Idiazabal Cheese

Idiazábal cheese is made with sheep's milk only in the Basque Country and in the Navarre region. 

Its smell is intense and penetrating and its flavour slightly spicy, balanced and intense. It is made with sheep's milk from the Lacha (Latxa) and Carranzana breeds, preferably the former. It is cylindrical in shape, the rind is hard and an even colour, from pale yellow to whitish grey and dark brown in smoked ones. The maturing period, never less than 90 days, is decisive for is manufacturing. During this time, it is turned and cleaned as necessary. If it is smoked, this operation is carried out at least ten days before sale, using beech and hawthorn wood.

Idiazábal Sheep's Cheese - Lightly Smoked:Our Idiazábal cheese is from the original producer and is still produced by the same family in the heart of Basque Country. A smoked unpasteurized sheep's milk cheese aged 8 months, it gets a deep but subtle flavor from being smoked with hawthorn and cherry wood.Traditionally Basque shepherds would keep their flocks high in the Pyrenees Mountains throughout the spring and summer. In the early autumn, right after the first snows, the shepherds would appear in the villages below carrying with them the cheeses they made from the ewe’s milk all summer long.In order to preserve the cheeses in the highlands they stored them by the chimneys of their mountain shelters, where they aged and naturally smoked.

Origin

The production and manufacturing area covers the provinces of Álava, Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya and Navarre, except for the municipalities of the Valle del Roncal. In addition, the Idiazábal name protects those of Urbasa, Urbia, Entzia, Gorbea, Orduña, Andía, Aralar, Carranza, Bidasoa-Baztán, Orbaiceta, Ulzarra, Valcarlos and Pirineo Navarro.

See also

Spanish Cheese: In slices, for spreading or in cubes. As a snack, for dessert, in salads or as part of a recipe. Cheese is delicious any way you try it, and it is always a part of any meal worth the name. Simple but delicious, devotees of this dairy product will find more than a hundred different varieties in Spain. It is one of the vital ingredients in Spanish cuisine. Come and discover it!

Pintxos are typical in Navarra

Navarra recipes: It is said that taste is found in variety and of all Spanish regions, the Autonomous Region of Navarra has the most varied landscape. Valleys alternate with thick forests, splashing waterfalls and major rivers.

Pintxos Bar in San Sebastian

Basque Recipes: Basques live for cooking and eating. I haven't found a similar level of passion anywhere I have traveled. If we try to describe Basque cuisine, a fair answer might be that it is deeply felt, honors tradition, and respects the natural flavors of the ingredients. These qualities are on display in the significant number of dishes that are distinctively Basque.