La Tradicion – Manchego Cheese from Mora, Toledo, Spain
Quesos Artesanos Hechos a Mano has been producing cheese for three generations. The company is located in Mora, in the area of “la Mancha” in Spain, in the province of Toledo.
Manchego is delightful in thin slices, especially when paired with membrillo (Spanish quince paste). Membrillo is a deep wine-colour, slices easily, and tastes heavenly with Manchego. This pairing is practically the national snack of Spain.
Manchego is great as an appetiser with cold meats, melted on bread, and any other use when a high quality cheese with personality is desired.
Manchego is generally aged for 3 – 6 months but is also available with 12 months ageing. The ageing creates a semi-firm cheese with a rich golden colour and small holes. The taste depends on the maturity: mild, subtle, and fresh; or strong and full-bodied with a tangy farmhouse flavour.
The whole wheel is barrel-shaped and weighs about 1.5 – 2 kg. It comes in a 25 cm diameter wheel, about 12 cm thick, with a herringbone design on the inedible rind. This pattern is caused by the surface of the press used in the manufacturing process.
The taste is distinctive, slightly salty but not too strong. It is creamy with a slight edge and a mild characteristic of itʼs sheep milk origin. Manchego cheese is protected by its Denominacion de Origen. This controls its production, ensures the exclusive use of milk only from the Manchega sheep, and dictates an ageing period (in natural caves) of a minimum of two months.
Our Manchego is available in three different states of maturity: Semi-Curado (3 months), Curado (6 months) and Viejo (12 months).
| Ingredients | Aged sheep milk cheese |
| Shelf Life | Variable |
| Available in | Individual wheels – approx 3.5kg |