View source for Manchego

{{Short description|Firm sheep milk cheese from Spain}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox Cheese
| name          = Manchego<br/>{{nobold|{{Native name|es|queso de la mancha}}}}
| image         = File:12 month manchego cheese plate with nut.jpg
| country       = [[Spain]]<ref name=PDO/>
| region        = [[La Mancha]]<ref name=PDO/>
| town          =
| source        = [[Domestic sheep|Ewes]]<ref name=PDO/>
| pasteurised   =
| texture       = Firm and compact<ref name=PDO/>
| fat           = 6.5% min<ref name=PDO/>
| protein       = 4.5% min<ref name=PDO/>
| dimensions    = max height {{convert|12|cm|abbr=on}}<br />max diameter {{convert|22|cm|abbr=on}}<ref name=PDO/>
| weight        = min {{convert|0.4|kg|abbr=on}}, max {{convert|4.0|kg|abbr=on}}<ref name=PDO/>
| aging         = min 30 days, max 2 years<ref name=PDO/>
| certification = [[Protected Geographical Status|PDO]]<ref name=PDO/>
}}
'''Manchego''' ({{langx|es|queso manchego}}, {{IPA|es|ˈkeso manˈtʃeɣo|pron}}) is a [[cheese]] made in the [[La Mancha]] region of Spain from the [[Sheep milk|milk of sheep]] of the [[Manchega]] breed. It is aged between 60 days and 2 years.
Manchego has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery texture, often containing small, unevenly distributed air pockets. The colour of the cheese varies from white to ivory-yellow, and the inedible rind from yellow to brownish-beige. The cheese has a distinctive flavour, well developed but not too strong, creamy with a slight piquancy, and leaves an aftertaste that is characteristic of sheep's milk.
The designation {{lang|es|queso manchego}} is protected under Spain's [[denominación de origen]] regulatory classification system,<ref>
{{Citation
| title = Manchego Cheese Denomination of Origin Regulating Council
| url = http://www.quesomanchego.es/
| access-date = 28 April 2010
}}
</ref> and the cheese has been granted [[Protected Geographical Status|Protected Designation of Origin]] (PDO) status by the [[European Union]].<ref>
{{Citation
| date = 27 June 2009
| title = Commission Regulation (EC) No 561/2009
| periodical = Official Journal of the European Union
| location = Brussels
| volume = L166
| pages = 36–37
| url = http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/registeredName.html?denominationId=917
| access-date = 28 April 2010
}}
</ref>
==PDO requirements==
A {{lang|es|queso manchego}} must satisfy these requirements:<ref>
{{Citation
| date = 13 February 2012
| title = Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 129/2012 – approving minor amendments to the specification for a name entered in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications (Queso Manchego PDO)
| periodical = Official Journal of the European Union
| location = Brussels
| volume = L43
| pages = 3–5
| url = http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/registeredName.html?denominationId=917
| access-date = 19 September 2017
}}
</ref>
* It must be produced within designated parts of the provinces of [[Albacete Province|Albacete]], [[Ciudad Real Province|Ciudad Real]], [[Cuenca Province (Spain)|Cuenca]], and [[Toledo Province|Toledo]], all in the La Mancha region.
* It can be made only with the whole milk of sheep of the Manchega breed raised on registered farms within that area.
* It must be aged for a minimum of 60 days (30 days for cheeses weighing up to {{convert|1.5|kg|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and a maximum of two years.
* It must be produced by pressing in a cylindrical mould that has a maximum height of {{convert|12|cm|abbr=on}} and a maximum diameter of {{convert|22|cm|abbr=on}}.
Manchego cheese can be made from pasteurised or [[raw milk]]; if the latter, it may be labelled {{lang|es|artesano}} (artisan). The only permitted additives are natural [[rennet]] or another approved coagulating enzyme and [[sodium chloride|salt]].
==Manufacture and labelling==
The moulds in which the cheese is pressed are barrel-shaped. Traditionally, manchego cheese was made by pressing the curd in plaited [[esparto]] grass baskets, which left a distinctive zig-zag pattern (known as {{lang|es|pleita}}) on the rind.<ref name=PDO>
{{Citation
| title = Spanish food – Manchego cheese
| year = 2005
| url = http://www.iberianfoods.co.uk/manchego.htm
| access-date = 28 April 2010
}}
</ref> Today, the same effect is achieved by the mould, the inside of which has a design in relief that imparts to the finished cheese an embossed pattern similar to that of woven esparto grass. The top and bottom surfaces of the cheese are impressed with a design of a head of [[wheat]].
During the maturation process, manchego cheese develops a natural rind. The regulations permit this to be washed, coated in [[Paraffin wax|paraffin]], dipped in [[olive oil]], or treated with certain approved transparent substances, but require that it must not be removed if the cheese is to be marketed as PDO.
