Manchego cheese: suggestions for serving the best Spanish cheese

Manchego Cheese is an ancient and delicious Spanish cheese that has been made long before the birth of Christ. We’ll give you some background on this great cheese before we get down to business: delicious new Manchego cheese recipe suggestions.

Have you heard of Don Quixote? You may remember its lean towards windmills. He is the hero of one of the greatest novels of all time, written by a man named Miguel de Cervantes. All this was developed in the La Mancha region in Spain; We mention it because it is also the only place in the world where you can make real Manchego cheese.

There is a board in this beautiful region of central Spain that closely monitors the cheese makers, certifying that the Manchego Cheese is made with the milk of Manchego sheep and aged for 60 days or more. Only then can they put the special DO label that certifies that it is an authentic and tasty Manchego.

This entire regulatory process has only existed since the early 1980s, but Manchego Cheese has been made in this area for much longer. Cervantes mentions it in Don Quixote, which was written in the early 17th century, so it is at least that old. Or much older: historians say there is evidence that a very similar cheese was made in La Mancha long before the birth of Christ, so in fact the cheese is thousands of years old! However, you can’t actually buy a millennial cheese, and it probably is, too! Manchego comes in three varieties, depending on how long it has aged (in a cave, no less):

• A Fresh Manchego is a fresh, white variety of cheese aged for just a couple of weeks. This is hard to come by outside of Spain and technically not a real Manchego, but it still has a great smooth and rich flavor. You will only have to make one trip there to eat it!
• The most common is the Curado Manchego that has between three and six months of aging. It is semi-solid and yellowish-white in color, with a mild nutty flavor and a smooth, creamy texture. It is an excellent fusion cheese and very complementary to all kinds of flavors.
• My favorite, however, is the Manchego Viejo. This ages for up to a year and is therefore slightly more expensive. The color is a deep yellow and the cheese is much more solid, with a complex flavor, an intense and spicy body with a sharp edge and the characteristic aftertaste of sheep’s milk. It is a main dish cheese, as you will see …

Now that we have whet your appetite, how do you get a delicious Manchego? Most gourmet or deli supermarkets should have a few for you to choose from, but take a good look to make sure you’re buying real Manchego. Be sure to see the herringbone pattern on the crust, the herringbone pattern on the top and bottom of the wheel, and most importantly, the official DO tab on the back that gives you confidence that it is real. . And now it’s finally time to make a meal! There is no limit to the versatility of these cheeses, especially if you can find multiple types, but here are some suggestions for serving Manchegos that work well for us:

• First, a plate of Spanish tapas: a strong Manchego Viejo works perfectly in the middle of a plate of tapas, surrounded by delicious Spanish ham, green olives, crusty bread, and dulce de membrillo (a sweet quince paste). This should be your first choice for Viejo.
• For a Cured Manchego, you have endless options. The apple and manchego salad is easy: a salad of Granny Smith apple tart, cured manchego soft cheese, chives, smoked almonds, olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
• How about a hot dog from La Mancha? It is a variant of hot dog with a Spanish touch. A crunchy roll with deep red chorizo, arugula and Manchego Curado.
• Italian Fusion Manchego Pizza: Take a good thin pizza base, top with tomato passata mixed with paprika, add fresh tomato slices, sweet green olives and top with grated Manchego cured, simple but very effective!

Think carefully about how you serve this beautiful cheese and you will be rewarded.