| Fuerteventuran Cheeses
With its extensive golden sandy beaches and wide plains, caressed by the
sun and trade winds, Fuerteventura is an island with a farming tradition
going back a thousand years. The goat cheeses produced on Fuerteventura
are sought after not only in the archipelago but outside of the islands as
well. Fundamental factors determining the quality of this cheese are the
rich pastures from a land that is dry but pleasant, and the unsurpassable
characteristics of the Majorera goat, a very adaptable rustic animal which
produces a thick, aromatic and high-fat milk. During the Middle Ages,
this island was known as Maxorata and the name of the cheese "queso
Majorero" comes from the adjective denominating the inhabitants and
products of the island. This milk, along with the
talents of the Majorero cheese-makers is the main secret of one of the
best goat cheeses in Spain. Queso Majorero is
normally available in large sizes presented in three different ways:
natural rind rubbed with oil, rubbed with pimenta or with "gofio" (roasted
cornmeal).
Characteristics.
-
Fuerteventura is considered the oldest of the Canary Islands. Its low
altitude and lack of rain make Fuerteventura a very dry, arid island,
with scarce vegetation, where the goat breeding takes place in the humid
and higher areas of the Jandia peninsula and Betancuria lands.
-
Fuerteventura and Lanzarote were the first islands of the archipelago to
receive European and African explorers. These visitors already attest,
in their documents dating from the XIII century, the large amount of
goat herds. These goats were a source of fur, meat, milk and cheese, and
therefore a very important factor in the island economy.
-
Today the goat shepherds have joined together in the cooperative of
Gran Tarajal, adding some industrial processes to the cheese
production in order to improve and increase the production of the
cheese.
Production process.
- Majorero is an aged cheese, from aired to very cured,
made only with goatsīmilk. It has an enzimatic coagulation. The paste is
pressed and uncooked.
-
The goatsīmilk must be unpasteurized. After the only daily milking of
the goats, in the morning, the lamb curd is added to the milk, in order
to obtain a compact curdle in approximately one hour.
-
The resulting curdle must be intensely beaten. The serum has to be
eliminated, the resulting paste has to be crumbled and compacted by
hand, inside the cincho de palma (palm and wood mold) until it
is completely dried and free of serum and heavily pressed, and then
shaped.
-
The salting is done only over the top face by rubbing with dry salt.
-
It must be left to air for several days before consumption, or can be
left to age in dry rooms at mild temperature. While the cheese is aging
it can be rubbed with oil, paprika and gofio (a local sweet
wheat flour) in order to avoid excessive drying.
-
The cheeses have a cylindrical shape, of a much larger diameter than
height, with the side rind engraved by the wrinkles of the molds palms,
and the faces with the grooves of the wooden mold basesī. They are large
cheeses, weighting more than 6.5 lb. (3 kg. ), usually between 11 and 15
lb. (5 to 7 kg.)
-
The rind is white, in the case of the young aired cheeses, and brownish
beige in the aged, with a somewhat scratchy touch.
-
The
interior is compact, but open, with eyes spread evenly, and a slightly
gummy texture. The taste is acidic, a little piquant and buttery but not
salty, and in the aged cheeses with an oil, paprika as well as a little
toasted aroma produced by the gofio.
Uses.
-
It is one of the most versatile cheese of the Spanish gastronomy.
-
Its fine creamy texture make it ideal for grating over pasta, as well as
over potato, rice or vegetable dishes.
-
It
is traditionally served as an appetizer, drizzled with olive oil
and served with a sprig of fresh Rosemary
A
Pale sherry brings out the personality of the
cheese, stressing its unique characteristics. The flavor of the wine
gradually loses strength, allowing the taste of the cheese to return. The
combination is very pleasant, giving very subtle sensations. |