{"id":3369,"date":"2023-08-31T03:01:15","date_gmt":"2023-08-31T03:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/5-top-cheeses-from-catalonia-you-need-to-know\/"},"modified":"2023-08-31T03:01:15","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T03:01:15","slug":"5-top-cheeses-from-catalonia-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/5-top-cheeses-from-catalonia-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Top Cheeses from Catalonia You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cheeses of Catalonia <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Catalonia is one of the most diverse cheese regions in all of Spain. With more than 150 known varieties, every nook and cranny of the mountainous countryside has small producers and dairy cooperatives making unique, delicious cheeses.<\/p>\n

While Catalonian cheesemaking pre-dates the Middle Ages, most of the world wasn\u2019t able to enjoy the region\u2019s offerings until the recent past because the remote location and difficult terrain made transporting products difficult. Further compounding the problem, the chain supermarkets of the 1970s and 1980s that dominated Catalonia\u2019s biggest city and capital, Barcelona, sold only commercially-produced cheeses.<\/p>\n

The 21st century has seen a robust focus on small dairy farmers and authentic cheese production. The new generation of cheesemakers boasts a diverse professional and educational background full of travel experience and creative ideas, infusing modern Catalonian cheese culture with new energy and cultural perspective as they bring the mountains to the big cities and beyond.<\/p>\n

Here are 5 Catalonian cheeses you need to know<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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1. Mat\u00f3<\/h2>\n
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Mat\u00f3 with honey<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along with Serrat and Tup\u00ed, Mat\u00f3 is one of the oldest cheeses in Catalonia, first appearing in the 14th-century Catalonian cookbook, Sent<\/em> Sovi<\/em>. Found in southeastern Catalonia, the best known wheels come from the villages surrounding the Montserrat mountain range, especially Marganell, and Ullastrell.<\/p>\n

Soft and spreadable, Mat\u00f3 is a whey cheese that is texturally similar to Italy\u2019s ricotta fresca and Corsica\u2019s brocciu, although no salt is used during production. Raw cow\u2019s milk, or occasionally goat\u2019s milk, is boiled and coagulated using animal rennet, thistle flower, or fresh lemon juice. The curds are filtered through wicker containers, resulting in a thick cheese that is slightly sweet from the concentration of the milk\u2019s lactose.<\/p>\n

Many producers, such as Can Flor\u00ed<\/a> in Marganell, make Mat\u00f3 de Monserrat by hand. Large-scale commercial versions are available as well, although they are made with pasteurized milk and mechanical production.<\/p>\n

Mat\u00f3 is still enjoyed as it was in the Middle Ages, as a dessert, drizzled with honey or powdered sugar. Recently, regional restaurants have revived a traditional cheesecake called coca de brossat, made with Mat\u00f3, cinnamon, and lemon zest.<\/p>\n

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2. Garrotxa St. Gil<\/h2>\n
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Garrotxa<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Arguably the most iconic goat\u2019s milk cheese made in Catalonia, Garrotxa is a pasteurized cheese with a fascinating history. <\/p>\n

The choice to use pasteurized milk can be traced back to the late 1970s when Francisco Franco\u2019s dictatorship came to an end. During the final years of his rule many of Barcelona\u2019s population of jiposos<\/em>, \u201chippies\u201d, moved to the countryside to escape persecution. To help sustain themselves, many chose to start making cheese as their profession.<\/p>\n

They discovered many of the region\u2019s older generation suffered from brucellosis, a bacterial infection caught by consuming the uncooked blood of animals, a practice observed by the elderly. Because of the perceived risk of sickness, they simply refused to eat any raw milk cheeses. To convince the locals to buy and eat their products, the new wave of dairy farmers chose to pasteurize their milk to remove any concerns.<\/p>\n

Garrotxa was originally called Pell Florida, which is Catalan for \u201cskin flor\u201d, referring to the distinct tufts of grey mold that rise from the wheels as they age. The name was changed in the 1980s to help strengthen the region\u2019s reputation for cheese-making, adopting the name of an ancient village in the Girona region. Today there are only 10 dairies making Garrotxa, including Formatges Sant Gil d\u2019Albi\u00f3<\/a>, whose owner Josep Mart\u00ed is a second-generation cheesemaker.<\/p>\n

