Seven quesazos to enjoy and seven dairies to buy (all Spanish)
The cheese it is fascinating because it has something magical about it. Combining milk, rennet and salt produces miraculous changes and gives rise to an infinity of varieties and flavors ranging from mild to spicy , to sweet nuances sometimes, earthy others; aromas of grass, nuts, butter, forest.
All this is the fruit of time, hand in hand with artisans and the place where each piece is made, so it is worth knowing the cheeses in the place where they are born and makes them unique.
If we add to this that the majority of artisan dairies are located in rural environments we have the perfect combination to hit the road.
Some of the cheeses recognized as the best in Spain, Europe and even the world are there, just around the corner; sometimes on the verge of mountain streams , sometimes in the center of historic villages or hidden between hills in the heart of the dehesa, in the midst of spectacular landscapes. So we propose a route of cheese tourism by some of the best artisans in the country:
The happy cows of Airas Moniz
1. The Jardilla _(Selaya, Cantabria) _: 35 kilometers south of Santander , on the slope overlooking the village of selaia there is this cattle farm that has been operating since the postwar period.
Currently they make some of the best cheeses in Cantabria, both in traditional style and in more personal proposals. Their Divirín It is in my personal cheese Olympus, but any of the formats they produce is worth it.
La Jarradilla also organizes courses, tastings and open days . A hint: if you go to meet them, be sure to take advantage of your visit to the town to get hold of some Joselín brand sobaos.
Divirín cheese from La Jarradilla
two. **Moli de Ger (Ger, Girona) ** : On the banks of the Segre, in the Pyrenees of Girona, Pedro Pujol and his team make spectacular cheeses on this farm that grew up around the mill that gives it its name.
If you want to know the contemporary version of the Catalan mountain cheese tradition, get in touch with them and arrange a visit. In the meantime, be sure to try their Puigpredós.
Puigpredos de Molí de Ger
3.** Airas Moniz (Chantada, Lugo) ** : in the heart of Galicia, between century-old vineyards and Romanesque churches, Suso, Ana and Ricardo They make unique cheeses.
Going up the path, from the road, you cross the pastures where their cows spend the day happily.
Some of the most interesting Galician cheeses of recent years come out of the old stone house, restored to become a cheese factory. Try their Savel to discover the full potential of Northwest blue cheeses.
Savel cheese from Airas Moniz
4.**The Wheel (Villamalea, Albacete) ** : Villamalea It was known for its mushroom production until a couple of food artisans put it on the map for other reasons. Jose Luis Abellan , the soul of one of those cheese projects with only a few years of life but enormous potential, launched The Cabriel Wheel and, with it, the elaboration of some of the most interesting goat cheeses on the state scene.
Their Moluengo It is one of the revelation cheeses of recent times; one of those elaborations capable of making any lover of deep flavors full of nuances fall in love.
And what better way to try it than to go to the Sahuquillo Bakery , where Miguel Ángel makes some of the best bread in the region, to get a piece to go with it.
Molugo of the Wheel
5.**Aldaia cheese factory (Lezáun, Navarra)** : at the foot of the Sierra de Urbasa and Andía , on the northern edge of the Yerri valley – one of those secrets that Navarre keeps and which is worth getting lost in – the Aldaia cheese factory makes Idiazabal de pastor, that is, exclusively with milk from his herds.
If you book it in advance, the visit to the cheese factory can include, in addition to the tasting of its cheeses, a shepherd's menu with mixed salad, migas, lamb stew and curd, as well as wine and patxarán, for €25.
6.**Campoveja (Serrada, Valladolid)** : the austerity of Farmland It has something that captivates, something that helps to better understand the work of the shepherds in the area and to value the cheeses that are made with the milk of their sheep.
The brothers Sanz Esteban, who are now the third generation at the helm of this family cheese factory, have been able to turn this small artisan business in a Valladolid village into an international benchmark. Its smoked cheese, for example, was recognized as the best smoked cheese in the world in 2012.
And they are not satisfied: in addition to the elaboration of traditional and signature cheeses, in its Serrated performed visits, tastings and courses on cutting, refining and making cheese.
Smoked Campoveja
7 . ** King Silo (Pravia, Asturias) ** : Rey Silo's exterior deceives. It looks like another industrial warehouse on the outskirts of Pravia. However, inside there is a world of cheese knowledge that is worth discovering and that is one of the main responsible for the revolution that the world of cheese is living in Asturias.
Raw milk cheeses from cows from the Nalón Valley that have led the team led by Pascual and Ernesto to collaborate with some of the most outstanding Asturian chefs, such as José Andrés, with whom they work on the development of new formats, or Pedro and Marcos Moran, for those who created Kisses from King Silo , a miniature wonder that contains all the complexity of the Asturian cheese tradition.