Palmero cheese is a Spanish

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...

 plain or lightly smoked cheese from the island of La Palma

La Palma

La Palma is the most north-westerly of the Canary Islands. La Palma has an area of 706 km2 making it the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands...

 in the Canary Islands

Canary Islands

The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...

. It is made of unpasteurised goats milk and has Denomination of Origin protection. The goats are free to graze on natural wild plants which are available all year round. The cheese is made on many small farms all over the island. It is presented in cylindrical cheeses of up to 15kilos(33lbs).

Manufacture

The milk is collected after milking and coagulated before it has cooled, around 27 to 33C (80-91°F), with natural rennet from goat kids. The coagulation usually takes about 45 minutes, after which the curd is cut into small grains to facilitate the drainage of the whey. The curd is then put into moulds and pressed and then left to drain. After this the cheeses are salted on the exterior with dry sea salt collected on the island. Some cheese is sold as fresh and some is smoked. The smoking is carried out using local materials such as almond

Almond

The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...

 shells, dried cactus

Opuntia ficus-indica

Opuntia ficus-indica is a species of cactus that has long been a domesticated crop plant important in agricultural economies throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world. It is thought to possibly be native to Mexico...

 or canarian pine. Following the smoking the cheeses are left to mature in local caves or air-conditioned rooms standing on plastic mesh which imparts a pattern on the rind. The cheeses are turned regularly and the rinds are rubbed with olive oil

Olive oil

Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...

 or gofio

Gofio

Gofio is the Canary Islands name for flour made from roasted grains or other starchy plants , some varieties containing a little added salt...

 to protect them.

Flavour

The flavour is clean and characteristic of goat milk and a natural coagulation with a slight acidity and slight saltiness The smoked cheese has a very slight smoky taste.

Texture

In fresh cheese it is soft and shiny white. In more mature cheese it is firm but elastic and of an ivory-white to pale cream colour. The cheese cuts cleanly but very small cavities evenly spread through the cheese may be visible.

Rind

The rind on fresh cheese is very thin. On mature cheese it is of medium thickness and the whole of the flat faces are usually marked with a grid of small squares. The colour can vary from a pale beige-cream to light or medium brown, depending on the maturity and smoking method.

Uses

Palmero cheese is eaten thinly sliced and unprepared or it may be grilled and eaten with the local mojo

Mojo (sauce)

Mojo is the name, or abbreviated name, of several types of sauces, varying in spiciness, that originated in the Canary Islands. It is predominantly either a red , green or orange sauce....

 sauce.

External links

Translation of Ref 2

Translation Of Spanish Government Website