The cheese tasting was held while Illinois University (Angela, Melissa, Josh, Drew, Maggie, George) beat #1-ranked Ohio State University (Karen, Julie, Johnny) at Ohio on Saturday. The cheeses are from Eastern Market.
Manchego DO
milk: sheep:
country: Spain
type: hard
Manchego is named for the Spanish region of La Mancha, also home of Don Quixote. This historic cheese is produced in the La Mancha region from pasteurized sheep’s milk. It has a black gray or buff colored rind with a crosshatch pattern, the interior ranges from stark white to yellowish, depending on age. The aroma should suggest lanolin and roast lamb. The final cheese is usually smeared with olive oil and surface mould is removed. It has a number of holes and a mild, slightly briny, nutty flavor. It is sold at various stages of maturity: at the age of 13 weeks it is described as curado (cured) and, when over three months old it is referred to as viejo (aged). There is a peppery bite to cheeses that have reached a great age. It is best known of a series of sheep’s cheeses and is similar to Zamorano, Cadiz, Calahora or Castelleno.
at, ms, jr, wt: very good
Ossau-Iraty AOC
milk: sheep
country: France
type: semi-hard
Ossau-Iraty is a traditional, unpasteurized, semi-soft cheese made from sheep’s milk. It usually has a shape of a wheel, with natural rind. This cheese is made with the milk of Manech ewes. There are three main sizes: small (Petit-Ossau-Iraty-Brebis Pyrenes), intermediate (non-fermier), large (fermier). Affinage takes at least 90 days, 60 days for the small version. The temperature of the cellar must be below 12 C. This cheese unites two regions of France in the Western Pyrénées: Ossau in the valley of the Bearn and Iraty in the beech forests of the Pays Basque. The cheese is full of a delicious, nutty, robust taste if it is produced during the period from June to September when the herds move up to the high mountain meadows.
at, ms, jr: good, wt: very good