In the Basque and Navarre regions of Spain, sheep’s milk cheeses dominate. And Idiazabal might just be the best one of them all. Read on to learn how it’s made and what it tastes like.

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Where does Anevato come from?

Anevato is the only Greek PDO cheese than can be made with 100% goat’s milk. This unique fresh cheese originated from Western Macedonia where it has been made by local shepherds for generations. Currently, the PDO restricts its production to the Grevena prefecture, a mountain region known for its quality dairy, and the Voio area in Kozani prefecture. 

How is Anevato made?

As well as goat’s milk, the PDO allows the use of sheep’s milk, or a combination of the two. Since they mainly produce Anevato during the summer months, the richer milk and warmer temperatures make the souring and fermentation an easier process. The process begins with storing the milk between 18-22°C until it reaches the desired acidity. At this point, the maker moves the cheese to a cooling chamber for 24 hours. Afterwards, they add rennet and salt and let the cheese mature for two months. 

How to serve Anevato

At two months, Anevato has a pristine white colour, with the occasional tinge of pink. Its texture is soft and grainy and its flavour is acidic and fresh.

Due to its creamy texture, it is a very popular addition to salad and savoury pastries. Also, the locals often spread Anevato on toast or crackers. This young cheese pairs spectacularly with local wines such as Mavrodafni and Moschato. 

Thank you for reading

Thank you for reading this post about yet another amazing artisanal cheese. Have you tried this cheese before? Drop us a comment below with your thoughts.

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Finally, keep scrolling to find some more cheeses and recipes that have been recommended for you. Keep it cheesy!

The post Anevato: A Rare Goat’s Milk Greek Cheese appeared first on Cheese Atlas.

What is Scream Cheese?

Scream Cheese is a seasonal soft cheese made by Jasper Hill Farms in Greensboro, Vermont. It is an adaptation of their original recipe for Weybridge

In the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, Jasper Hill is an operating dairy farm with an on-site creamery. The creamery’s cheeses, as well as those created by other local producers, benefit from an underground ageing facility.

Made in Vermont

In the rolling hills of Weybridge, Vermont, Patty and Roger Scholten manage a herd of Dutch Belt cows. The Scholtens have been able to remain in a competitive milk market by producing organic, high-quality milk.

Farmstead cheese is now a method to diversify the business and involve the next generation; their daughter’s family has joined the farm and creamery to help operate it.

Weybridge is a lactic-set, organic cheese with a bloomy rind. The Scholtens’ rich and nuanced Dutch Belt milk is showcased in this lightly aged style. The thin skin covers a delicate cream-line with a toasted, mushroomy flavour that contrasts with the deep, milky core’s sharp acidity.

How is Scream Cheese made?

Each October, Jasper Hill Farm adapt their recipe for Weybridge to make this spooky orange cheese. In order to do so, they add the natural orange dye, annatto, to the milk during the production process.

As a result, the aptly named Scream Cheese has a bloomy white rind that is wrapped around a layer of charcoal, and a gorgeous bright orange pâte.

After spending 6-8 weeks in the Cellars at Jasper Hill Farm, this Halloween special has a silky texture and a surprisingly complex flavour. As a matter of fact, its flavour ranges from buttery and tangy to just a hint of wild barnyard. Effectively, your palate might even detect subtle notes of hay, earth and cow.

Serving Guide

It is hard to look past this gorgeous soft cheese for your Halloween cheese platter.

The cheese’s rich, milky flavour makes it an ideal breakfast cheese alongside berry preserves and freshly-baked bread.

Furthermore, it will pair beautifully with a dry, bubbly white wine, sparkling apple cider or a crisp German Pilsner.

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There are few cheeses around the world that bring up as much passion as Ossau-Iraty. Indeed, this traditional pressed uncooked sheep’s milk cheese is the pride of the Pays Basque region of France. Read on to learn about its history, how it is made, what it tastes like and how to serve it like the Basque.

SEE ALSO: Why Spain’s most famous cheese has a herringbone rind →

The Ossau Valley and Irati Forest

Firstly, let’s take a closer look at the areas of production. The first one is Northern Pays Basque’s Irati beech forest. Traditionally, cheesemakers in this region made a semi-hard cheese called Ardi. It is typically on the smaller side weighing in at around 2.2 kg (5 lbs).

On the other hand, farmers in the Ossau Valley tend to make much larger wheels of cheese that weight around 4 kg (8.5 lbs). In fact, the modern Ossau-Iraty is a blend of those two regions’ traditions. Consequently, the wheels come in both sizes.

Protected by an AOP stamp

Fast forward to 2021 and Ossau-Iraty is now protected in Europe by an AOP stamp. It is actually only the second sheep’s milk cheese to bear this stamp, after the famous Roquefort. Furthermore, the AOP dictates in their “cahiers de charges” that this cheese can only be made in the French Pays Basque and Béarn regions using local milk.

The milk used to make Ossau-Iraty

Also, the AOP specifies that Ossau-Iraty can only be made from the milk of three breeds of sheep. Namely, the Red-Faced Manech, Black-Faced Manech and Basco-Béarnaise.

Those three breeds are particularly well adapted to the terroir of the region and thrive in humid cool conditions. Moreover, the farmers can only feed them grass and non genetically modified cereals. Whilst they tend to yield less milk than other sheep, they are better adapted to the climate and the practice of transhumance.

What is transhumance?

In order to preserve the grass on their property for the winter months, the majority of farmers follow the traditional practice of transhumance. From May in the Pays Basque and June in Béarne, the herders move their sheep to summer pastures at higher altitude.

Actually, they will spend all of summer and the beginning of autumn feeding on this high altitude grass. As a result of this, the grass at lower altitudes can replenish in time for late autumn. The milk collected during those months is used to make the celebrated summer cheeses called Ossau-Iraty d’Estive. Come the end of autumn, the herd will return to lower grounds and start to lamb. Overall, this process is very important for the sheep, the farmers and the natural eco-system of the mountain. 

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About Nufenen

Nufenen is a semi-hard mountain-style cheese made by Sennerei Nufenen in Switzerland.

Its official name, Nufener Bio Bergkäse ‘Wurzig’ translates roughly to ‘Nufener Organic Mountain Cheese, Spicy’. Actually, it is a relatively young cheese, having only of been in production for the last fifty years or so.

Swiss alpage cheese

Furthermore, Nufenen is purely an Alpage cheese. This means that it is only made during the spring and summer months when the cows’ diet consists exclusively of lush fresh grass and flowers. Moreover, this floral quality is passed through the milk and, ultimately, on to the cheese.

Overall, the wheels are aged for 5-8 months before they are ready for consumption. During that time, the rind is washed regularly with a special brine blend and flipped on a regular basis. As a result, this leads to the formation of a reddish brown edible rind that is slightly sticky.

Internally, the golden pâte has a scattering of tiny round eyes and is dense and creamy, with sweet and yet savoury floral notes.

How to pair Nufenen

Enjoy with a glass of Pinot Noir or Beaujolais.

Thank you for reading

Thank you for reading this post about yet another amazing artisanal cheese. Have you tried this cheese before? Drop us a comment below with your thoughts.

If you enjoy learning about new cheeses, you can subscribe to our newsletter below. You will hear from us about once a week as we share new cheese profiles with you.

Finally, keep scrolling to find some more cheeses and recipes that have been recommended for you. Keep it cheesy!

The post Nufenen: Swiss Alpage Cheese appeared first on Cheese Atlas.