Cheeses that meet the PDO requirements carry a [[casein]] tab that is applied when the cheese is in the mould and bear a distinctive label that is issued by the Manchego Cheese Denomination of Origin Regulating Council; this carries the legend {{lang|es|queso manchego}}, a serial number, and artwork depicting [[Don Quixote|Don Quixote de La Mancha]].<ref>
{{Citation
| title = Identification Manchego cheese
| url = http://www.quesomanchego.es/ingles/identifica.htm
| access-date = 28 April 2010
}}
</ref>
A cheese that is similar to manchego<ref>{{cite web |access-date=11 December 2020 |title=Manchego Cheese Substitutes |url=https://cheese.buzz/manchego-cheese-substitutes/}}</ref> and made in the same region, but from a blend of cows’, goats’, and ewes’ milk, is sold as {{lang|es|queso ibérico}}, or {{lang|es|ibérico}} cheese.
Almost 60% of [[Cheeses of Spain|Spanish cheese]] with Denomination of Origin is Manchego, which makes it the main reference of Spanish cheese. As most of its production is exported, it is one of the most important ambassadors of Spain’s national gastronomy. La Mancha exported 5.9 million kg of this cheese in 2017, according to the Foundation for Manchego Cheese (Fundación C.R.D.O Queso Manchego).<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 March 2022 |title=Spanish Club Blog - Manchego Cheese: All About It |url=https://spanishclub.blog/manchego-cheese-all-about-it/}}</ref>
==Varieties==
{{lang|es|Queso manchego}} has a variety of different flavours depending on its age:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seriouseats.com/2017/08/guide-to-manchego-spanish-sheeps-milk-cheese.html|website=seriouseats.com|title=An Introduction to Manchego-Style Cheese|last=Craddock|first=Kat|access-date=19 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cheese.com/manchego/|website=cheese.com|title=Manchego|access-date=19 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Keenan|first=Tia|url=https://www.cheeseconnoisseur.com/manchego-surviving-the-test-of-time/|website=cheeseconnoisseur.com|title=Manchego: Surviving The Test Of Time|date=February 2016|access-date=19 September 2017}}</ref>
* '''{{lang|es|Fresco}}''': ''fresh'' cheese is aged for 2 weeks. It has a rich but mild flavour, not a true {{lang|es|queso manchego}} due to its lack of ageing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://manchego-cheese.com/types-of-manchego-cheese/|website=manchego-cheese.com|title=How Does Manchego Cheese Change With Age?|access-date=19 September 2017}}</ref> Produced in small quantities, it is rarely found outside Spain.
* '''{{lang|es|Semicurado}}''': semifirm, semicured cheese aged for 3 weeks to 3–4 months, somewhat milder than curado.
* '''{{lang|es|Curado}}''': semifirm cured cheese aged for 3–6 months with a caramel and nutty flavour.
* '''{{lang|es|Viejo}}''': aged for 1–2 years, firm with a sharper flavour the longer it is aged; it has a rich, deep pepperiness to it. It grates well, but can also be eaten on its own or on ''[[tapas]]''.<ref>Spanish-Cheese.co.uk – [http://www.spanish-cheese.co.uk/types_of_spanish_cheese.html Types of Spanish Cheese (Queso)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108000650/http://www.spanish-cheese.co.uk/types_of_spanish_cheese.html |date=8 January 2012 }}</ref>
==Americas==
===North America===
In Mexico and Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, {{lang|es|manchego}} or {{lang|es|queso tipo manchego}} (manchego-type cheese) is the name given to an [[Industrialized food|industrialized]] cow's milk cheese similar in taste to [[Monterey Jack]].<ref name="cg">
{{cite web
|access-date=19 September 2017
|publisher=clovegarden.com
|title=Varieties of Cheese
|url=http://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/da_cheesev.html
}}</ref> It melts well and is used as both a [[table cheese]] and for cooking. Apart from the name, this cheese has nothing in common with the Spanish variety.
===Central America===
In Costa Rica, three companies (Dos Pinos, Los Alpes,<ref>{{cite web |access-date=14 June 2010 |title=Los Alpes website |url=http://www.losalpesquesos.com/productos/maduros.htm }}</ref> and Monteverde) produce a manchego-type cheese ({{lang|es|queso tipo manchego}}), which can come with a drawing of [[Don Quijote]] on the labels.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lactalisforlasaexport.com/cheeses-by-format/3k/don-quijote-semi-cured-wheel-3-kg |title=Don Quijote Semi-cured, Wheel 3 kg |publisher=Lactalis Iberia Export }}</ref> One company also makes a manchego-type cheese with [[basil]] added. These Costa Rican cheeses can come dipped in [[paraffin wax]], and some have the {{lang|es|pleita}} pattern pressed on the side.
==See also==
*[[List of cheeses]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* Manchego cheese info at [https://spanishclub.blog/manchego-cheese-all-about-it/ spanishclub.blog]
{{Spanish cheeses}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manchego Cheese}}
[[Category:Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union]]
[[Category:Spanish cheeses]]
[[Category:Castilian-La Mancha cuisine]]
[[Category:Sheep's-milk cheeses]]