Each two-pound wheel is aged for five to six weeks, developing a smooth exterior and uniformly white interior. The firm but yielding texture and mellow flavor make this a popular choice to serve with fresh fruit and the region\u2019s light-bodied wines. Garrotxa is also superb shaved over grilled vegetables or in fresh salads.<\/p>\n

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3. Serrat<\/h2>\n
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Serrat Gros<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Serrat is one of the oldest cheeses in all of Spain. Made in the Catalonian region of Valle de Ar\u00e0n near the Pyrenees since the 10th century, it was first produced by shepherds and farmers. It played an important role in the local economy, not only as a source of nutrition for consumption but also as a valuable commodity for local trade. Serrat<\/a> is included in the Slow Food Ark of Taste.<\/p>\n

Historically, Serrat was made from the unpasteurized, high-fat spring milk of Xisqueta di Lleida and Aranese sheep. Today, wheels are made from the raw milk of indigenous Txiqueta and Ripollesa breeds, and for longer periods each year. Smaller wheels, such as those produced by Formatgeria Serrat Gros<\/a>, can be aged for as little as two months while larger wheels can be aged up to a maximum of two years. They are compact and dense, with an interior that notably lacks any \u2018eyes\u2019. These characteristics give the cheese its name, deriving from \u201ccerrado\u201d, the Spanish word for closed.<\/p>\n

Serrat is intense and buttery, with a concentrated paste and a spicy, lingering finish. Locally, it is often eaten with dried fruit in a salad, shaved into thin slices and layered with roasted vegetables, or cut into cubes and dipped into a glass of full-bodied red wine.<\/p>\n

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4. Tup\u00ed<\/h2>\n
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Tup\u00ed de Sort<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tup\u00ed is another ancient cheese from the Pyrenees, dating back centuries. Created from the leftover curds and scraps from making Serrat, this cheese was first produced as a way to make use of flawed Serrat wheels.<\/p>\n

The scraps were blended with olive oil and high-proof alcohol such as aguardiente or grappa. The mixture was stored in a small earthenware container called a tup\u00ed, covered with a cloth to block insects, and then left outdoors to ferment in the open air for two to three months. The result is a pungent, intense cheese with a sharp flavor and creamy, spreadable texture.<\/p>\n

Today, Tup\u00ed is also made from unpasteurized cow milk. One of the most popular versions is produced by Formatgeria Tros de Sort<\/a>. Just as formidable as its sheep\u2019s milk counterpart, It is enjoyed slathered on homemade bread or mixed into fresh tomato sauce to help tame the piquant flavor.<\/p>\n

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5. Puigpedr\u00f3s<\/h2>\n
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Puigpedros photo credit Francesco Sapienza<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the mountainous, sunny region of La Cerdanya in the eastern Pyrenees, Pere Pujon makes a variety of cheeses at his farm, Mol\u00ed de Ger<\/a>. Once a flour mill, the property now serves as the home base for all of Pujon\u2019s cheese-making. In the U.S. Puigpedr\u00f3s <\/a>is imported by Forever Cheese<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Each of the 8 different cheeses offered is made with raw milk collected from the herd of 100 Fresian cows tended by Pujon\u2019s father and brother. Puigpedr\u00f3s is one of their most popular cheeses, named for a mountain on the border between Catalonia, Spain and the d\u00e9partement of Pyr\u00e9n\u00e9es-Orientales. Each wheel weighs nearly five pounds after aging for a minimum of three months in their ripening caves. Periodic brine washing yields a ruddy, pinkish-orange rind and deeply earthy aromas.<\/p>\n

The dense, smooth interior paste offers up flavors of roasted chestnut and cream mixed with a concentrated and quite persistent earthiness. The personality of Puigpedr\u00f3s reflects the terroir of the region beautifully. It\u2019s right at home with toasted hazelnuts and quince. For a more regional experience, try it melted over fresh asparagus with black olive bread and a bottle of the region\u2019s full-bodied, intense red wine.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cheeses of Catalonia Catalonia is one of the most diverse cheese regions in all of Spain. With more than 150 known varieties, every nook and cranny of the mountainous countryside has small producers and dairy cooperatives making unique, delicious cheeses. While Catalonian cheesemaking pre-dates the Middle Ages, most of the world wasn\u2019t able to enjoy … Okumaya devam et “5 Top Cheeses from Catalonia You Need to Know”<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1271,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[395],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-milk-and-diary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1271"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3369\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}