Types of cheeses

Cheese is a delicacy that practically everyone enjoys. Whether as a tapa, as an aperitif with a good wine, for breakfast, or for an authentic tasting of different varieties. A gastronomic delight based on milk, it can be from a cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, or any other ruminant mammal. But although the main ingredient is always the same—milk—the truth is that each variety has distinct characteristics.

The variations can be so great that sometimes they may even seem like completely different products with nothing in common. This depends, in addition to the animal’s place of origin, on factors such as fat content, curing time, and even how the animal in question has lived.

The main cheeses of Andalusia

Andalusia is a land of cheese. Most people may classify it as the region of olive oil and ham, but the truth is that gastronomically speaking, it is much more than that. Andalusian cheeses are authentic ethnographic treasures that allow us to enjoy, with every bite, a slice of Andalusian cuisine. A perfect complement to enjoy alongside a good local wine, allowing you to indulge in completely unique nuances and flavors.

There are enzymatic fermentation cheeses, such as Manchego, and lactic fermentation cheeses, with soft cheeses like French cheeses. Different varieties include El Bucarito raw milk blue cheese or Júrtiga cured pepper cheese. Most often, goat’s milk is the main producing region for this type of cheese, with around 80 artisan cheese factories. So you can try some of the most delicious cheeses, we suggest four ideal options for enjoying Andalusian cheese.

Payoyo Cheese

Without a doubt, this cheese from Cádiz is one of the best-known. This is a cheese factory that makes its products with milk from native goats, which served as a stimulus to maintain the Payoya breed. They offer fresh, cured, and semi-cured products made from sheep, goat, and a mix of both. Their quality is such that they are distributed throughout Spain and in countries such as Italy, Japan, and the United States.

Aracena Cheese

When we talk about cheeses from Huelva, it’s impossible not to mention the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche cheeses. This goat cheese is gaining increasing recognition. In this case, it’s made from raw goat’s milk, which is characterized by its unique aroma and fat content.

Serón Cheeses

Now it’s time to focus our attention on Almería, where the Murciano-Granadina goat cheese takes center stage. The Almería municipality of Serón offers some of the highest quality cheeses in the world. They have recently launched a gourmet line alongside their typical semi-cured, cured, and fresh products.

Alhama Cheese

In Alhama de Granada, we find one of the oldest cheeses in all of Andalusia. A typical product of the Loja, Media, Zagarraya, Jayena, Jústiga, and Dona mountain ranges, it is traditionally made by hand. Made with milk from the Murciano-Granada goat, it offers a very unique result. A cheese that lets you taste the aromas of the mountain pastures that feed the goats in one bite.

Other Types of Cheese

There are so many other types of cheese in the world that if we tried to cover them all, it would be endless. Edam cheese, Swiss cheese, Camembert, Roquefort, cheddar… Not to mention others like feta, provolone, or Havarti. Each one, as with all those mentioned above, has a unique flavor, texture, and color. If you’d like to learn about other types of cheese, don’t miss this Quesoteca compilation, which discusses the 30 most consumed cheeses in the world.