses are made by hand and with freshly milked milk, as in the old days. At least that was the idea Anthony Perez , an engineer turned cheese artisan who reveals this impressive fresh spiced goat cheese that literally melts in your mouth and teleports you to another planet.
The delicacy of its flavor contrasts with the rock and roll of its crust orchestrated by a mixture of paprika, mustard seeds, shallots and garlic.
In this cheese factory you can also find their Moorish cheese , a goat cheese that is made with a cloth as a mold, resulting in a cheese with a "nipple". this cheese it goes through extra virgin olive oil and is smoked, acquiring a unique flavor.
Cortijo La Vicaria cheese factory.
FARMHOUSE CARBONERILLOS
The tenacity of two women has put the cheeses of this small farm located on the map in the course of the Carboneros river, in the municipality of Valdepenas of Jaen.
Maria and Juani have been the architects of this cheese farm who pampers his goats with love and care. Artisans by spirit and trade, they have been able to create a simply spectacular cured (and semi-cured) cheese, without artifice, without frills, like those that were done in the past.
Its maturation is six months, considerable enough maturation to give the cheese a certain spicy and intense touch, much nicer if served with a good jet of extra virgin olive oil on top and some rosemary shavings or any other aromatic. Unique, hard to find, almost exclusive and arguably with a woman's name. Bravo.
The cheeses of Cortijo Carbonerillos, in the municipality of Valdepeñas de Jaén.
CHEESE IN FRIAR'S BUTTER
They appeared almost by surprise in the Gourmet Hall of 2015 and were brought for friars , on the Sierra Sur of Jaen , an award under his arm for his goat cheese.
As expected, the Friars cheese factory is based on the effort of a family to rescue the craft know-how of yesteryear and recover those cheeses that have always been made in this land and that have been so little recognized.
One of the cheeses that attract the most attention from this traditional cheese factory (in addition to its award-winning cheeses) is the one preserved in lard, a true explosion of flavor and mellowness difficult to describe in words.
It is one of those cheeses that gives an almost endless memory in the mouth, which pairs perfectly with Manzanilla or a Palo Cortado and that shows that in Jaén they know very well how to make authentic quesazos.
CHEESE “AWARD” FROM SIERRA SUR
If a cheese is awarded several times, Why wouldn't he be renamed "the one with the prize"? Well said and done. And it is that in 2019 the semi-cured goat's milk cheese from the dairy South Sierra de Alcalá la Real was about to win the award for the best cheese in the world.
They settled for bronze, but this feat put the Jaén cheeses on the map. More specifically to this semi-cured marvel , with a soft and silky texture, with notes of flavor where the extra virgin olive oil and the aromatic ones sing por bulerías as they cross the limits of the palate.
This semi-cured cheese has also garnered in recent years a good bunch of prizes in different artisan cheese contests, being one of the most respected goat cheeses on the national scene.
Sierra Sur also has a cured sheep's cheese also highly awarded, made from the milk of sheep that live in the incredible natural environment of Sierra Mágina , more specifically in the beautiful town of Jimena , an obligatory stop on your trip to Jaén.