Murcian wine cheese is a fatty goat

Goat

The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...

s’ milk cheese from the province of Murcia

Murcia

-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...

 in the south-east of Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. It has a Protected Designation of Origin

Protected designation of origin

Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...

. The cheese is made only from unpasteurized goats’ milk of the Murcian breed from registered herds. The term al vino refers to the washing of the rind with red wine during maturation. The cheese is presented in cylinders 6–7 cm (2-3 inches) high and 7–9 cm (3-4 inches) diameter weighing 400gms.(14 ounces), or 7–9 cm (3-4 inches) high and 12-18cms.(5-7 inches) diameter weighing 1 kg (2.2 lbs) or 2 kg.(4.4 lbs)

Manufacture

The goats are milked daily and after filtration the milk is warmed to 30-34°C (86-93F) and curdled with an animal enzyme

Rennet

Rennet is a complex of enzymes produced in any mammalian stomach to digest the mother's milk, and is often used in the production of cheese. Rennet contains many enzymes, including a proteolytic enzyme that coagulates the milk, causing it to separate into solids and liquid...

 or another authorised agent. The coagulation lasts from 40–60 minutes after which the curd is cut to grains of 6-8mms.(0.23-0.31 inches) The curd is then washed and 15% of the whey is removed and replaced with water. The curd is then heated by a further 3-5°C (37-39°F) and then worked lightly. The curd is then placed in plain moulds and pressed for 2–4 hours until the appropriate Ph

Ph

pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity.PH, ph, pH, and Ph may also refer to:-Sciences:* PH , the union of all people classes in the polynomial hierarchy in computational complexity theory...

is achieved. The cheese is then salted in a brine bath for a maximum of 20 hours. Maturation of the larger cheeses takes a minimum of 45 days, the smaller pieces take a minimum of 30 days, during which the cheeses are immersed several times in a bath of red wine from the region.

Flavour

The cheese has an agreeable creamy flavour, a slight saltiness and a mild aroma. Murcian wine cheese is coloured white to light cream and has a compact and elastic texture. The colour of the red wine baths does not permeate into the cheese. There are a few small cavities throughout the cheese.

Rind

Smooth and thin, it has a purplish-red colour as a consequence of the baths in red wine during maturation. There may be an indented criss-cross geometric pattern on the faces of the cheese.

Uses

As with many harder Spanish cheeses it is eaten sliced as a snack with beer or wine, or else as part of a meal with fruit or nuts.

External links

• Translation of Spanish Government website
• Translation of the Spanish Professional Cheesemakers' website