Raw milk
Sheep
Granada
The manufacture of this cheese has been reduced to small-scale, home-based production for own consumption. Made between late winter and early spring, it is preserved in oil or consumed the following year. A matured, hand-kneaded cheese, it sometimes includes small quantities of goat’s milk. Medium to high fat content. Animal rennet is used to produce enzymatic coagulation. Cylindrical in shape, with the plaited imprint of the esparto grass mould stamped on the side. Its weight varies between 1.5 and 3 Kg., and its optimal maturing time is 2 to 3 months.

Its dark brown rind, which becomes slightly buttery in spring, is well-defined, with the imprints clearly visible. Inside, the cheese is ivory to straw-coloured, with small, irregularly-distributed holes. Semi-hard texture with low elasticity, becoming crumbly in the case of those cheeses preserved in oil. A strong animal scent with a hint of stable odour. Sometimes the cheese can be pungent, particularly when matured in very damp conditions. A full, slightly acid taste which is a little tangy but not very salty. Buttery in the mouth with a strong sheep aftertaste.